ABUJA – The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that the immediate past Minister of Interior, Abba Moro and a Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr. F. O Alayebami, should remain in prison custody until tomorrow when their applications will be considered.
Justice Anwuli Chikere made the order after the duo who are facing trial over their alleged complicity in a N676million job recruitment scam, through their lawyers, applied to be released on bail pending the determination of the case against them.
They are answering to an 11-count charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The court had on Monday remanded Moro at Kuje prison after he pleaded not guilty to an 11-count criminal charge preferred against him by the EFCC.
Equally remanded was a Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr. F. O Alayebami.
However, Justice Chikere granted administrative bail to the 2nd defendant, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, who was a Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior when the alleged fraud was committed.
Mrs. Daniel-Nwobia, who is nursing a baby, through her lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, persuaded the court to allow her to go home to take care of her baby.
Meanwhile, Justice Chikere has adjourned the case till Wednesday to consider whether or not the former minister and his alleged accomplice should be released on bail, pending their trial.
EFCC had earlier told the court that one of the accused persons, Mahmood Ahmadu, who was a Director at Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd, a firm allegedly used to perpetrate the botched March 15, 2014 Immigration recruitment that killed no fewer than 20 job seekers across the country, was currently at large.
(Vanguard)
