Panic as ex-governor Ngilari’s bail lands two prison officers in trouble

The Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) is yet to come to terms with how a medical report was issued for a jailed former governor of Adamawa State, James Ngilari.

The service has meanwhile ordered the removal of two of its officials so far indicted in the embarrassment from their duty posts.

The duo, Deputy Controller of Prison, Abubakar Abaka, the Officer in charge of Yola Prison, Abubakar Abaka, and John Bukar, a nurse and Superintendent of Prisons were bother informed of their fate via a letter from the Zone C Coordinator of the NPS, Assistant Comptroller-General, Bala Mohammed Isgogo.

Both officials who are attached to the Yola Prison, Adamawa State, were removed on the orders of the Comptroller-General of Prisons, Ja’afaru Ahmed.

This was made known in a statement by A. B. Salihu, a Deputy Controller of Prisons, on behalf of the Zone C Coordinator of Prisons, Isgogo, who said the two officials would be made to face the full weight of the law.

They were found culpable in creating the said medical report to the Adamawa State High Court claiming that Bala Ngilari was gravely ill and would require medical attention in a Canadian hospital in the United Arab Emirates.

They were said to have done this without the required consent or approval of their superiors.

The Adamawa state Controller of prison, Peter Tenkwa, had earlier distanced his command from the letter.

According to the statement, “It is obvious that by training and competence, neither the nurse nor DCP Abubakar Abaka is qualified to originate such report/recommendations”.

Also speaking on the issue, the NPS Public Relations Officer, Mr. Francis Enobore, stated that the C-G had already ordered a thorough investigation into the scam.

He said: “The Comptroller General of the NPS, Mr. Ja’afaru Ahmed, neither authorised the issuance of the said letter to the judge to release the convicted former governor nor was he briefed on the matter.

“Accordingly, the C-G has ordered the querying and suspension of all the officials involved in the embarrassing action so as to take necessary disciplinary actions against them”.

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the former governor, Ngilari who was granted bail on the strength of the medical report in the sum of N100million was unknown as at the time of this report.

Ngilari was jailed for five years without an option of fine by Justice Nathan Musa of Adamawa State High Court.

He was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a 17 count criminal charge bordering on award of contract without due process to the tune of N167.8 million.

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