A Minna Chief Magistrate court on Wednesday remanded the All Progressives Congress (APC) Niger State Chairman, Alhaji Jibrim Iman, and the Treasurer, Shafi Abdulsalam, at the Minna correctional center for alleged misappropriation of funds.
The Court remanded the suspects pending the ruling on their bail application on Friday.
The duo and two others at large were arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Nasiru Muazu on a three count charge of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation, contrary to section, 97, 312, and 309 of the penal code law.
The Prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ahmed Saidu had told the court that Iman and Shafi, along with the two others, at large, connived to misappropriate N800 million belonging to the state chapter of APC.
Saidu said that the monies were withdrawn from two new generation banks in Minna between 1st June, 2014 and 1st June, 2020.
He alleged that the defedants also misappropriated other funds of APC in Niger state that were made willfully, and you all dishonestly converted to your personal uses the said monies.
“The said monies were withdrawn by the accused persons without memo and have remained unaccounted for,” he said.
The Prosecutor alleged that the welfare officer of the party, Alhaji Muka Fasasy, confessed to have collected N4.8 million from members of the state house of assembly which the accused persons allegedly shared.
Saidu, therefore, told the court that because of the seriousness of the case against the defendants, he was opposed to their bail in addition to the fact that two of the accused are still at large.
He said that he was also opposing their bail to enable the police carry out proper investigation, saying that “proper investigation will not be carried out if they are released on bail, because they have been frustrating the investigation.”
The Prosecutor cited section 341 paragraph 2 of the criminal procedure code.
“The offenses allegedly committed attract heavy punishment if not less than seven years of imprisonment so it is not ordinarily billable,” he said.
Mr Isah Suleiman, counsel to the defendants urged the court to allow bail for his client, saying that the law provides that bail should be given for all manners of offenses “except for capital offenses, this not a capital offense.”
Suleiman told the court that one of the accused persons has medical challenges, including being diabetic, physically challenged and high blood pressure which were making him to frequent the hospital.
He said that the accused persons have been on police bail and have never jumped.
Muazu, the Chief Magistrate criticised the counsel to the accused persons for not providing the court with the medical records of one of the accused persons.
“The medical record should have been brought for the court to see,” he said.
He also chided the counsel for not presenting written application for bail before the court.
The Magistrate therefore reserved the ruling on the oral bail application till Friday and directed that the accused persons be remanded at the Minna correctional center.
