The President Muhammadu Buhari anti-corruption war has earned a former Adamawa state Governor, Bala Ngilari, a five-years jail term, an Adamawa state High court ruled
Justice Nathan Musa convicted Ngillari to five years imprisonment while discharging and acquitting the other two accused persons, Sanda Lamorde and Ibrahim Welye standing trial with him.
Ngillari was found guilty on all five counts of conspiracy to award contract amounting to the tune of N167,812,500 for the purchase of 25 units of operational official vehicles for the state without compliance with due process.
The judge in his ruling based his conviction of the former Governor on section 58(5) of the Public Procurement Acts, saying “the law hands of the laws are tied to convict any person found guilty of breach of procurement acts to be sentenced to less than five years imprisonment.
He said, “The convict is sentenced to a cumulative sentence of five years, cumulatively on all the five counts to any jail in this country of his choice. But, in the meantime, he will be held here in the Yola Prison.”
Mr Ngilari has, however, said he will exercise his rights to appeal while welcoming the judgement in good faith.
“I accept the judgement with good faith without hard feelings to anyone,” he told journalists after the ruling.
The case against Ngillari, who ruled Adamawa following ex-Governor Murtala Nyako, under the Peoples Democratic Party former, was filed by the ruling All Progressive Congress government led by Mohammed Jibrilla.
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