Nigeria’s deputy Senate president now surety for Metuh facing corruption charges

As one of the two sureties for PDP ex-National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh, withdrew,  Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu has agreed to stand in for the accused.

A Federal High Court in Abuja granted Metuh bail in January, after Gr. Olubunmi Usam-Wilson and another accepted to stand as sureties.

The EFCC is prosecuting Metuh and his company, Destra Investment Limited, on seven counts, including fraud involving N400m, which he allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014 without justification.

Ex-NSA Sambo Dasuki released the money to Metuh from a $2.1 billion fund meant for purchase of arms for the military fighting Boko Haram in the northeast.

Metuh was also charged with money laundering involving cash transaction of $2m.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, Metuh, through his lawyer, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), notified the court of his intention to present Ekweremadu as one of his sureties.

He made the application while an application filed by Usim-Wilson to withdraw as surety was still pending.

Metuh, as the prosecution dragged on, fell sick and had to be hospitalised before the trial resumed October 17.