N500m fraud: Court remands Shagari, Wali, 3 others

The Federal High Court in Sokoto has remanded a former deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Mukhtari Shagari, a former PDP governorship candidate, Senator Abdallah Wali and three others in police custody over money illegally disbursed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Deizani Allison Madueke.

They were remanded till May 24 when their bail applications would be heard.

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) instituted the fivecount charge dated 4th, May, 2018.

Other defendants include the younger brother of the former Governor of the State, Alhaji Dalhatu Bafarawa, Alhaji Nasiru Dalhatu, the Chairman of the PDP in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma and the former Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Gidado.

According to the charge sheet, Gidado, Shagari and Milgoma had in March 2015 conspired to accept N500 million from one Abdulrahman Ibrahim without transacting same through a financial institution and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act.

When the charges were read to the defendants, they all pleaded not guilty.

The EFCC counsel, Barrister John Ojogbane, then prayed the court to adjourn the case to enable him present his witnesses and the defendants be remanded till the adjourned date.

Justice Saleh Idrissa adjourned the case to May 24 for the hearing of bail applications and remanded the defendant into police custody.