Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
Abuja, NigeriaÂ
Justice Yusuf Halilu of an FCT, Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday revoked the bail earlier granted a former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris and one of the defendants in the trial of over an alleged fraudulent diversion of public fund to the tune of N109.5Billion.
The defendant, Geoffrey Olusegun Akindele’s bail was revoked by the judge following his non-appearance in court for continuation of trial.
Mr Akindele, who is the second defendant in the case marked, CR/199/2022, and Idris are standing trial alongside Mohammed Kudu Usman and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited.
Idris, among others, was alleged to have between February and December 2021, while being a public servant by virtue of his position as Accountant-General of the Federation accepted from Olusegun Akindele, the second defendant, a gratification of the aggregate sum of N15, 136, 221, 921.46, which was converted to dollars equivalent by Akindele.
The money, according to the prosecution, did not form part of Idris’s remuneration but a motive for accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to nine oil producing states in the federation through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
EFCC alleged they thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 155 of the Penal Code Act Cap 533 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and punishable under the same section.
Idris and Akindele, who was Technical Assistant to the Accountant-General of the Federation, were accused of committing criminal breach of trust while being entrusted with certain property, to wit N84,390,000,000 between Feb. and Nov. 2021 by dishonestly receiving the said amount from the Federal Government through Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, trading under the name and style of Olusegun Akindele & Co.
By this, according to EFCC, the first and second defendants were alleged to have committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
