BREAKING NEWS, Judiciary
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A FEDERAL high court, sitting in Jos, Plateau State, on Tuesday, October 4, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Danjuma Goje, a former governor of Gombe State, for refusing to show up in court.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in a Facebook post the arrest of Goje, who is facing trial on the allegation of N25bn fraud, will be effected today, Wednesday, October 5, if he fails to show up in court.
Among other charges, Goje, who is the current chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, is accused of illegally awarding a N1bn contract for the supply of dictionaries to secondary schools while he was governor of the state.
At the last sitting, Salisu Abaji, a former secretary to the UBEB and prosecution witness, said the former governor awarded a contract for the supply of dictionaries for more than N1bn to Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board without following procurement process.
He also allegedly paid 85 percent of the contract sum upfront to Real and Integrated Hospitality Company, supplier of the dictionaries, as against the prescribed 15 percent as contained in the UBEB guidelines when he was the governor.
Abaji further disclosed that one Aliyu el-Naffty, a former UBEB chairman, also an accused person standing trial along with Goje, awarded the contract the same day and ordered the advance payment based on the directive of the then governor.
However, Abaji admitted that he played a role in the award and payment of the said amount as upfront to the contractor.
— Oct 5, 2016 @ 15:30 GMT
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