CITY NEWS Publish monthly allocation to area Man gets 3 months imprisonment for councils, natives tell FCT minister stealing
The natives of the FCT, under the aegis of Coalition of Abuja Indigenous Associations (CAIA), have advised the Minister of the FCT, Muhammad Musa Bello, to always publish the monthly allocations given to the six area councils of the territory.
Speaking at a press briefing over the weekend in Abuja, the spokesman of the group, Ahmadu Yunusa Yusuf, also urged the minister to ensure he monitored activities of the area council chairmen especially on how they utilised the allocation given to them.
He said it had become necessary to publish the area councils’ monthly allocations and monitor how the chairmen spend them due to the absence of developmental projects at the grassroots level and the problem of non-payment of salaries by some area councils.
The natives, however, said the FCT minister was making appreciable effort in the area of project implementation, especially in the city centre.
The natives also frowned at the area council chairmen for failing to disclose to their people who voted them into office the position of the Paris Club refunds, saying it was quite worrisome that other states have collected and disbursed the funds, while people of the territory were yet to know where the money has gone to.
“In our opinion, we are suspecting that the area council chairmen are making huge monies from this and they are not using it for the purpose they were meant for,” the group alleged. A Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, has sentenced a 23-year-old man, Babatunde Adams, to three months imprisonment for stealing an iron pillar.
The judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, however, gave the convict an option of N10, 000 fine.
Sadiq advised the convict to desist from committing crime, saying that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others.
Adams, who resides at Akaraka village, Gwagwa, Abuja, was convicted on one count charge of theft.
The convict, who pleaded guilty to the charge, urged the court to temper justice with mercy, adding that hunger made him to commit the crime.
The police prosecutor, Florence Avhioboh, had told the court that one Joel John of CCECC Company, at Idu Industrial Area, Abuja, reported the matter at the Karmo Police Station on Sept. 10.
Avhioboh said the convict on that same date stole the iron pillar valued at N100, 000, which was later recovered from him.
During police investigation, he confessed to the crime and begged for mercy.
The prosecutor said the offence was punishable under Section 288 of the Penal Code. (NAN)