N29bn FRAUD: EFCC RE-ARRAIGNS NYAKO, SON’S , OTHERS

The trial of former governor of Adamawa state, Murtala Nyako and his son, Abdul-Aziz, has been re-assigned to Justice Okon Abang-led Federal High Court, in the Abuja Division.

Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, re-assigned the case following the death of the former trial Judge, Justice Evoh Chukwu, early last month.

Some of the Lawyers involved in the case confirmed the development to Newsmen on Thursday.

The case had been scheduled to commence with the re-arraignment of the accused before Justice Abang on Thursday, before it was postponed due to the extension of the Eid-el-Fitri holiday by the Federal Government on Tuesday.

Nyako, with his son, Abdul-Aziz, and Zulkifikk Abba, Abubakar Aliyu as well as five firms
are facing 37 counts of money laundering, involving alleged diversion of N29,099,430,879.92 belonging to the Adamawa State Government, as preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since August 7, 2015

The firms arraigned along with Nyako and his son include: Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms and Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited.

Recall that in the counts 1 to 13 of the charge, FHC/ABJ/CR/293/15, filed on July 7, 2015, against Nyako and others, the EFCC alleged that between September 26, 2011, and May 31, 2012, the accused persons converted the total sum of N1.845bn, which was alleged to be proceeds of theft of funds belonging to the Adamawa State Government.

It was learnt that the prosecution, led by Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), had called six witnesses before Justice Chukwu’s sudden death.

However, all the accused persons had pleaded not guilty to the 37 counts when they were initially arraigned.

No date for the re-arraignment has been officially announced.