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.
Sometime in May 2016, Bomboy and his co-accused 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 offense 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 defense asked the court for more time to prepare their defense, but were objected by Majindadi who said, "the defense counsel was served with the charge for more than one month and therefore require no time to prepare".
The defense counsel further 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.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
10 November 2017
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