Posted by From GODWIN TSA AND ATI TERKULA, Abuja on
Two former aviation ministers in the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Professor Babalola Borishade and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, are to remain in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) until Friday when their formal bail application would be heard by an Abuja Chief Magistrate's Court.
Two former aviation ministers in the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Professor Babalola Borishade and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, are to remain in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) until Friday when their formal bail application would be heard by an Abuja Chief Magistrate's Court.
The same applies to the former Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Captain Rowland Iyayi.
They were all arraigned before the court by the EFCC on allegation of criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of Federal Government funds to the tune of N19.56 billion meant for the intervention in the aviation industry, specifically, for four international airports, namely, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and Port Harcourt International Airport.
This was the ruling of Chief Magistrate Lamidi Abubakar Kabir, who rejected their oral bail application and ordered that a formal application be brought before him.
The trio were picked on Monday by operatives of the EFCC after their testimonies before the Senate Committee on Aviation public on the N19,56 billion Aviation Intervention Funds approved during former President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration.
The EFCC also prayed the court to allow the suspects to remain in its custody for two weeks to enable it conclude investigations in the matter.
But after the first information report (FIR) was read out to the suspects, they all entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.
Fani-Kayode was dressed in a long sleeve pink shirt and a black trousers, while Professor Borishade was in a multi-coloured babanriga and a matching cap. Captain Iyayi was decked in a black suit with a pair of glasses.
Fani-Kayode was unsteady in the dock and drank a 50 cl bottle of Nestle Pure Life Premium drinking water to quench his taste.
Occasionally, he robbed his nose and adjust the waist of his black trousers, which appeared sagging, at the heat of his trial.
At 12.33pm, a chair was given to Borishade to sit as he was showing sign that all was not well with him in the dock.
The EFCC also prayed that the court grants it the permission to have the accused persons in custody for a period of two weeks to enable it carry out and finish investigations in the matter.
Counsel to Fani-Kayode, Kingsley Osuh moved his oral application, urging the court to release him on bail since the offences are ordinarily bailable.
In a similar application, counsel to Borishade, Joel Akomolafe and Paul Eshemowo who appeared for Iyayi, also prayed the court to grant him bail since he could produce credible sureties and would not jump bail.
The prosecuting counsel Mr. Steve Odiase, opposed the oral bail application on the grounds that the accused ought to have come with a formal application and a sworn affidavit to convince the court that their clients would not jump bail.
In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Kabir refused the oral application and ordered that the accused be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending when their formal application would be determined.
He further ordered for an accelerated hearing of the motion on notice and adjourned the case to Friday, July 4, 2008.