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Court Remands ex-Minister Abba Moro in Kuje Prison

Kayode Sesan

A Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded a former Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, ‎and a deputy director in the ministry, F. O Alayebam‎i, in prison pending the hearing of their bail applications scheduled for Wednesday.

Justice Anwuli Chikere on Monday ordered their remand in prison shortly after they were arraigned on 11-count charge of N675m fraud bordering on the botched March 15, 2014 National Immigration Services recruitment exercise.

But the judge allowed one of the accused persons, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia‎, who is a former Permanent Secretary in the ministry, to continue enjoying the administrative bail granted her‎ by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on February 22.

The EFCC on Monday arraigned Moro, Daniel-Nwobia and Alayebami‎ along with the firm contracted to execute the recruitment exercise, Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.

The accused persons who were represented by separate lawyers on Monday, pleaded not guilty to the 11 counts, when the charges were read to them.

According to the anti-graft agency, the contract was awarded through selective tendering procedure by invitation of four firms without seeking the approval of the Bureau for Public Procurement.

The said act was said to be contrary to sections 40, 42 and 43 of the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 and punishable under section 58 of the same Act.

After the arraignment on Monday, the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Aliyu Yusuf, applied that the accused persons be remanded in prison and also asked the court to give trial dates.

But counsel for the the second defendant (Alayebami), Chief Chris Uche (SAN), informed the court that he had filed a bail application on behalf of his client.

Yusuf said the bail application was only served on the commission on Friday and thus needed needed time to respond to it.

But Uche, who said Alayebami is a nursing mother and “a victim of circumstances”, urged Justice Chikere to release her on bail pending the hearing of his bail application.

The judge granted the application and fixed Wednesday for hearing of the accused persons’ bail applications.

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Copyright 2015 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.

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