Court Grants Ohakim N270m Bail For Fraud …Remands Lamido, Sons In Prison

A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday granted a former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, bail in the sum of N270m.

Ohakim, who is being prosecuted for N270m fraud allegedly perpetrated in 2008, is to produce a surety resident in Abuja to guarantee the bail.


Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in his ruling on the bail application, filed by Ohakim, also ordered the prosecuting agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, ýto submit the passport and other travel documents seized from the former governor to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.
The judge was silent on where the accused person should remain pending when he would meet the bail conditions.

But Justice Ademola had, on Wednesday, ordered the accused person to remain in EFCC custody pending the hearing of his bail application yesterday. At the hearing of the bail application yesterday, the defence counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), urged the court to grant his client’s prayer.
He said his client, whose passport had been seized by the EFCC, had remained faithful to the bail conditions granted him by the anti-graft agency. But the prosecutor, Mr. Festus Keyamo, opposed the bail.

He argued that rather than granting bail to the accused personý, the court should grant an accelerated hearing. But the judge in his ruling held that the accused person had placed sufficient materials before the court to warrant granting him bail.

The EFCC had on Wednesday arraigned Ohakim on three counts of fraud, including making cash payment of $2.29m (N270m) for a property in Asokoro, Abuja.

The prosecution also accused the former governor of collaborating with Tweenex Consociates H.D. Ltd. ýto conceal the ownership of the property by drafting an agreement portraying him as a tenant in the property. Ohakim, who was governor of Imo State between May 2007 and May 2001, was also accused of failing to declare the property as part of his assets while under EFCC arrest in November 2008.

The offences were allegedly committed in 2008 in violation of section 15(1)(d) and section 14(1)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, respectively.
Meanwhile, Justice Evoh Chukwu of the same Federal High Court in Abuja, had on Wednesday fixed hearing of the bail application filed by former Adamawa State governor, Murtala Nyako, his son Abdul-Aziz and others till Friday.

The EFCC had also on Wednesday arraigned Nyako, who was removed as Adamawa State Governor by the state House of Assembly on July 15, 2014, along with his son, Abdul-Aziz, and others comprising, Zulkifikk Abba, Abubakar Aliyu as well as five firms through which he allegedly siphoned about N29bn belonging to the state. ýThe other firms arraigned along with Nyako and his son were Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms and Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited.

Nyako and his son, who are to be tried on 37 counts of money laundering, have pleaded not guilty.
According to the charge sheet, father and son are accused of converting huge sums of money, including N240 million – state funds – to develop an estate, Hill View Estate in Mpape, Abuja, between October 2011 and June 2012 among others.

The offences, if proven, are punishable under Section 15 subsection 1A of the money laundering prohibition Act, 2011.

After taking the plea of the accused persons, counsel to the EFCC made to open its case by calling one of its witnesses to the witness stand, but was stopped by the objection of Agabi who sought to study the charge which had just been served on him before trial could begin.

Agabi prayed the court to grant his clients bail on grounds that the offences were ordinarily bailable and all the prisons across Nigeria are congested.

In the alternative, he prayed the court to leave his clients in the custody of the EFCC which he said appears to be better should the court not accede to the bail request immediately.
But EFCC opposed the idea of taking custody of the accused further as he submitted that EFCC does not have accommodation.

He said the accused – all of them – were kept in an office from Tuesday till Wednesday when they were brought before the court.

Similarly, A federal high court sitting in Kano has ordered that Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa state, and his two sons be remanded in prison till September.

The three are standing trial over 28-count charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Evelyn Anyadime, the presiding judge, adjourned the case till September 28 for hearing of the substantive suit.

The accused persons were taken to Kano prisons amid tight security while hundreds of youths stormed the court premises chanting solidarity songs and alleging that Lamido is being politically persecuted.