Court jails ex-councillor, one other for IDP food diversion

Aformer supervisory councillor of Mafa Local Government of Borno State Umar Ibrahim and one Bulama Zangebe have been sentenced to two years imprisonment for criminal misappropriation and illegal diversion of food items meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The two were also fined N1 million each by a Borno High Court sitting in Maiduguri yesterday.

The prosecution counsel of the Maiduguri Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bar. Khalid Sanusi had told the court that the accused allegedly diverted 300 bags of rice, giving rise to two charges of conspiracy and criminal misappropriation against them.

The prosecutor said the accused committed the crimes on 19 January 2017, three days before their arrest by the EFCC.

He said it was clear that the duo knew that the said rice, the bags of which carried the not-for-sale inscription, belonged to IDPs and it was distributed accordingly, but they went ahead and sold 180 bags of rice meant for IDPs for N1,440,000.00 at the first instance. The rice was donated by Danish Refugee Council, DRC, a Non-Governmental Organization.

The Defense Counsel, Bar. Mohammed M Monguno pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy because the accused persons have families to cater for.

Justice Fadawu Umar described the evidences against the accused persons as overwhelming.

Ibrahim and Zangebe were charged alongside Shettima Maina, a former council chairman of Mafa Local government, who is now in military custodywas declared at large.