By Boluwatife Ezekiel Olaleye
Babangida Aliyu, former Nigeria governor, was on Thursday arraigned before a Federal High Court in Minna on charge of money laundering.
The ex-governor was arraigned alongside a former Commissioner of Environment, Umar Nasko, on 8-count charge of criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
The offences are contrary to section 18(a) of the money laundering Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15(3) of same Act.
The two, accused of laundering ecological funds of over N1.94bn released by the Federal Government to the state in 2014, both pleaded not guilty.
The EFCC prosecutor, Ben Ikani, thereafter prayed the court to remand the accused persons in prison and adjourn the matter for commencement of hearing.
Ikani urged the court to refuse the accused persons bail given the seriousness of their offence and the magnitude of the punishment.
Counsel to the first and second defendants, Olajide Ayodele (SAN) and Mamman Osuman (SAN), however, prayed the court to use its discretion to admit their clients to bail.
They both argued that if granted bail, the accused persons will provide reasonable sureties to stand for them.
In her ruling, the presiding judge, Yellim Bogoro, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N250m each and two sureties, one of whom must be a civil servant not less than the level of a director.
Bogoro also ordered them to surrender their international passports to the court registry. She gave them 48 hours to fulfil their bail conditions.
The judge adjourned the matter till January 22, 2018 for hearing.
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