Goje, others to face fresh charges — EFCC

Femi Babafemi, spokesman for the commission, told Weekly Trust in Abuja yesterday that former governors Muhammad Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Aliyu Akwe Doma (Nasarawa), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun) and Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo) would be arraigned in court again over separate charges.   He did not mention the specific date for the fresh arraignments, but said this would […]

Femi Babafemi, spokesman for the commission, told Weekly Trust in Abuja yesterday that former governors Muhammad Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Aliyu Akwe Doma (Nasarawa), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun) and Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo) would be arraigned in court again over separate charges.

 

He did not mention the specific date for the fresh arraignments, but said this would happen when the commission concludes preparation of the charges.

The four former governors were separately arraigned over the past two weeks and have secured bail, though Doma was yet to meet his bail conditions as at yesterday morning.

Senator Goje and Doma were arraigned separately before the Federal High Court over charges of money laundering; while Daniel and Alao-Akala appeared before state high courts on counts of stealing public property.

When the new charges are prepared, Goje would appear before a state high court in Gombe and Doma before a state high court in Lafia, each of them over accusations of stealing and misappropriation of public funds, the EFCC said.

For their part, Daniel and Alao-Akala would face money laundering charges before the Federal High Court in Ibadan and Abeokuta respectively, the commission added.

Each of the four former governors had pleaded not guilty to the initial charges preferred against them.

Goje is facing accusations of fraud totalling N52 billion; Doma of N18 billion; Daniel of N58 billion; and Alao-Akala of N18 billion.

Meanwhile, there are fresh discoveries of assets and properties abroad said to belong to some of the former governors and the information was provided by law enforcement agencies in those foreign countries who are willing to help the EFCC is its anti-corruption efforts, Babafemi said. He did not name the specific individuals owning the said property abroad.