How Kwara Govt was swindled of N227m, by witness

An Ikeja High Court yesterday heard how Mohammed Gobir and his company, Mondial Defence Systems Limited, stole N227 million from the Kwara State agovernment.

Mohammed Gobir (55), from Kwara State, is facing a five-count charge of stealing, forgery and dishonestly converting monies entrusted to him for the purchase of three units of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) by the Kwara State government.

He is sued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Josephine Oyefeso.

Gobir, however, pleaded not guilty.

A witness, Funmilola Adejulu, who was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Zainab Ettuh, said the commission received an October 21, 2015 petition from William Ezenwa.

Adejulu, who works with  the EFCC, is the third prosecution witness.

According to her, the petitioner alleged that the defendant, Mohammed Gobir, obtained $45796.61 from her under false pretense.

He also entered into an agreement to procure three Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) for the Oyo State government; he paid $300 and refused to pay the outstanding $146.964.

She said: “The petitioner also alleged that while the Oyo State transaction was ongoing, the defendant told him to produce another five APCs for Kwara State , which he later reduced to three.

“We sent the identification numbers to enable him to process the end users certificate but the defendant did not pay for the three APCs, neither did he balance the payment for those bought for the Oyo State government.”

The trial could not go on because the prosecution did not serve the letter which the NSA wrote to EFCC on the defendant’s counsel.

Justice Oyefeso ordered the prosecution to serve the defence counsel with the necessary documents.

She thereafter adjourned till September 13 for continuation of trial.

The Nation