Money laundering: Nyako, Ohakim docked, denied bail

 Former Governors of Adamawa and Imo States, Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd) and Ikedi Ohakim were separately docked before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, yesterday, over allegations bordering on money laundering, abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds.

Whereas Nyako was accused of diverting over N40 billion from the Adamawa State treasury between January 2011 and December 2014, Ohakim, on the other hand, was alleged to have amassed about $2 million from the public coffers and used same to acquire a mansion at the Asokoro District of Abuja.

Nyako was arraigned alongside his son, Abdulaziz and two others, Zulkifikk Abba and Abubakar Aliyu. They are answering to a 37-count criminal charge dated July 7.

*Gov. Ohakim

Five companies that allegedly served as conduit pipes for the illegal diversion of the funds —Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited— were equally charged as the 5th to 9th accused persons.

In the charge which was preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the accused persons were alleged to have in their bid to conceal the illicit origin of the funds, embarked on the development of estates in Abuja.

Besides, EFCC said it was able to trace various cash lodgements that Nyako and his son made into various bank accounts they operated in the name of the companies that were indicted in the fraud.

The anti-graft agency maintained that huge sums of money which the accused persons purported to be security funds, were illegally placed under the control of one Ma’aji Iro, the then Regional Manager of Zenith Bank Plc, North-East, Nigeria.

They were said to have sequentially withdrawn the funds through the bank manager and channelled same for private use, contrary to section 15 (2) (a) & (6) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.

Meantime, all the accused persons, including Ohakim, yesterday, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Shortly after Nyako and his co-accused persons entered their plea to the 37-count charge yesterday, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Aliyu Yusuf urged Justice Evoh Chukwu to okay the matter to proceed to trial immediately.

Yusuf produced his first witness who mounted the dock with a view to begining his Evidence-in-Chief.

Bail application

At that juncture, the defence lawyer Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, prayed the court to grant him time to properly study the charge which he said was only served on them on Tuesday, to enable him to be able to put up a formidable defence for his clients.

“My Lord, it is in the interest of justice that we familiarise with it to be able to put up our defence. I commend the diligence of the prosecution, but I was going to avert your lordship to the issue of bail of the accused persons”, Agabi submitted.

He begged the court to use its discretion and release the former governor and the other accused persons on bail since they were previously granted administrative bail by the EFCC.

“My Lord, it is at the expense of the state that the accused persons are kept. Our Prisons are congested, I plead, I beg, I urge for their release on bail”, he added.

Nyako

In opposition, the EFCC, while placing reliance on section 299 of the newly enacted Criminal Justice Administration Act, applied that the accused persons be remanded in prison custody.

The EFCC lawyer stressed that he was only served with their bail application yesterday afternoon, saying he would need time to go through it.

Yusuf told the court the EFCC has no facility to keep the accused persons.

Sensing danger, Nyako’s lawyer quickly pleaded that instead of prison, his clients should rather remain in the custody of the EFCC.

Accused to remain in EFCC custody

In a short ruling, Justice Chukwu ordered the remand of all the accused persons in EFCC custody till Friday when their bail application will be heard.

Similarly, Justice Ademola Adeniyi directed that former governor Ohakim who is answering to a three-count criminal charge should remain with the EFCC till today when his bail application will be heard.

EFCC had through its lawyer Mr. Festus Keyamo, objected to an oral bail application that was made yesterday by Ohakim’s lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN.

Justice Ademola who in his ruling ordered Ohakim to file a formal bail application, also directed the EFCC to grant him access to his wife, lawyer and medication.

At the end of the proceedings yesterday, all the accused persons were conveyed back to the EFCC detention facility in a white coaster bus with an Abuja registration number, BR 739 BWR.
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