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Barely five days after a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Maitama, Abuja, granted bail to a former Governor of Jigawa State, Saminu Turaki, a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered his remand in Kuje Prison, Abuja.
Although Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court granted bail to the ex-governor on fresh bail conditions on Tuesday, he ordered the defendant to remain in Kuje Prisons, Abuja, pending when the bail conditions were met.
Justice Dimgba gave the order shortly after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission re-arraigned Turaki and three companies on 32 counts of money laundering offences involving about N37bn.
The defendants allegedly committed the offences between 2006 and 2007 while the former governor was in office.
Turaki, alongside his co-defendants — INC Natural Resources Ltd., Arkel Construction Nigeria Ltd and Wildcat Construction Ltd — were earlier arraigned before the Dutse, Jigawa State Division of the Federal High Court, in 2011.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that Turaki was last week arrested by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, at the launch of a book titled, ‘The First Regular Combatant: Brigadier General Zakariya Maimalari’, which was written by Haruna Paloma, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The event was well attended by eminent Nigerians including former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Moguno; the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen Tukur Buratai; and several others.
The Judge had asked Turaki to provide two sureties who must be residence within the FCT and with a verifiable means of livelihood as part of the bail conditions.
Justice Halilu also ordered that the applicant should deposit all his travelling documents with the court registry.
Also as part of the bail conditions the ex-governor was ordered to report to EFCC every two weeks to sign a register that would be opened for him.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that Turaki is being prosecuted by the EFCC for allegedly mismanaging Jigawa state’s funds while he in office as governor.
However, the EFCC had on Friday filed a fresh motion before an FCT High Court asking it to set aside the bail it granted to Saminu Turaki, the former Governor of Jigawa State.
The EFCC in the motion filed through its counsel, Mohammed Abubakar claimed that the bail condition given to Turaki by Justice Yusuf Halilu was too liberal.
After Turaki pleaded not guilty to the 32 counts on Tuesday, Justice Dimgba said he was inclined to granting bail to the ex-governor “in deference” to the earlier bail granted the defendant by Justice Halilu of the FCT High Court.
He asked the prosecution and the defence led by Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), to agree on the bail conditions to be imposed on the defendant.
The judge resumed sitting after about 10 minutes.