A Federal Capital Territory High Court on Thursday remanded a Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Atiku Abubakar Kigo and five others in Kuje prison over N14.5 billion Nigeria Police Pension funds.
The five others include a director, Esai Dangabar, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, John Yakubu Yusufu, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula and Sani Habila Zira.
Justice Abubakar Talba turned down the accused persons’ request to be remanded in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) custody after pleading not guilty to the 16-count charge of criminal breach of trust slammed against them.
The Judge said the only place allowed by law to keep accused persons are prisons.
The alleged offence is punishable under Sections 97, 115 (ii), 119, 309 and 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap. 532 Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria 2007.
The EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs told our Correspondent that the accused risk 14-year imprisonment if convicted.
Kigo was the director of the Police Pension Office, before he was made the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Niger Delta and later transferred to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation after money believed to be part of the pension money was recovered in his house.
After taking their plea, the Prosecution counsel asked the court for a date next week to argue bail application filed by the accused persons.
Efforts by the first accused person’s (Dangabar) counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) to convince the court to hear the application on Friday failed.
Awomolo who informed the court that bail application has been filed and served said, “Your Lordship, having regards to the facts that the suspects are still presumed innocent until pronounced guilty”.
He urged the court to adjourn till Friday for bail application.
Interjecting, Jacobs who admitted that bail is at the discretion of the court said the bail application will not ripe for hearing on Friday. He stressed the need for him to reply to the application properly.
He however did not oppose the accused persons request to be remanded in prison custody.
To the shock of the accused persons and their counsel, Justice Talba ordered that they be remanded in Kuje prison custody.
He adjourned till April 3, for argument on the bail application, and May 28 and June 4 for trial.
Count one reads that: “That you ESAI ABUBAKAR, AHMED INUWA WADA, JOHN YAKUBU YUSUFU, ATIKU ABUBAKR KIGO, MRS VERONICA ULONMA ONYEGBULA and SANI HABILA ZIRA between January 2009 and June 2011 at Abuja Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory agreed to do an illegal act, to wit: criminal breach of trust by public officers in respect of the sum of N14,518,567,724.36 (Fourteen Billion, Five Hundred and Eighteen Million, Five Hundred and Sixty Seven Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twenty Four Naira and Thirty Six Kobo) and that the same act was done in pursuance of the agreement among you and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 97 of the Penal Code Cap. 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria 2007”.
Count three: “That you ESAI DANGABAR, JOHN YAKUBU YUSUFU, MRS. VERONICA ULONMA ONYEGBULA and SANI HABILA ZIRA between January and December 2009 at Abuja in the Abuja Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, being public officers in the service of the Government of the Federal and in such capacity entrusted with certain property, to wit: the sum of N8,920,371,822.24 (Eight Billion, Nine Hundred and Twenty Million, Three Hundred and Seventy One Thousand, Eight Hundred and Twenty Two Naira and Twenty Four Kobo) which sum formed part of Nigeria Police Pension funds in the account domiciled at the First Bank of Nigeria Plc, committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property, and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap. 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria 2007”.
Count four, “That you ATIKU ABUBAKAR KIGO, JOHN YAKUBU YUSUFU, MRS. VERONICA ULOMA ONYEGBULA and SANI HABILA ZIRA between January 2010 and February 2011 at Abuja in the Abuja Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, being public officers in the service of the Government of the Federal Government and in such capacity entrusted with certain property, to wit: the sum of N4, 739,894.896.06 ( Four Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirty Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand, Eight Hundred and Ninety Six Naira and Six Kobo) which sum formed part of the Nigerian Police Pension funds in the account domiciled at the First Bank of Nigeria Plc, committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property, and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 315 of the Penal Code Act. Cap. 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria 2007.
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