Veterinary Council Boss Docked For Abuse Of Office

The Registrar and Chief Executive of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, Dr. Daniel Garba Maddo, alongside two retired former staff of the council were on Tuesday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before Justice Mohammed Talba of the Abuja High Court over an alleged misappropriation of the sum of N90.76 million belonging to the Council.

The arraignment of the public servants followed a 2-year pressure mounted on the anti-graft agency by a self styled anti corruption activist; Mr. Emmanuel Ebirim, who uncovered the looting of the Council’s funds by the officials and wrote several petitions to EFCC.

EFCC acted on the petitions and investigated the activities of the officials in the course of their duties at the council.

Expectations that the registrar and his collaborators would be prosecuted for their crimes were dashed as EFCC suddenly jettisoned the case.

Peeved by the seeming unwillingness of the anti graft agency to prosecute the officials, the anti-corruption crusader instituted a suit at a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja where he sought for the court to compel EFCC to make the outcome of their investigations at the Veterinary Council public.

The case dragged from 2009 and was nearing conclusion before the agency dramatically changed gear and detained Dr. Maddo and the others last Thursday when they responded to EFCC’s invitation from where they were brought to court last Monday for their arraignment.

The court however did not sit and the matter was rescheduled for Tuesday.

Dr. Maddo and Dr. Hilary Ibe, former Director of Finance and Accounts at the Council were alleged to have conspired, sometime between December 2008 and December 2009, to have dishonestly misappropriated to their own use, the sum of N74.3 million out of the sum of N90.7 million, funds of the Veterinary Council, entrusted in their care for the settlement of personnel costs of the employees of the Council.

The offence said to be punishable under section 315 of the Penal Code Act, CAP 532, laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990.

Both officers were also alleged to have conspired to, and converted the sum of N7.6 million meant for the payment of promotion arrears of the employees of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria.

The 14-count charge also revealed that the former Director of Finance and Accounts and Mr. Alexander Abafi, former Principal Administrative Officer of the Council, committed forgery in 1995 through which landed properties belonging to the Council situated at Kubwa, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory measuring about 2,427.78m2 and 2,080m2, were converted to personal use.

All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Attempts by their counsel to apply for their bail were rebuffed as the EFCC insisted that the applications were not yet ripe for hearing since they were served with the applications right there inside the court and would require 48 hours to respond to the bail applications.

The case was subsequently adjourned till Monday 23 May.

—Nnamdi Felix/Abuja