A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Maitama, Abuja today, Friday, July 22, remanded the former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, in the Kuje Correctional Facility till Wednesday when their bail applications would be heard.
Idris and his co-defendants – Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited were arraigned before Justice Adeyemi Ajayi on charges of stealing and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N109.4 billion.
They pleaded not guilty to the 14 count charge levelled against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
As a result, their lawyers separately urged the court to grant them bail, pending the determination of the case against them.
Specifically, Counsel to the former AGF, Chris Uche, SAN, assured the court that his client would be available to face the charge against him.
The senior lawyer noted that Idris flew into Abuja from Kano state immediately he was notified about the arraignment, and the court to allow him to continue to enjoy the administrative bail earlier granted to him.
Uche also drew the attention of the court to the fact that his client’s international passport is with the EFCC.
“This court has the power to grant bail in a matter of this nature, either by oral application or by a formal application.
“Moreover, we have also filed a formal bail application which we also served same on the Prosecution.
“The prisons are already saturated and unsafe”, Uche added.
Similarly, counsel to the 2nd and 3rd Defendants urged the court to accede to the request for bail.
But the Prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the court that he would need time to respond to the defendants’ bail applications.
He contended that allowing the defendants to go home after their arraignment, without hearing and determination of their formal bail applications, would send a wrong signal to the society.
Furthermore, he noted that the administrative bail granted to the defendants, ended immediately the charge was filed against them.
“To ask them to go home without coming to argue the application for bail will send a wrong signal to the society that if a less important citizen is arraigned, such person would be made to suffer.
“Having filed the application, we need to react to what they said, especially on the issue that they were granted administrative bail and they complied to it”.
He therefore urged the Judge not to be persuaded by submissions of the defence lawyers.
In his ruling, Justice Ajayi ordered that the defendants should be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Center.
Part of the charges read: “That you, Ahmed Idris between February and December, 2021 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, being a public servant by virtue of your position as the Accountant General of the Federation accepted from Olusegun Akindele, a gratification in the aggregate sum of N15.1 billion which sum was converted to the United States Dollars by the said Olusegun Akindele and which sum did not form part of your lawful remuneration but as a motive for accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to the nine oil-producing sates in the Federation, through the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 155 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and punishable under the same section”.
“That you, Ahmed Idris while being the Accountant General of the Federation and Godfrey Olusegun Akindele while being the Technical Assistant to the Accountant General of the Federation between February and November, 2021, at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, in such capacity, entrusted with certain property, to wit: N84.390 billion committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property, when you dishonestly received the said sum from the Federal Government of Nigeria through Godfrey Olusegun Akindele trading under the name and style of Olusegun Akindele & Co., and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.”