Following a case instituted against him where he was alleged to be involved in a N676m recruitment scam purportedly carried out by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday remanded former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, in Kuje Prison pending the determination of his application for bail.
The trial judge, Justice Anwuli Chikere who also remanded ?a Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr. F. O Alayebami in prison custody, granted an administrative bail to the 2nd defendant, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, who was ?Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior when the alleged fraud was committed.
The former Permanent Secretary, who is nursing a baby, persuaded the court, through her lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, to allow her return home to take care of her baby, arguing that she is a victim of circumstance in the case.
Counsel to the EFCC, Aliyu Yusuf had told the court that “Moro, Anastasia Daniel Nwobia, F O Alayebami, Mahmood Ahmadu (at large) and Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd allegedly defrauded a total of 675, 675,000 Nigerian applicants to the tune of N675,675,000, representing N1000 per applicant through e-payment for an online recruitment exercise into the Nigeria Immigration Service on March 17, 2013.”
The defendants were also alleged to have flouted the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the award of the contract for the organisation of the recruitment test to Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.
The EFCC stated that its investigations revealed that the firm which it said was not validly registered to operate in Nigeria, never bided for the contract, adding that the contract was awarded through selective tendering procedure by invitation of 4 (Four) firms without seeking the approval of the Bureau for Public Procurement, contrary to sections 40, 42 and 43 of the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 and punishable under section 58 of the same act.
Yusuf went on to tell the court, “I apply for a trial date and I apply that the accused persons be remanded in prison custody”.
In the mean time, Justice Chikere adjourned the case until next Wednesday to consider whether or not Moro and his alleged accomplice should be released on bail pending their trial.
