Alleged N450m laundering: Atiku campaign coordinator docked
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday arraigned Senator Saidu Umar Kumo, the northeast coordinator of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s 2019 presidential campaign, over alleged conspiracy and money laundering.
Kumo was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Gombe alongside a former chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party in Gombe State, Nuhu Poloma.
The EFCC Gombe zonal office said the duo on March 27, 2015 collected N450 million, suspected to be proceeds of illegal acts from, from a new generation bank.
According to the charge sheet read to the accused persons, Kumo took N111 million and instructed one Abba Sunday Agaba, one of the bank officials, to deliver the balance of N313,500 million to a cashier of the Gombe State Government House.
The court further heard that Kumo spent N3 million and gave N2 million to Mr Poloma, but failed to account for the remaining balance of N106 million.
EFCC said the statutory counsel, Israel Akande, transaction exceeded the limit authorised by law and thereby committed an offence contrary to and Punishable under Section 18 (a) and 16 (2) (a) of the Money Laundering Act 2011 as amended.
But the accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the five-count charge preferred against them.
Akande, therefore, applied new date to commence trial.
The presiding judge, Justice Nehizena Apolabi, granted the application and adjourned the case to December 5.
He released the defendants on bail at the sum of N10 million each and two sureties in like sum. for a