The director of finance at the Niger state House of Assembly, Ibrahim Musa, and eight staff of the accounts department have been arraigned at the Chief Magistrate Court 1 Minna over the theft of N11.67 million from the director’s office at the Assembly complex.
Police charged Musa of negligence of duty and failure to properly supervise his personnel in a separate First Information Report.
The other eight account officers are charged with criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation, cheating and theft.
The accused persons however pleaded not guilty when the charges were read by the presiding Chief Magistrate 1, Nasir Muazu.
Police prosecutor ASP Ahmed Saidu did not object to bail for Ibrahim.
But he urged the court to remand the other eight officers, insisting their bail would jeopardise ongoing investigation.
Their defence counsel pleaded they would not jump bail.
The court granted Musa bail for N1m and ordered that the other eight be remanded until October.
According to the FIR, a compliant was lodged at the Tudun Wada police station about the missing money by the Assembly Sergeant at Arm Ibrahim Abubakar on 3/10/20 adding that the money was entrusted in care of the account officials by some members of the Assembly.
The money according to police investigation was kept on a file shelf instead of security safe in the office the director of finance with the intent to steal the money later.
Those arrested and charged include the Director of finance, Ibrahim Musa, Saidu Aliyu, Nma Ndanusa, Bello Mohammed, jibrin Hamma, Yahaya Sadiq, Bashir Shuaibu, Mohammed Shaba and Abu Mashood all of the accounts department of the Assembly.
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