The trio of Sanda Jonathan Lamurde, Abdurahman Bobboi and Feredan George have been remanded in prison custody following their arraignment Wednesday before Justice Bilkisu B. Aliyu of the Federal High Court, Yola on a 26-count charge bordering on stealing, forgery and uttering by the Gombe Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Lamurde, Commissioner of Finance in the administration of Bala James NGilari and Chairman, Adamawa State Committee on Internally Displaced Persons’welfare; Bobboi, a former Chief Protocol officer to the Governor and current Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in Adamawa state (member of the committee); and the third accused Feredan, the Chief Store Officer of the Adamawa state Emergency Management Agency allegedly conspired among themselves and diverted over N586M released by the Adamawa State Government for the welfare of Internally a Displaced Persons, IDPs.
Count three of the charge read, “That you SANDA JONATHAN LAMURDE and FEREDAN GEORGE, while being the Commissioner for Ministry of Finance and Chairman Committee on Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP’s) welfare, the Chief Store Officer at State Emergency Management Agency all of Adamawa state Government respectively, in such capacities, sometime between March and May 2015 in Yola, Adamawa state within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, the Federal High Court of Nigeria, did fraudulently converts to your own use, monies, the sum of N379, 557, 500.00 from the monies provided for the purchase of food items and welfare of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Adamawa state, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 383 and Punishable under Section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Act respectively, Cap C38 LFN, 2004”.
All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the 26 counts read to them. Consequently, the prosecution counsel Abubakar Aliyu asked for a date for trial while opposing the oral bail application moved by the accused.
Before adjourning the case to 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th November, 2017 for trial, Justice Aliyu ordered the accused persons to be remanded in prison custody, pending the determination of their bail applications.