Mohammad Gobir, a former boss at the Kwara Hotel, have been arraigned by the the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and forgery to the tune of N277,020,000.00 (Two Hundred and Seventy-seven Million, Twenty Thousand Naira).
In a report by SaharaReporter, Gobir was arraigned by the anti-graft agency on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 alongside Mondial Defence Systems Limited before Justice J.E. Oyefeso of the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.
The ex-boss of Kwara Hotel was reported to have allegedly converted the money meant for the purchase of security bands for the Kwara State government to personal use.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Mohammad Gobir and Mondial Defence Systems Limited, sometime in November 2012 at Ikeja within the Ikeja Judicial Division dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N92,340,000.00 (Ninety- two Million, Three Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira) property of the Kwara State Goverment entrusted to you for the purchase of 3 (three) Units of Armored Personnel Carriers (APC)”.
Another charge reads: “That you, Mohammad Gobir and Mondial Defence Systems Limited, sometime in the year 2013 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N184,680,000.00 (One Hundred and Eighty- four Million, Six Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira) property of the Kwara State Government entrusted to you for the purchase of 3(Three) Units of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC)”.
Pleading not guilty to the charges when they were read to them, Gobir was granted bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties in like sum.
Though the prosecution counsel, Zainab Ettu, prayed that the accused be remanded in prison custody, Justice Oyefeso ruled that the court had a discretion in this circumstance, adding that the offense is bailable.
Consequently, Justice Oyefeso granted the first defendant bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties in like sum.
One of the sureties must be a blood relation to the first defendant while the other must be a land owner in Lagos State.
The two sureties must tender their tax payment clearance for two previous years.
The judge further ordered that the residential address of the first defendant should be verified by the court, while his international passport should be submitted to the court Registrar.
Gobir was ordered to be remanded in Ikoyi prison pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
The case was adjourned to June 8 and 13, 2017 for trial.
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