Baker docked for non-refund of N8.5m loan
The Kaduna zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a Sokoto-based baker, Abdurazak Adamu, before Justice Mohammed Mohammed of the state High Court 7 in Sokoto.
The defendant was docked on a one-count charge of criminal breach of trust to the tune of N8.548, 140.80 being debt that accrued from an unpaid loan of N13.2million obtained from the Bank of Industry (BoI) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for the baking of cassava bread.
A statement by the acting Head, Media and Publicity, Tony Orilade stated that trouble started for Adamu when Hassan Mohammed and Kareem Adesina on behalf of Bank of Industry (BOI) sent a petition against the defendant to the Kaduna zonal office of the EFCC, alleging that he had defrauded the bank.
According to the petitioners, the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development established the cassava bread funds in 2013, and appointed the Bank of Industry to manage the funds.
The bank thereafter, approved N13.2million for Adamu to produce the Ahmad Special Bread for the procurement of equipment which was procured and installed in the defendant’s premises to start the production of the bread.
However, when the bank went for routine checks on the project site to verify that the equipment are in use for the purpose for which they were procured, it was discovered that the equipment were no longer where the bank installed them, while N8.548 140.80 being the total debt that accrued from the loan has remained unpaid.
The petitioners added that efforts to obtain explanation from the defendant proved abortive as he was unable to give the bank any satisfactory explanation.
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The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge, prompting the prosecution counsel, S .H. Sa’ad, to ask for a new trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services pending the commencement of trial.
Justice Mohammed in his ruling turned down the defendant’s oral application for bail, while directing that formal application be filed and ordered the defendant to be remanded in the Sokoto Correctional Centre, pending the determination of his bail while adjourning the case until February 18, for commencement of trial.
