The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kuje Prison

  • Another judge orders Metuh’s remand in Kuje prison

    Another judge orders Metuh’s remand in Kuje prison

    • As PDP spokesman denies destroying statement

    Detained spokesperson of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, was arraigned Thursday before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja for allegedly destroying the statement he made to operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Metuh is currently being held at the Kuje prison, Abuja following his earlier arraignment before the Federal High Court, Abuja on a seven-count charge of money laundering for allegedly receiving N400million from the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki and allegedly making doubtful investment of $2million.

    Thursday, he was arraigned before Justice Ishaq Bello on a two-count charge.

    He pleaded not guilty, following which the judge ordered that Metuh be further remanded in Kuje prison.

    Count one of the charge filed on January 18 reads: “Statement of offence: Destruction of document to prevent its production as evidence, punishable under Section 166 of the Penal Code CAP 532 LFN, Abuja (2004).

    “Particular of offence: Olisa Metuh, on the 5th day of January 2016 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, destroyed the document, to wit: a statement made under caution to investigators/operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the 5th of January 2016 with the intention of preventing the same from being produced or used as evidence in a court of law.

    Count two reads: “Statement of office: Mischief contrary to Section 326 and punishable under Section 327 of the Penal Code CAP 532 LFN, Abuja (2004). Particular of offence: Olisa Metuh, on the 5th day of January 2016 within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with intent to cause wrongful loss or damage to the property of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) committed mischief by destroying/tearing into pieces a statement you made under caution to investigations/investigative of the EFCC.”

    The offence is said to be punishable under Section 166 of the Penal Code Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, (Abuja) 2004.

    Shortly after Metuh pleaded not guilty, prosecution lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, urged the court fix a date for the commencement of trial.

    Responding, Metuh’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, prayed the court to grant the accused bail, taking into consideration the punishment which does not exceed two years.

    Justice Bello, while ordering Metuh to be remanded in prison custody, adjourned the matter to January 25, 2016 for hearing on the bail application.

    Earlier, the judge questioned the rationale behind separating this charge from the earlier one before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Bello noted that since the alleged attempt to destroy evidence flowed directly from the case already before the Federal High Court, it would have been proper and reasonable to accommodate the new charge in the pending one.

    In his response, Tahir said the fresh charge was brought under a different law, the Penal Code as against the Money Laundering Act under which the older charge was brought.

  • Court remands Yuguda, Dasuki, Bafarawa, others in Kuje prison

    Court remands Yuguda, Dasuki, Bafarawa, others in Kuje prison

    •To remain in prison until they meet bail conditions

    Former Minister of State for Finance Bashir Yuguda, ex-National Security Adviser (NSA) Mohammed  Sambo Dasuki, former Sokoto State Governor  Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa and two others are to remain in Kuje prison, Abuja, until they meet their  bail conditions.

    Justice Peter Affen of the High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) gave the order yesterday in a ruling on their bail application.

    Also to be remanded are former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu and Bafarawa’s son, Sagir.

    Yuguda, Dasuki, Bafarawa, Salisu and Sagir were arraigned with a company, Dalhatu Investment Limited on December 15 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 22-count of criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and retention of proceeds of crime estimated at over 20 billion.

    Justice Affen, yesterday, admitted each of the five men to bail at N250 million with two sureties, who must pledge the same amount.

    The judge said one of the sureties must be a director in the Federal Civil Service; they must be resident in Abuja, and must have landed property in  Abuja worth N250 million.

    The judge added that title documents to the property and the defendants’ travel documents must be kept with the court.

    ‘’ I have carefully considered the applications and evidences tendered and found that extensive investigation was conducted in the matter.

    ‘’ Whatever is left was not substantial to deny the defendants bail, simply because the prosecution alleged that they may interfere with the investigation, if granted bail.

    “There is no evidence to prove that the defendants, if granted bail, will commit another offence.  I found it difficult to agree with the theory of probability, as canvassed by the prosecution, to deny the defendants bail,” the judge said.

    He noted that where the ill-heath of an accused person was in question, the court was enjoined to exercise its discretion in favour of the applicant, if relevant documents were presented before the court.

    The judge ordered that the defendants, who had been in the custody of the EFCC, be remanded in Kuje Prison pending uintil they meet the bail conditions.

    Their relatives and friends, including businessman Raymond Dokpesi, former Director of Publicity for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign, Femi Fani-Kayode, who were in court, were making efforts to assist the defendants process their bail.

     

  • Dokpesi remanded in Kuje Prison

    Dokpesi remanded in Kuje Prison

    FORMER DAAR Communication Plc Chairman Raymond Dokpesi yesterday arrived in Kuje Prison ahead of the perfection of his bail terms.

    He was shielded from anxious inmates at the facility by warders.

    According to a source, Dokpesi was brought to the prison at about 4.55pm and immediately taken to the Prison Chief’s office.

    The source said: “We have received Dokpesi in Kuje Prison and perfected his records before allocating him a cell.

    “Upon sighting Dokpesi, most of the inmates who were abreast of the ongoing anti-corruption trials, were anxious to see him.

    “But we decided to keep him in the office of the Officer-In-Charge to avoid being hurt by some inmates. Warders succeeded in shielding him from inmates.”

    The source described Dokpesi as “certainly moody”.

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday ordered that Dokpesi should submit his international passport or any other international document that could enable him travel out of the country.

    He also said the accused person should be remanded in Kuje Prison pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.

    The judge  granted Dokpesi bail in the sum of  N200m with two sureties in like sum.

    He said: “One of the sureties must be a public servant, either serving or retired, and not below the rank of director, while the second surety must be an entrepreneur who must submit evidence of tax payment in the last three years.

    ”The sureties must tender title deeds of landed properties in any part of Nigeria, the value of which must not be below N200milion.”

    The judge said one of the sureties must be a serving or retired civil servant of the rank of a director in either the federal or state civil service.

    If retired, the surety must show a retirement letter indicating the organisation where he or she had served.

    Justice Kolawole also said the second surety must be a private entrepreneur with evidence of three years tax clearance certificate and a verifiable landed property worth N200 million.

    He said the sureties must sign an undertaking of forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government, in the event that the defendant did not make himself available for trial.

    Justice Kolawole also directed that Dokpesi should not be arrested by any government agency for any investigation.

    He said if any government agency wanted further investigation on the case, it should approach the defendant’s lawyers to make him available.

    Dokpesi, who was arraigned alongside his company, DAAR Investment and Holdings Limited on Wednesday, 9 December 2015, pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge bordering on alleged procurement fraud and breach of public trust preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC).

    Moving his application for bail at the last sitting, his defence counsel, Mike Ozekhome(SAN),  urged the court to grant the accused person bail on self-recognition.

    Ozekhome said:  “The applicant has not contributed to the insurgency by his act and the only reason he is held in custody is because of mere speculation of future investigation, which this honourable court cannot act on.

    “The alleged offence is bailable. My Lord, the accused will not jump bail, as he has families and dependants. “

    Opposing the bail application, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs(SAN), said : “The nature of the offence is corruption and a serious one.

    ”The accused initially denied having any transaction with the office of the National Security Adviser  until he was confronted with the evidence. Therefore, such a person cannot be granted bail, as this is coming when the country is trying to change its corruption rating in the international community.”

    The case was adjourned till February 17, next year for trial.

     

  • Bribery: Lawan, Emenalo remanded in prison

    Bribery: Lawan, Emenalo remanded in prison

    An Abuja High Court on Friday remanded in prison the former chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee on fuel subsidy, Farouk Lawan.

    Also remanded in custody was the committee’s former secretary, Boniface Enemalo.

    They were arraigned for allegedly soliciting for and collecting a bribe of $620,000 from the Chairman of Zenon Oil, Femi Otedola.

    At the resumption of trial on Friday, the duo pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge filed against them.

    The counsels to the lawmakers, Rickey Tarfa and Mike Ozhekome, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria, had earlier filed a bail application on their behalf.

    However, the presiding judge, Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi, ruled that both Lawan and Emenalo be remanded in Kuje Prison pending the ruling on their bail application.

    He subsequently picked February 8 for ruling on the application.