PDP Chairman Charged Embezzled N586m Meant For Feeding Internally Displaced Persons

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday arraigned the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Adamawa State, Abdurahman Bobboi, who is also a former Protocol Officer to ex-Governor Bala Ngilari, for the alleged diversion of N586m meant for feeding Internally Displaced Persons.

The EFCC also arraigned a former Commissioner for Finance in the state, Sanda Lamurde, who is also the Chairman, Adamawa State Committee on Internally Displaced Persons’ Welfare.

The anti-graft agency also charged the Chief Store Officer of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Feredan George.

The commission arraigned the three persons before Justice Bilikisu Aliyu of a Federal High Court sitting in Adamawa, Punch learned.

The EFCC, which slammed 26 charges bordering on stealing, forgery and uttering against the three officials, accused them of conspiring among themselves to divert over N586m released by the Adamawa State Government for the welfare of displaced persons in 2015.

One of the charges read in part,

“That you Sanda Jonathan Lamurde and Feredan George, while being the Commissioner for Finance and Chairman, Committee on Internally Displaced Persons’ Welfare; and the Chief Store Officer at State Emergency Management Agency all of the Adamawa State Government respectively, in such capacities, sometime between March and May 2015 in Yola,  Adamawa State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court,  the Federal High Court of Nigeria, did fraudulently converts to your own use,  monies, the sum of N379, 557, 500 from the monies provided for the purchase of food items and welfare of the IDPs of Adamawa state, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 383 and Punishable under Section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Act respectively,  Cap C38 LFN, 2004.”

All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the 26 counts read to them.

Consequently, the prosecution counsel, Abubakar Aliyu, asked for a date for trial while opposing the oral bail application moved by the accused persons.

Before adjourning the case till November 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 November, 2017 for trial, Justice Aliyu ordered the accused persons to be remanded in prison custody, pending the determination of their bail applications.