Nigerian ex-governor jailed for contract fraud

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - A former governor in Nigeria Monday was sentenced to five years in prison for awarding a contract without due process of law.

A high court found Bala Ngilari, former governor of the eastern state of Adamawa, guilty of five counts of conspiracy and fraud in the awarding of a half-a-million dollar contract to buy 25 vehicles for the state.

Justice Nathan Musa said the former governor violated the Public Procurement Act by awarding contracts without certificate of no objection from necessary state agencies and without an appropriate or transparent bidding process.

The judge said the law prescribes a minimum five-year jail term for anyone found guilty of violating the procurement law, which was meant to deter public officials from awarding contracts to favor themselves.

Insisting he is innocent, Ngilari says he will appeal the ruling.

If higher courts confirm the conviction, he will join a tiny club of powerful Nigerian governors who have been jailed for corruption.

A former deputy governor, Ngilari was governor of Adamawa -- a state of nearly 4 million people -- in 2014-2015 following the impeachment of his boss Murtala Nyako.