Big Thief UNIMAID Professor jailed 5 years, fined for high-level fraud

ICPC Chairman Mr Ekpo Nta

 (ICPC)

A Professor at the University of Maiduguri(UNIMAD), Bukar Bababe, has been handed a five-year sentence by a Maiduguri High Court which found him guilty of a multiple-count charge bordering on high level fraud.

Balarabe, a former Executive Director of the Lake Chad Research Institute, was sentenced alongside the Acting Head of Accounts of the Institute, Janada Mshelia by Justice Charity Mamza of Maiduguri High Court Number.

According to a Leadership report, Justice Mamza ruled that Bababe, must serve the entire jail time without option of fine because his crime contravenes Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Act 2000.

In 2011, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) arraigned Bababe and Mshelia on an eight count charge before Justice Charity Mamza of High Court 8, Maiduguri.

The ICPC accused them of “conspiring to make false statement to the Central Bank of Nigeria Maiduguri branch between December, 2008 and January, 2009 claiming that a certain company, Hammadeen Nigeria Limited was entitled to the payment of the sum of twenty-five million naira (N25,000,000) as payment for a capital project, which the said company did not execute”.

They committed a similar fraudulent act between 2008 and January, 2009 when they conspired to make false statement to the Central Bank of Nigeria Maiduguri branch that a company, Rofako International Limited, executed a project and is entitled to the payment of the sum N25,500,000 million, even though the said project did not exist.

Bababe also committed other offences according to the charge.

“The former Executive Director of the Lake Chad Research Institute Maiduguri used his position to confer an unfair advantage upon his son, Adam Bukar Bababe, by approving the renewal of a retainership contract for the maintenance and servicing of the Institute’s computers to Cyber Technologies Nigeria Limited, a company mainly owned by his son."

The Professor was also accused of paying himself the sum of five hundred and twenty-five thousand naira as first twenty-eight days allowance in lieu of accommodation in July, 2007, despite the fact that he was residing at an official residence in UNIMAD.

Justice Mamza said in her ruling ordered the duo to pay the sum of N100,000 each as cumulative fine for the four count charges.

Bababe will however also serve his five year jail term to run concurrently for the fifth, sixth and seventh charges levelled against him.

The defence counsels say they will appeal the judgement.