FG arraigns Nyako, others over N40bn fraud

The former governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako (retd), his son, Abdullajeez Nyako and seven others were on Monday, re-arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over their alleged involvement in a N40 billion fraud while he was governor of the state.

Nyako, Abdulaziz, Zulkifikk Abba, Abubakar Aliyu, Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms and Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited, were arraigned on a 37-count charge before Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court, in Abuja.

The defendants, who were first arraigned last year before late Justice Evoh Chukwu, before his demise, pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them by the anti-graft agency.

After pleading not guilty to the charges against them, the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, ordered that the defendants should continue to enjoy the conditions of the earlier bail granted by late justice Chukwu.

Abang said, the request of the prosecutor that the defendants’ sureties should file a fresh affidavit could not be granted because the prosecutor failed to oppose the oral application for bail made by the defendants.

Justice Abang ruled that the court could not vary the condition of the bail earlier granted to the defendants and then adjourned trial of the defendants to November 17 and 22, 2016.