Pension Scam: Court Adjourns Ruling on Bail Variation
Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja Thursday fixed May 27,2014 for ruling on the application for bail variation brought by Aliyu Bello, a former special assistant to the Director of Administration (Pension Account), and Abdullahi Omeiza, a school teacher in Sokoto who are standing trial on a 5-count charge bordering on criminal conversion and obtaining over One Billion Naira (N1billion) from the Pension Account, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, by false pretence.
The Defence Counsel, Mahmud A. Magaji had filed a 12-paragraph affidavit, and a further affidavit supported by a written address urging the court to grant the application.
Emmanuel Egwuagu, holding brief for prosecuting counsel, Godwin Obla (SAN) did not oppose the application.
It will be recalled that Justice Ademola had earlier granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N366, 000,000 (Three Hundred and Sixty Six Million) each and a surety in like sum but the accused persons have been unable to meet their bail conditions since last year.
One of the charges read: “That you Aliyu Bello and Abdullahi Omeiza, at various times between 2009 and 2010 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, obtain by false pretence and with intent to defraud, from Pension Account, Office of the Head of Service of the federation of Nigeria, various sums in the aggregate amount of N281,623,351.87. (two hundred and eighty one million, six hundred and twenty three thousand, three hundred and fifty one naira, eighty seven kobo) through various third parties and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1) (A) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act”.
