A Gombe State High Court yesterday sentenced the immediate past Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Danlami Arabs Rukujei and store officer of the agency, Isa Garba to four years, two months imprisonment over charges bordering on misappropriation.
They were dragged before the court by the Gombe Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over three-count charge of conspiracy, criminal misappropriation and aiding/abetting crime.
According to the court documents, the former executive secretary conspired with Garba and took away some building materials brought to the state as relief materials by the Presidential Committee on North East Initiative (PCNI), for distribution to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.
The court heard that instead of distributing the materials, the duo conspired among themselves and sold the 5000 bags of cement and 2, 081 drums of 20 litres of paints, where they allegedly used the proceeds for their personal benefit.
According to the prosecution counsel Barrister A. M. Labaran, the offences are contrary to Sections 84, 85, 97, and 309 of the Penal Code.
Daily Trust Saturday learnt that when the accused persons were first arraigned before the court on February 28, 2018, they all pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge preferred against them.
In his verdict, Justice Abubakar Jauro said that the prosecution has proved it case beyond reasonable doubt as required by law and thereby convicted the accused persons accordingly.
He sentenced Rukujei to 14 months imprisonment for conspiracy in count-one and 18 months imprisonment each in count-two and three respectively for criminal misappropriation.
Garba was equally sentenced to 14 months imprisonment in count-one for conspiracy and 18 months imprisonment each in count-two and three respectively for aiding and abetting crime.
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