Nggilari: Prison official detained as NPS probes alleged conspiracy

The Nigerian Prison Service is probing how prison officials released former Adamawa State governor, Bala Nggilari without directive from the service.

The Controller of Prisons in Adamawa, Peter Tenkwa said the same officers who tendered a letter to prove that Ngilari could attend court session said they had already set the convict free when the controller directed them to retain the convict pending directive from headquarters.

The High Court 1 in Yola, presided over by Justice Nathan Musa, on Monday granted bail to Ngilari on health ground pending the determination of the appeal against his jail term.

The controller had already told journalists that he could not release Nggilari until he obtained the court order and consulted with the legal department at the headquarters.

He disclosed that the medical officer, John Bukar had been detained in accordance with the service rules while the deputy controller in charge of the prison, Abubakar Abaka had been deployed to Abuja and suspended.

“Based on the powers vested on the controller of prison in the Prison Act by S.84 under cap.366, I ordered the arrest and detention of S.P John Bukar pending investigation of the charge against him,” he said, adding that the zonal coordinator in charge of Zone C had relocated to the state and commenced investigation of the matter.

Nggilari was not at his Yola residence when Daily Trust visited yesterday. None of his former aides could be reached for comments either, and his lawyer, Obed Wadzani denied knowledge of his hereabouts.