The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) Maiduguri Zonal Office, yesterday arraigned one Engr. Abba Yusuf, a Permanent Secretary in the Borno State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA) and two others before Justice Aisha Kumalia of the Borno State High Court no 12, sitting in Maiduguri for Misappropriation and diversion of public fund amounting to N118.3 million .
Other officials of BORMA standing trial with Yusuf are Mustapha Kura (transport officer) and Abubakar Mustapha (cashier).
The three were alleged to have defrauded BORMA on different occasions by inflating the costs of officially procured items with forged receipts of different companies.
Count two of the charge reads: “That you, Engr. Abba Yusuf, Mustapha Kura and Abubakar Mustapha, sometime in 2011, in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, while being the permanent secretary, transport officer and cashier respectively of Borno State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA) and in such capacities, being entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit ; N91, 550 , 000 being monies approved for the purchase of 250/tonne stone crusher machine, committed a criminal breach of trust in respect of the sum of N13, 550,000 , by diverting the said sum to personal use and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Cap102, Laws of Borno State.”
They pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Following their plea, prosecution counsel, Benjamin Manji, prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in prison custody.
The defence counsel, Abdulwasiu Alfa, however, pleaded with the court to remand them in the custody of the EFCC pending the determination of their bail application.
But counsel to EFCC, Benjamin Manji, who faulted the prayer of the defence counsel further argued that the right place for the defendants to be remanded was the prison and no longer the custody of the EFCC, since the matter was now in court.
In her ruling, Justice Kumalia remanded the accused persons in prison custody pending the determination of their bail applicatio
