Posted by By Tobi Soniyi and Jude Owuamanam on
Top officials of the Zamfara State Government, including, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Hussain Moriki, and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Idris Mohammed Keta, were on Monday arraigned before a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, for money laundering offences involving various sums of money totalling N750m.
Top officials of the Zamfara State Government, including, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Hussain Moriki, and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Idris Mohammed Keta, were on Monday arraigned before a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, for money laundering offences involving various sums of money totalling N750m.
Also charged with them are one Bala Wakili Gusau and a company ,1.A.A. Motors Nigeria Limited.
They were said to have conspired with the state Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Yerima Sani, the state Accountant-General, Alhaji Kasimu Muhammed Anka, who was said to be at large, and the Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Bello Makau, also at large, to commit the alleged offences.
Moriki, Keta and Gusau were in the dock when all the charges were read to them.
They pleaded not guilty to the 36-count charges, which involved various sums of money.
Justice Babs Kuewumi adjourned the matter till Wednesday when he would rule on the bail application argued on behalf of the suspects by Dr. Oluwole Ayeni.
Arguing the oral application for bail, Ayeni urged Kuewumi to grant bail to the accused persons, pointing out that the offences for which they were charged did not carry sentences more than three years.
Ayeni further told Kuewumi that the prosecution had not filed proof of evidence against his clients who had been in detention since July 7.
EFCC counsel, Mr. Ofem Uket, however, opposed the request for bail.
According to him, the issue of bail is at the discretion of the court, saying that such discretion must be exercised judiciously and judicially.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has arrested two more Plateau State lawmakers even as indications emerged that the Speaker, Mr. Simon Lalong, and his deputy, Mr. Usman Musa, might have been moved from Abuja to Lagos.
The arrested men are Mr. Nenchang Napehwat and Mr. Hosea Azi.
The were said to have been picked up on Monday at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.
The Chairman of the Assembly's Committee on Information, Mr. Gambo Mbilamut, who confirmed the arrests said the two men were returning from South Africa where they had attended an international workshop on AIDS, when the operatives of the EFCC arrested them.
Nbilamut said from the way the EFCC was harassing the state lawmakers, it was glaring that it simply wanted to destabilise the state.
He said that the Assembly would not to succumb to intimidation.
Members of the peoples Democratic Party (PDP) some group of Youths on Monday staged a peaceful demonstration in Jos in support of the arrest of Plateau Speaker and three other members of the House by the EFCC.
Addressing the protesters before they set out for the procession around Jos city, the leader of the group, Barrister Solomon Dalung commended the EFCC for the arrest of the lawmakers saying that it was long overdue in view of the allegation of financial misdemeanour against them.
He condemned the statement by some people that the Commission was simply victimising the people adding that members of the state Assembly had since been collaborating with the state Executive especially the Governor to siphone the state resources for the selfish end.
Barrister Dalung urged the Commission to hold on to the arrested lawmakers and forge ahead to go after the rest with the aim of recovering the money they stole from the state covers.
After addressing the crowd the protesters matched through the major streets of Jos, carrying placards with various forms if inscriptions denouncing the lawmakers, some elders and the state Government.