A desk officer in the office of the Secretary to the State Government, (SSG) of Gombe State, Usman Mallam has been arraigned by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mallam who is in charge of responding to official correspondences in the SSG’s office, was arraigned on 11th June 2024, before Justice TG Ringim of the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe, following allegations by EFCC that he tore its official Investigation Activities’ letters.
According to a press statement by the EFCC spokesman on Thursday evening, Mallam tore the documents when an official of the Commission approached him to carry out an investigation involving some financial crimes.
The spokesman noted that this act by the accused led to obstruction of the Commission’s investigation.
Mallam was therefore arraigned on a one – count charge of willful obstruction of investigation activities and tearing of EFCC official documents.
The lone charge against Mallam reads: “That you, Usman Mallam on or about 26th day of February 2024 at Gombe, Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while the officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC were carrying out an investigation activity involving an alleged economic and financial crime, did willfully obstruct the said investigation by tearing the EFCC formal letters of investigation activities dated January 1, 2024 and February 21, 2024 respectively” and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 38 (1) and punishable under Section 38 (2) (a) and (b) of the Economic and financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act”.
However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the one count charge, prompting the prosecution counsel AM Labaran to say, “My Lord, the defendant has put himself to trial hence we shall be asking for a date for trial.”
Meanwhile, counsel to the defendant, SS Usman said, “My Lord, we have a bail application dated July 11, 2024 , we are asking the court to exercise its discretion and grant the defendant bail.”
The judge then granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10m and one surety in like sum.
The judge also ordered that the surety must be a director in a government establishment or a private company with a capital worth of not less than N10m.
In addition to the conditions, the Registrar of the court should verify the identity of the surety, adding that both the surety and the defendant shall submit two passport photographs to the court.
Mallam was remanded at the Gombe State Correctional Service pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions and the matter was adjourned to 9th July 2024 for trial.
