Adamawa govt confirms arrest of 10 officials over alleged diversion of school bags

The Adamawa State government on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of 10 staff of the Local Education Authority (LEA) for allegedly diverting school bags donated by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the state.

The Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Salihi Ateequ, disclosed this at a media briefing on Wednesday in Yola.

Ateequ said the board would not rest until all the erring personnel are brought to book, adding that efforts are being made to apprehend more suspects in connection with the diversion of the bags.

Police had on October 21 arraigned the Education Secretary of Mubi South Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Jibrilla Babale, and four others at the Yola Criminal Area Court II for allegedly diverting 800 school bags donated by the UN agency to public school pupils in the area.

READ ALSO: Adamawa announces four new cases of polio despite Nigeria’s polio-free status

Other defendants were the UNICEF Distribution Coordinator for Mubi South and North LGAs, Mustapha Mohammed, Musa Mahmud, Aliyu Mohammed, and Mohammed Yahaya.

The SUBEB chief said: “A high-level committee was constituted and the committee has done its job very well.

“Arrests in respect of the sale of the UNICEF school bags have been made in Michika, Mubi South, Hong, and Yola North Local Government Areas of the state.

“10 suspects were found wanting and had been charged to court.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now