Bankole: EFCC quizzes Nafada, 5 others
Bankole: EFCC quizzes Nafada, 5 others
ABUJA—THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which secured a court order to detain former Speaker of the House of Representatives in its custody, yesterday, quizzed Bankole’s deputy, Mallam Bayero Nafada and five other principal officers of the House.
The agency had invited the principal officers of the past National Assembly, including former House Leader, Chief Tunde Akogun, Baba Shehu Agaie, Deputy Minority Leader, Sulaiman Kawu, Bello Mohammed, and former Minority Leader in the House, Senator Ali Ndume, who just won election into the Senate.
The former officers of the House of Representatives had reported at the Wuse 2 Headquarters of the EFCC at about 12 noon yesterday to answer questions regarding their roles in the alleged mismanagement of House funds including a N10 billion loan secured from one of the first generation banks on behalf of the House.
Corruption Charges: Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole (middle) led by EFCC operatives back to EFCC office from the Abuja High Court, yesterday. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan
Babafemi said: “The following principal officers of the sixth House of Representatives were invited to make statements over some of the allegations levelled against ex_Speaker, Bankole. They are former Deputy Speaker, Usman Nafada, Baba Shehu Agaie, Sulaiman Kawu, Bello Mohammed, Tunde Akogun and Sen. Ali Ndume. They are likely to be granted bail after their interrogation later today.”
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to keep the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, under its custody till Friday when his bail request will be considered.
Justice Donatus Okorowo made the order shortly after the embattled former Speaker pleaded not guilty to the entire 16-count criminal charge preferred against him by the anti-graft agency.
Vanguard noted that frantic effort by his team of lawyers led by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, to secure his immediate release from EFCC custody, yesterday, proved abortive.
Prosecuting counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo, who opposed the move, informed the court that the commission ab-initio uncovered subterranean moves by the accused person to flee the country.
Keyamo who equally faulted the bail request on the premise that it was tendered orally, urged the court to allow the former Speaker to remain with the anti-graft agency, saying he still had questions to answer in relation to other allegations against him.
Judicial notice of treatment
Earlier, Chief Awomolo who led three other Senior Advocates of Nigeria that represented Bankole, pleaded the trial court to take judicial notice of ‘inhumane’ treatments he said was meted to the accused person from the point of his arrest to his subsequent arraignment, insisting that his client, being a law abiding citizen, resolved to go ahead and “take plea of protest.”
Awomolo said: “My lord, we consider it appropriate to bring to your notice the manner EFCC operatives arrested him in his house around 8.00 pm on Sunday, June 5. He was not only manhandled, he was arrested in the full glare of pre_arranged cameramen that were engaged by the prosecution.
“My lord this is condemnable and we consider the hurried charge that was filed against him before this court highly unconstitutional. However, we will address that issue at the appropriate time.”
Refuting the allegations, counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Keyamo, maintained that the ex-Speaker was arrested in accordance with the due process of the law.
Keyamo told the court that the agency got an intelligence report that the accused person had concluded plans to abscond the country the next day, a situation he said informed EFCC’s decision to effect his arrest on Sunday night.
He said: “My lord it is not true that he was manhandled by EFCC operatives. We only took him into custody in order to forestall any attempt to thwart the course of justice; he was not handcuffed or pushed in the same manner the former IMF boss was arrested.”
Order to remain in custody
After listening to the parties regarding the propriety of releasing the embattled ex_Speaker on bail, Justice Okorowo, upheld the arguments of the anti_graft body, stressing that he should remain in custody till 12.00 pm Friday, a period within which his formal bail application would have been filed before the court.
The judge said: “I would have loved to take the bail application orally and deliver my ruling today (yesterday), but I cannot force the prosecution to concede to the oral bail application”.
He ordered the defence counsel to ensure that he filed the bail application before the close of work yesterday to enable the prosecution to promptly respond to it.
Before adjourning definite hearing on the substantive suit to July 26 and 27, trial Justice Okorowo warned the EFCC to refrain from issuing disparaging press statements against the accused person, adding that he should be treated as an innocent citizen until he is convicted of any of the criminal charge against him.
Bankole who was ushered into the High Court premises by stern looking security operatives at 8:45 am yesterday, looked unperturbed throughout the proceeding.
His relatives and well wishers besieged the High Court complex which was secured by about 30 heavily armed mobile police men that mounted sentry at various strategic positions within the vicinity.
After moves to secure his release crumbled, the former Speaker who wore a white ‘buba and sokoto’ with a matching cap and black sandals to court, was subsequently whisked away by EFCC operatives in a white coaster bus marked ABUJA_BR_ 739_ BWR.
EFCC had maintained that he connived with other persons at large, to inflate the cost of several contracts awarded by the House in 2008, to the tune of about N894 million, contrary to section 58(4) (a) of the Public Procurement Act No. 14 of 2007 and punishable under section 58(5) of the same Act.
Some of the alleged illicit deals that formed the conduit pipes through which the said monies were pilfered by the accused person, includes the purchase of 400 units of 40_inch Samsung (LNS. 341) television sets, 800 units of Desktop Computers (HP Compaq dc 5700), 100 units of Sharp Digital Copier 5316, 400 units of HP LaserJet 2600N, among others.
The EFCC further alleged that he rigged the bid for the purchase of 3 units of Mercedes Benz S_600 cars, 2 units of Range Rover vehicles (without bullet proofs) and 400 units of DSTV systems, by refusing to follow all the procedures prescribed for public procurements in Sections 17 to 56 of the Public Procurement Act No.14 of 2007, leading to a loss of value to the national treasury and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 58(4)(e) of the Public Procurement Act, No.14 of 2007 and punishable under Section 58(5) of the same Act.
Fundamental human rights
The embattled Speaker had earlier approached the Federal High Court with an application seeking an enforcement of his fundamental human right. He is specifically praying the court to issue “a declaration that the detention of the applicant without trial is illegal and unconstitutional as it offends the applicant’s right to free movement and personal liberty as guaranteed by section 41 and 35 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.”
He is also asking for an order directing the EFCC to release him, even as he sought for damages in the sum of N20 million, contending that it was loss he has suffered due to his unlawful and unconstitutional detention.
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