EFCC re-arraigns ex-Niger gov, Aliyu, for N2bn fraud

Aliyu was arraigned alongside a former Niger State Chief of Staff, Umar Nasko, before the Federal High Court in Minna. The duo were arraigned on eight charges bordering on money laundering. The case was initially before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court before it was transferred to Niger. Aliyu and Nasko were accused of laundering ecological funds released by the Federal Government to Niger State sometime in 2014. The EFCC, in the charge sheet, claimed that the defendants, slashed the various tranches of the ecological funds released to the Niger State Government by the Federal Government. For example, the EFCC alleged that Aliyu and Nasko, on one occasion, conspired between themselves and removed the sum of N210m from a sum of N233m released by the Federal Government to Niger State as ecological funds. On other occasions, they allegedly removed N250m out of N253m; N230m out of N243m; N110m out of N116m; N184m out of N487m; N478m out of N487m and another N487m out of N487m. The EFCC said Aliyu and Nasko acted contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and were liable to be punished by Section 15 (3) of the same Act. But the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. They were admitted to N250m bail each with two sureties in like sum. The presiding judge, Justice Yalim Bogoro, said the sureties must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction and must be civil servants not below the rank of a director. He adjourned till January 21, 2018 for commencement of trial.]]>