NewStats: 3,259,434 , 8,170,086 topics. Date: Saturday, 24 May 2025 at 11:46 PM 5oe67

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor & Umar Yusuf ABUJA—

Who wrote the letter asking an Adamawa State High Court judge to release the convicted former governor of the state, James Balla Ngilari, from prison?

This is the key question the leadership of the Nigeria Prison Service was battling to unravel last night, a few hours after some forces within the service had connived to free Ngilari, who had barely served a month out of his five-year jail term, from prison.

Vanguard learned that although the authors of the letter asking the judge to release Ngilari from prison, had claimed that the communication emanated from the Headquarters of the NPS in Abuja, the Controller General, Mr. Ja’afaru Ahmed, last night denied knowledge of such a letter from his office.

A furious Ja’afaru, whose attention was drawn to the embarrassing develop-ment, immediately ordered the issuance of query and suspension of all the elements involved in the forgery of the letter freeing the former governor. The National Public Relations Officer of the NPS, Mr. Francis Enobore, confirmed to Vanguard last night that the CG had already ordered a thorough investigation into the scam to enable the service deal decisively with the perpetrators of the crime.

This is to bring to the attention of all Nigerians that the Controller General of the NPS, Mr. Ja’afaru Ahmed, neither authorised the issuance of the said letter to the judge to release the convicted former governor nor was he briefed on the matter.

Accordingly, the CG has ordered the querying and suspension of all the officials involved in the embarrassing action so as to take necessary disciplinary actions against them. “As a result of the ugly development, the CG has written a protest letter to both the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in Adamawa State and the judge, who granted Ngilari bail, that the said letter asking for the bail to be granted was clandestinely obtained.

One of our correspondents reports that the suspicious letter to the judge to free Ngilari was reportedly signed by one Mr John Bukar, Deputy Comptroller of Prisons in charge of Health, who claimed that the convict’s blood pressure and other ailments had reached an alarming level, giving the impression that the headquarter of his office had sanctioned the action.

The author of the letter made a case for Ngilari to be moved from Nigeria to seek medical attention in a Canadian Hospital in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, UAE. Acting on the letter, the presiding judge, Justice Nathan Musa, ordered the release of the former governor from prison on bail in the sum of N100 million and two sureties. It will be recalled that Bala James Ngilari was convicted on March 6, 2017 to five-year imprison-ment without an option of fine for fraud related offences while he was governor between October 8, 2014 and May 29, 2015.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/03/heads-to-roll-over-convicted-ex-adamawa-govs-release-from-prison/

Hmmmm

He governed a state for only 8 months and his fraud case is getting him a five year jail term.. I wonder if he had started and completed two tenures probably he would have bagged life imprisonment

I think various prisons should have a hospital to take care of basic and minor health challenges of those convicted so as to avoid a repeat of this excuse

Which head would roll, na today, na dem dem na, do not be surprise that it is someone in this govt dat is a friend to the former governor dat perfected his release, do not forget dat of James Ibori of Delta state, how is own was pre-arranged for save landing in 9ja...


Kindly Sms vote TBoss to 32052, she needs ur votes @ this point in time, to keep her in the house.

Nor be only heads go roll

Naaa Yansh go roll

Problem full this Nigeria, Criminals everywhere........................................., Am changing this name Nigeria to Biafra republic, and the MAP remain thesame, just the name please

Times like these are when you get to know that his incarceration was the handiwork of a fifth columnist in the first place.

They believed justice was done when he was jailed, but has refused to accept that it is still justice, now that he's been released.

Bunch of #Mumu yeyes

What a country.. Nigeria a country where the laws apply only to the poor. 5 years has turned a month. Who knows how long such runs has been going on. When will all these End.

So ashamed to call myself a nigerian lately.. From senators silly acts, to fake payed protester,budget padding, to killings every where Etc..
Na wa ooooo.

OK

A former governor sentenced to jail and it's all like it's a biiiiiiiiiig deal. How is he different from a street thief? Israel has jailed at least 3 of its former leaders within the past 8 0r 9 years alone. The CEO of South Korea's largest corporation, Samsung, is currently in jail awaiting possible prosecution. Can that happen to Dangote if he were ever to commit some infraction today? South Korea's former President was removed earlier this month and *thousands* are still protesting for her to be jailed...

So does that bail means he won't go back to jail? I think its high time the government build a clinic that can take care of things like this. How can someone that has been sentenced to prison got bail? This country is a joke.

tunderay:
So does that bail means he won't go back to jail? I think its high time the government build a clinic that can take care of things like this. How can someone that has been sentenced to prison got bail? This country is a joke.

It means he will spend it in the hospital

guess what? ayam less konsernd

TonyeBarcanista:
It means he will spend it in the hospital

Choi
There was once a country

All service agencies under buhari are incompetent

Chai... so we still haven't overcome this sad tale where the rich never get punished?.. This is one of the primary reasons I ed a person like Buhari being president, to see at least one big man go to jail... but it's obvious we aren't still there yet.

He want to go for medical attention in Dubai while serving a jail term in Nigeria?


Nigeria I hail thee!

i Blame Dino Daniel Melaye for this

I always say this in public. I ain't proud of my country

But they said Buhari regime is only after southerners

Wailers are daft!

Hmmmm...

We are watching

Nigeria?

Scam?

[b][quote author=kingphilip post=55022661]He governed a state for only 8 months and his fraud case is getting him a five year jail term.. I wonder if he had started and completed two tenures probably he would have bagged life imprisonment [/b]


Rather, he would have made enough money to use in avoiding jail

Daviddson:
A former governor sentenced to jail and it's all like it's a biiiiiiiiiig deal. How is he different from a street thief? Israel has jailed at least 3 of its former leaders within the past 8 0r 9 years alone. The CEO of South Korea's largest corporation, Samsung, is currently in jail awaiting possible prosecution. Can that happen to Dangote if he were ever to commit some infraction today? South Korea's former President was removed earlier this month and *thousands* are still protesting for her to be jailed...

Welcome to Nigeria.

omenkaLives:

You Don smoke again? LOL omenka I lost my phone and your number... I still get my line... Gist de

Won't you guys blame Jonathan for this? Please do. He must somehow have a hand in that letter that was written.

Nigeria we hail thee.