A Minna High Court has remanded the immediate past governor of the state, Babangida Aliyu and his chief of staff and PDP governorship candidate in the last election Umar Mohammed Nasko in prison custody pending the hearing of the case for their bail scheduled for the 3rd of May 2017.
Aliyu and Nasko are facing a six-count charge of corruption and abuse of office brought against them by the EFCC.
Both men were accused of conspiring and dishonestly converting to personal use funds amounting to N4.568bn, belonging to the Niger state government.
According to the EFCC, the funds were meant for ecological projects, as well as proceeds realised from the sale of 16 percent shares of the state in the North-South Power Company.
Ayodele Oladeji and Mamman Osuman, who appeared as lead counsel for the 1st and 2nd defendants respectively, applied for the bail of their clients as they pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against them.
They argued that the defendants were always available when invited by the EFCC, adding there was no evidence they would jump bail.
The defence counsel, however, prayed the court to remand the defendants in EFCC custody, if the was going to fix a date for the hearing of the bail application.
The EFCC prosecutor, Gbolahan Latona, opposed the bail application, arguing that it would jeopardise investigations.
The EFCC prosecutor also opposed remanding the defendants in EFCC custody, saying that accused persons were usually remanded in prison custody once the court takes ‘cognisance of the case’.