Zulum nominates man with fraud case as commissioner, then removes his name after social media uproar

Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum has removed Ibrahim Ngoshe’s name from the list of commissioner-nominees submitted to the state House of Assembly for screening on Friday.

The governor was said to have submitted the list to the lawmakers on Friday.

However, Zulum’s spokesperson, Mallam Isa Gusau, disclosed in a statement on Saturday, that the governor had later removed Ngoshe’s name from the list and also informed the House of his decision.

Ngoshe, a native of Southern Borno senatorial district of Gwoza local government area, was among the All Progressives Congress aspirants who contested for the Gwoza State Constituency ticket but he lost.

According to Gusau, the number of commissioner-nominees submitted to the state House of Assembly for screening is now 17, as against the 18 initially submitted.

It is unclear if Ngoshe’s case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission triggered the governor’s action, but there have been uproar on social media after his name appeared among the commissioner-nominees.

In March, the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the anti-graft agency arraigned Ngoshe before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, on a count of criminal misappropriation to the tune of N24,000,000.00, which he had pleaded “not guilty” to.

The charge reads: “That you, Ibrahim Yusuf Ngoshe whilst being the Principal of Mairi Islamic Senior Secondary School, Maiduguri, Borno State, between 2012 and 2023, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did dishonestly misappropriated the revenue generated by the School and diverted same in the establishment of your school by name Sheik Abba Aji Memorial Integrated School at Mairi Kuwait being monies meant for payment of staff salaries, additional structures and other physical projects for the school to the tune of N24,000,000.00 (Twenty Four Million Naira) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Penal Code Cap.102 Laws of the Borno State of Nigeria and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”