By Anthony Ochela
Report of the plea bargain between a former governor of Adamawa State, Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on the settlement of the N29 billion fraud case against the former governor could not be heard Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
At the resumed hearing, EFCC’s lawyer, Mr Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, informed the court that following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney- General of the Federation, AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, was unable to meet other parties to resolve outstanding issues in the settlement.
Jacobs stated that the AGF had instructed him to request for a short adjournment.
However, Barrister Mathew Onoja, who announced appearance for Nyako, did not object to the application for an adjournment, just as the other defence counsel did not raise objections.
In a brief ruling, Justice Peter Lifu noted that since none of the defence counsel objected to the adjournment request he was minded to grant it.
He also noted that since the court had taken judicial notice of the seven-day mourning period declared by the federal government, the case was adjourned until July 25.
At the last adjourned date, Jacobs had informed the court that both parties had started discussions on the possibility of settling the matter out-of-court.
Jacobs had said that by the next adjourned date, both parties should be able to resolve all the details of the settlement.
Nyako’s counsel, Mr Michael Aondoaka, SAN, confirmed the development, adding that the discussion had reached an advanced stage. He said he was positive that the matter would be resolved amicably.
The EFCC had filed a charge against the defendants bordering on criminal conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and money laundering
EFCC, in the charge before the court, alleged that Nyako and his son, Abdulaziz, connived with two other defendants, Zulkifikk Abba and Abubakar Aliyu and diverted over N29 billion from the treasury of Adamawa state.
The defendants were alleged to have diverted the funds between 2011 and 2014 using five companies.
The companies were listed as Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited
The anti-graft agency alleged that the defendants had in their bid to conceal the illicit origin of the stolen funds, embarked on the development of estates in Abuja.
The agency alleged that huge sums of money which the defendants purported to be security funds, were illegally placed under the control of one Ma’aji Iro, the then Regional Manager of Zenith Bank Plc, North East, Nigeria.
