…as court orders his co-defendants to deposit N100m, produce 2 sureties

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA – The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted the former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, who is facing trial over his alleged complicity in a N676million job recruitment scam that led to the death of no fewer than 20 persons across the country, bail on self recognition.

The court however seized the international passport of the ex-Minister who is answering to an 11-count criminal charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, filed against him.

‎Meanwhile, trial Justice Anwuli Chikere who delivered the ruling, granted Moro’s co-defendants-Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia who was the ‎Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior when the alleged fraud was committed, and a ‎Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr. F. O Alayebami, bail to the tune of N100million each.

The duo were also directed to produce one surety each in the like sum, who must not be below the level of a Director in either Federal of State ‎employment.

The sureties must not only tender a letter confirming their employment, but equally depose to an affidavit of means before the court.

They are to also surrender the title deed ‎of their property in any part of the country, as well as, submit two of their recent passport photographs.

Whereas the 3rd defendant, Alayebami, is to remain at Kuje prison pending the perfection of his bail, Justice Chikere held that the 2nd defendant, Mrs. Daniel-Nwobia, who is a nursing mother, should remain on administrative bail ‎until she perfects the conditions.

Justice Chikere maintained that the EFCC failed to adduce valid reasons why the defendants should not be released on bail.

The Judge said the essence of bail was to ensure the attendance of a defendant to face trial, saying “accused persons are not to remain in prison on the basis of mere allegations”.

‎”The1st defendant is a senior citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a former public ‎officer who has served the country in the capacity of a Minister”, Justice Chikere noted, saying she was convinced he would not jump bail.

“I believe that as a responsible citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he will present himself to stand trial. Accordingly, bail is granted to the 1st respondent on self-recognizance”, the Judge held.

It will be recalled that the court had on Monday, ordered the remand of the accused persons in Kuje Prison, Abuja.

‎The defendants who were charge alongside the firm that was contracted to conduct the botched March 15, 2014, National Immigration Service, NIS, recruitment exercise, Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd,  predicated their bail applications on ‎provisions of sections 35 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as sections 156, 162 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

The prosecution earlier told the court that ‎one of the alleged culprits, Mr. Mahmood Ahmadu, who it said was a Director at Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd, a firm that was allegedly used to perpetuate the recruitment scam, was at large.

Specifically, EFCC alleged that the defendants defrauded 676,675 Nigerian applicants of N676, 675,000 (Six Hundred and Seventy Six Million, Six Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Naira).

Source:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/breaking-%e2%80%8e-alleged-n676m-job-scam-moro-secures-bail-on-self-recognition/

before he gets home, EFCC will pick him up again