The alleged suspects who diverted food meant for IDPs
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday,
November 9, 2017 arraigned Adamu Ado Bomboy, Sadiq Abubakar Tijjani,
Abban Thomas, Umar Idris, Rabiu Haruna and Elephant Group Ideas Nigeria
Limited, before Justice A. B. Mohammed of the Federal Capital Territory
High Court Abuja, on a 4-count charge of criminal conspiracy and illegal
diversion of food meant for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.
Bomboy and his co-accused sometime in May 2016 were allegedly
entrusted with 249 trucks of maize belonging to the Federal Government
of Nigeria meant for delivery to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
camp in the North Eastern States of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi
and Taraba.
The defendants were discovered to have dishonestly converted 65 of
the said trucks of maize to personal use. The offence contravenes
Section 311 and punishable under Section 312 of the Penal Code Act
Chapter 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja).
One of the counts reads: “That you, Alhaji Adamu Ado Bomboy
(while being the Managing Director of Elephant Group Ideas Nigeria
Limited), Elephant Group Ideas Nigeria Limited and Sadiq Abubakar
Tijjani, sometime in May 2016 at Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this
Honorable Court, while being entrusted with 249 trucks of Maize
belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria for delivery to the
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the North Eastern States of
Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba, dishonestly converted
65 (sixty five) trucks of the said Maize to your own use in violation of
legal contracts which you made in regard to the delivery of the said
goods and thereby committed an offence”.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the counts. In view of their
pleas, counsel to EFCC, Salisu Majindadi informed the court of the
prosecution’s readiness to open trial.
“My Lord, we have two witnesses in court and we are ready to open our case today”, he said.
However, Bomboy’s counsel, J. J. Onye, and other counsel in the
defence asked the court for more time to prepare their defence, but were
objected by Majindadi who said, “The defence counsel were served with the charge for more than one month and therefore require no time to prepare”.
The defence counselsfurther urged the court to admit the clients to
bails. Their applications were also objected to by Majindadi, who urged
the court to remand the accused persons in Kuje prison.
After listening to the submissions of counsel, Justice Mohammed
adjourned to November 13, 2017, for ruling on the bail applications and
ordered the defendants to be remanded in Kuje prison.
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