Councillor Jailed For Selling Rice Meant For IDPs

Two supervisory councilors from Maga Local Government Area have been sentenced to jail for selling the rice meant for IDPs.  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction of a Supervisory Councillor from Mafa Local Government Area, Umar Ibrahim and one Bulama Ali Zangebe.

They were prosecuted before Justice F. Umaru of the State High Court Maiduguri on a 4-count charge bordering on conspiracy to sell and misappropriate the proceed of rice meant for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mafa Local Government.

Ibrahim was arrested alongside Zangebe and Modu Bulama, for allegedly diverting 180 bags of rice donated by Danish Refugee Council (DRC), a Non-Governmental Organization, for victims of insurgency in Mafa Local Government.

In his Judgment, Justice Umar held that “The EFCC proved its case beyond reasonable doubt as there was an agreement to do illegal act. The convicts conspired to do an illegal act to sell rice meant for the IDPs”.

He, therefore, sentenced both convicts to two years and a fine of N1m each on the charge of criminal misappropriation and two years in prison for conspiracy. The N50,000 recovered from the agents that sold the rice was ordered forfeited to the Borno State Government”.

Count two of the charge read:

“That you, UMAR IBRAHIM and one SHETTIMA LAWAN MAINA (now at large) sometime in November, 2016 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly converted to your personal use the sum of N1,440,000.00 (one million, four hundred and forty thousand naira) only, being the proceeds from the sale of 180 bags of rice meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State contrary to and punishable under Sections 308 and 309 of the Penal Code Law Cap 345, Laws of the Northern States of Nigeria respectively”.