10th April, 2013
Former Police Pension Officials were on Wednesday re-arraigned before Justice Hussain Baba of an Abuja High Court on an amended 20-count charge of criminal breach of trust and conspiracy involving the sum of N29.8 billion.
They had earlier been arraigned before Justice Mohammed Talba who sentenced one of the accused persons, Mr. John Yakubu Yusufu, to two years jail term with an option of N750,000 fine, a sentence that enraged Nigerians and attracted uncomplimentary remarks against the nation’s judiciary in the fight against corruption.
Following public outcry, the trial of the alleged pension thieves was re-assigned to another court presided over by Justice Hussain Baba.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, one of the accused persons, Mrs. Uzoma Cyril Attang, who was absent form court while her former colleagues were docked, was present in court.
Mrs. Attang who is a serving Director of Finance and Accounts at the Federal Civil Service and owner of Royal Harvest Christian Assembly Ministries at Ijah, in Lagos, had previously escaped trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal last September where she was scheduled to be tried on allegations of acquisition of landed properties both in Abuja and Lagos whose value her salary, as a Director in the Federal Civil Service, could not have legitimately acquired.
Others docked alongside Mrs. Cyril Attang are Esai Dangabar, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Mrs. Veronica Uloma Onyegbula, Sani Habila Zira and Christian Madubuike.
Count one of the amended charge alleged that the suspected pension thieves conspired and agreed, between January 2008 and June 2011, to do an illegal act, to wit: criminal breach of trust in respect of the sum of N20.155 billion, an offence punishable under section 97 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Nigeria 2007.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the entire counts of the charge. The court subsequently fixed their trial for 3rd and 4th of June, 2013.
The judge, Justice Hussain Baba, ordered that the bail granted the accused persons by the former judge should continue to run since they had complied with the bail conditions.
—Nnamdi Felix/Abuja