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Godwin Tsa Abuja
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Gwagwalada, Abuja, on Thursday ordered the remand of a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), and two of his co-defendants in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over their alleged involvement in the Malabu Oil scam.
Justice Idris Kutigi, made the remand order after all the defendants entered a plea of not guilty to the 42- count charges preferred against them by the EFCC.
The judge further adjourned the trial to Monday when the separate bail applications filed by the defendants would be heard.
Although, Justice Kutigi, had initially indicated intention to order the remand of the defendants in prison, he later changed his mind and asked EFCC to take keep them in their custody.
This was moreso that the prosecution counsel, Bala Sanga, who had initially urged the court to remand them in prison custody, succumbed to the pleas by the defence lawyers that the commision should hold their clients pending the hearing of their bail applications.
Meanwhile, Adoke was arrested by the EFCC on his return to Nigeria from a four-year exile on December 19, 2019.
He has since been in the detention of the EFCC and was produced in court from their on Thursday.
The seven defendants, four of whom are corporate organisations, pleaded not guilty to the 42 counts instituted against them by the EFCC.
