- An Appeal Court sitting in Yola, Adamawa State, has acquitted former Adamawa state governor, Bala Nggilari
- Ngilari was sentenced to five years imprisonment for violating due process in the procurement of vehicles
- The former Secretary to the State Government, and the Commissioner of Finance, were also acquitted by the court
Former governor of Adamawa state, Bala Ngilari was on Thursday, July 20, discharged and acquitted by an Appeal court sitting in Yola.
NAIJ.com gathered that the Appeal Court set aside the ruling of Justice Ambrose Mamadi who had sentenced Ngilari to five years imprisonment for violating due process in procurement of 25 units of vehicles during his tenure as governor.
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Ngilari was convicted by the High Court for failing to adhere to the procurement laws of the state.
Former Adamawa state governor Bala Ngilari in Court of Appeal Yola division (L) Photo source: Facebook, Official EFCC
The Judge sentenced the former governor to five years in prison and said the convict was free to serve his term in any prison of his choice.
The former governor was found guilty of four charges by Justice Nathan Musa and was discharged on one, which bordered on conspiracy.
However the Judge also discharged and acquitted former Secretary to the State Government, and the Commissioner of Finance, who were second and third defendants in the case.
In a previous report by NAIJ.com, former governor of Jigawa state, Saminu Turaki, who was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja on July 4, has been granted bail by a High Court in Abuja.
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Justice Yusuf Halilu on Thursday, July 13 granted the former governor bail on conditions which required him to submit his traveling documents to the registry of the court.
The former governor was also mandated to produce two reasonable sureties who are residents in Abuja and sign a register to be opened at the EFCC office every two weeks.
Watch this NAIJ.com video of the EFCC staging a walk against corruption: