NIS recruitment: Court grants Abba Moro bail on self-recognition

A Federal High Court sitting before Justice Anwuli Chikere has granted Abba Moro, the former minister of interior, bail on self-recognition.

The judge handed down this ruling having considered the application for bail filed before it by counsels to Moro, former permanent secretary of the ministry, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, deputy director, F. O. Alayebami, and Drexel Technology Nigeria Limited, he was charged with.

In considering the bail, the court in line with Section 36 (5) of the Constitution, which presumes an accused person innocent, until proven guilty, averred that Section 1(6) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) provided that a defendant with charge exceeding three years was liable to file an application for bail.

Justice Chikere however ruled that the prosecution failed to prove to the court that the defendant would evade trial, tamper with evidence or intimidate witness, and as such the counter filed by it in opposition to the bail did not sufficiently prove to it why the defendants should be refused bail.

She subsequently granted Moro bail on self-recognition, while the other defendants are to be granted bail in the sum of N100 million, one surety who must be a director in the federal or state civil service, who must also be ready to tender proof and deed of property and two recent passport photograph.

While the defendants are to also deposit their international passports with the court registrar, the second defendant who had been enjoying administrative bail will continue to enjoy it, till she meets her bail conditions.

The matter was adjourned to April 27, 2016 for trial. The accused persons are standing trial in an 11-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence, procurement fraud and money laundering, to which the EFCC accused the defendants of defrauding about 676,675 Nigerian applicants of N676,675,000.