School Feeding Missing Fund: Education Secretary Arraigned

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned the Education Secretary of Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Ishaka Abdullahi, for alleged illegal withdrawal of primary school feeding fund.

Abdullahi was docked at the Sokoto State High Court on six counts bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N429,000.

The Punch reports that one of the counts against his reads, “That you, Ishaka Abdullahi, on or about the November 16, 2018, at Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did obtain the sum of N135,000 from Hassi Abdullahi’s account No. 0077129142, domiciled in Union Bank Plc by false pretence, contrary to Section 1 (1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) same Act.”

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Abdullahi, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge, following which prosecution counsel, S. H. Sa’ad, asked for a trial date and for him to be remanded in prison custody, while defence counsel, Ibrahim Abdullahi, prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on the ground that he was standing trial in the same court on a different charge.

Justice Malami Dogondaji granted the accused bail on the same conditions that were applied in the earlier charge for which he was facing prosecution in the same court and adjourned the matter till October 12, 2020, for the commencement of trial.

A statement by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, recalled that trouble started for Abdullahi following intelligence that the nationwide Home Grown School Feeding Programme of the Federal Government for primary school pupils had been hijacked by some fraudulent elements in Sabon Birni LGA.

After the Commission’s investigation, it was revealed that one Hassi Abdullahi, who was appointed one of the cooks in the programme and had a Union Bank account number 0077129142, died on March 18, 2019.

It was also learnt that funds were still being channeled to the deceased’s account from the HGSFP account, totaling N429,000, which was fraudulently withdrawn.

Ishaka Abdullahi was arrested at the end of EFCC’s investigation.