Minna – The immediate past governor of Niger state, Dr.
Muazu Babangida and his former commissioner and Chief of staff, Umar Nasko were
Tuesday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) before
a Minna High court to answer a six count charge levelled against him.
Aliyu Babangida Ninety five count charge was earlier
levelled against him before it was reduced to six by the EFCC. The charge
include dishonestly converting to personal use money belonging to Niger state
Governor amounting to about N5b. Babangida and Nasko were brought into the
court room at about 8.40am by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission led
by the Commission’s lead Counsel, Gbolahan Latona and three other Lawyers.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty when the charges were
read to them by the presiding Judge, Justice Aliyu Maiyaki. The court however
stood down for thirty minutes shortly after the commencement of the case to
enable counsels of the party involved to compare notes on oral application made
by the EFCC to amend their charges.
On resumption of proceedings, the legal teams to the first
and second accuses, Ayodele Oladeji and Mamman Mike Osuman did not object to
the amended charges. The first count charge accused the duo of committing
illegal act of criminal breach of trust in 2015 contrary to section 97 of
criminal code.
By Wole Mosadom
