Court blasts EFCC, grants bail to ex-Governor Saminu Turaki

Court blasts EFCC, grants bail to ex-Governor Saminu Turaki

- A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the former governor of Jigawa state Ibrahim Saminu Turaki bail

- The court adjourned Turaki's suit to avoid violation of his fundamental human rights by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) until July 26

- Justice Yusuf Halilu of the court equally filed a counter affidavit to EFCC’s motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction and setting aside the bail granted to Turaki

Former governor of Jigawa state, Ibrahim Saminu Turaki, has been granted bail by a federal High Court in Abuja after he was re-arraigned on a 32 count charge for corruption.

The fresh charges border mainly on conspiracy to conceal the genuine nature of N12 Billion Naira paid by a firm, Natural Resources Ltd, as signature bonus for Oil Prospecting License officially allocated to them by the federal government of Nigeria in 2006.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was said to have failed to arraign any of the 2nd - 4th defendants which were firms allegedly involved in the transactions.

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The development was said to have irritated the presiding Judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba and further fuel speculation in many quarters that the whole trial was politically instigated against the former governor.

Legit.ng gathered that Justice Dimgba cautioned the EFCC on the need to always observe the rule of law.

He proceeded to granting Saminu Turaki bail and agreed with some of the release conditions earlier set by Justice Yusuf Haliru of the FCT High Court.

The case was subsequently adjourned to September 19th 2017 for commencement of trial.

The court adjourned Turaki's suit to enforce violation of his fundamental human rights by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) until July 26, News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Justice Yusuf Halilu adjourned the case following an application by his counsel, Mr Rilwan Idris, that EFCC served the plaintiff a counter affidavit late on Wednesday, challenging the suit.

Idris had told the court that they needed time to respond to EFCC’s counter affidavit.

“We have equally filed a counter affidavit to EFCC’s motion, challenging the court’s jurisdiction and setting aside the bail granted to Turaki,” he said.

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Idris told the court that Turaki was arrested on July 4 and detained for over two weeks even when the court had earlier granted him bail.

He further said that EFCC detained his client more than the 48 hours allowed by the Constitution of Nigeria.

EFCC counsel Mohammed Abubakar, said that Turaki was arrested based on a bench warrant issued by a Federal High Court sitting in Dutse, Jigawa, in May 2014.

He said that the prosecution looked for the former governor for a long time until he was arrested on July 4. Abubakar said that the EFCC in 2007 brought a charge of alleged money laundering against Turaki.

Legit.ng had earlier reported that former governor of Jigawa state, Saminu Turaki, who was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja on July 4, was granted bail by a High Court in Abuja.

Reports that Justice Yusuf Halilu on Thursday, July 13 granted the former governor bail on conditions which required him to submit his traveling documents to the registry of the court.

Watch this Legit.ng TV Video of the EFCC staging a walk against corruption:

Source: Legit.ng

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