The Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 arraigned Baba Aji Alhaji Gremami before Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri, on one- count charge bordering on criminal misappropriation to the tune of Four Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N4, 500,000.00).
Specifically, the defendant fraudulently induced a businessman, Alhaji Umara Goni Ali to partner with him in the supply of building materials to a Non- Governmental Organisation, NGO: Norwegian Refugees Council, NRC, with an agreement of sharing the profit, after executing the contract.
However, after delivering the contract and payment made by NRC, the defendant allegedly refused to disclose the payment to the complainant and diverted all the monies to his personal use.
The count read: “That you Baba Aji Alhaji Gremami sometimes in October, 2018 at Maiduguri Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court did dishonestly misappropriated the gross sum of N4,500,000.0 (Four Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) only being the value of goods supplied and received by Norwegian Refugees Council (NRC) a Non-Governmental Organisation here in Borno State belonging to Alhaji Umara Goni Ali and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Penal Code Cap. 102 Laws of Borno State of Nigeria and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”
The defendant pleaded ‘ not guilty’ to the charge preferred against him by the EFCC.
Counsel for the prosecution Mukhtar Ali Ahmed prayed for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in a Correctional Centre.
Justice Fadawu, while adjourning the matter to May 25, 2022, also ordered for the remand of the defendant at Maiduguri Medium Security Custodial Centre.