Mu’azu Aliyu: Court acquits former Niger governor in N1.940bn money laundering case

- Niger state's former governor Mu’azu Aliyu, and two others, have escaped jail term over the money laundering charges preferred against them by the EFCC

- The state high court discharged Aliyu and his colleagues, ruling that the EFCC failed to show diligence in prosecuting the corruption case

- The EFCC counsel had failed to appear before the court three times without sending any representative which led to unnecessary adjournments

A state high court sitting in Niger state has acquitted a former governor of Niger state, Mu’azu Aliyu, and two others of an alleged N1.940 billion money laundering case.

The suit was instituted against the former governor by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to the court, the anti-graft commission failed to show diligence in prosecuting the corruption case brought against Aliyu, TVC reports.

Legit.ng gathers that the EFCC counsel had failed to appear before the court three times without sending any representative which led to unnecessary adjournments.

Following the development, ex-Governor Aliyu's lawyer urged the court to discharge and acquit his client.

The lawyer also asked the EFCC counsel to equally declare he is withdrawing from the case which he reportedly did.

Subsequently, the court discharged and acquitted Aliyu and his co-defendants on the premise that the EFCC lacked diligent prosecution.

Meanwhile, billions of naira have been allegedly traced to bank accounts linked to former governor Theodore Orji of Abia state.

The money was reportedly traced by the EFCC after a petition from a group, Fight Corruption: Save Nigeria Group.

According to the petition, the former governor allegedly diverted various sums of money that accrued to Abia state.

He was accused of collecting N500 million monthly purported to be security vote which was being converted.

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Also, Legit.ng had reported that a special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on social media, Lauretta Onochie, reacted to the conviction of some former governors found guilty of corruption cases by the competent court of the land.

The EFCC in recent times convicted some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who were former governors.

Similarly, a serving governor is topping the list of suspects being investigated by the EFCC for an alleged N6,549,942, 637.14 fraud in an arms deal.

The immediate past governor of Kogi state, Captain Idris Wada, a former chairman of a new generation bank, Tunde Ayeni, retired Air Vice Marshal Salihu Atawodi and four others are also said to be under scrutiny by the anti-graft commission.

The alleged fraud was perpetrated by the defunct Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Security (PICOMSS), which was headed by Atawodi.

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Source: Legit.ng