Yola Criminal Area Court II in Adamawa state has admitted the Education Secretary of Mubi South Local Government Area, Jibrilla Babale, and 4 others to bail after spending 7 days in prison custody.
Jibrilla, and 4 others were remanded in prison for allegedly diverting 800 bags of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) donated for onward distribution to public schools in Mubi South and Mubi North LGAs.
Those remanded in prison along side the Education Secretary on Monday last week include; the UNICEF Co-ordinator of Distribution for Mubi South and North LGAs, Mustaspha Mohammed as well as Musa Mahmud, Aliyu Mohammed and Mohammed Yahaya, for diverting and selling 800 bags of UNICEF at the sum of N420, 000.
The defendants were remanded by the court presided by Hon. Nuhu Musa Garta, after they pleaded not guilty, and thereafter adjourned the case to 1st November, 2021, for commencement of hearing.
He further declared that the bail application filed by counsel to all the defendants, T. U. Danjuma, will be considered before the fixed date for hearing.
But during the court's sitting yesterday, counsel to the defendants, who was represented by M. O. Otokphe, pleaded with the court to admit his clients to bail.
He informed the court that the offence is bailable in nature and that his clients have lined up credible/responsible sureties to stand for them, assuring that they will neither jump bail nor interfere into the ongoing investigation.
On her part, the prosecutor, Inspector Boyom Alex, did not object to the application for bail; instead, she that the bail is at the discretion of court.
Ruling on the bail application, Honourable Nuhu Musa Garta, said that the court had considered the application filed by the counsel to the defendants, and subsequently granted same based on the response of the prosecution who assured the court that investigation is in progress.
Nuhu Garta, held that the degree of participation or involvement in the crime differs and granted them bail based on the level of their participation.
According to him, the ES is to be released on bail by providing 2 credible or responsible sureties who must be a serving Chairman and a Director from his LGC and deposit the sum of N300, 000.
He also granted bail to the UNICEF Distribution Co-ordinator, Mustaspha Mohammed, on condition that he must produce 2 sureties who must be high ranking officers of UNICEF and deposit the sum of N300, 000.
Equally, he granted bail to the remaining 3 defendants on condition that everyone of them must provide 1 surety each and deposit the sum of N, 50, 000 each.
Meanwhile, the case is adjourned to the 1st November, 2021, for commencement of hearing as earlier adjourned.
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