The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday took steps to re-arraign three top National Assembly officials before the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court in Jikwoyi, Abuja on a charge of N337 million fraud.
The defendants are Aishatu Bappa El-Nafaty, Director of Public Affairs in the Directorate of Special Duties and Parliamentary Security, Mahmud Alhaji Abubakar, former Permanent Secretary in the National Assembly Service and Igba Ityoakura Joseph, Deputy Director of Procurement, according to The Guardian.
The anti-graft agency had filed an amended 23-count indictment against the trio, alleging conspiracy, forgery, criminal breach of trust, official corruption and suspected diversion of N337,062,350 belonging to the National Assembly.
The scheduled re-arraignment was however postponed as counsel to the second defendant, Muhammed Ndayako (SAN), made a preliminary objection questioning elements of the modified accusation.
Ndayako sought the court to throw down counts three, four, five, six, seven and 18, saying they were incompetent and an attempt to resuscitate charges originally dropped by the court in a verdict made on May 12, 2025.
But EFCC prosecuting counsel, Francis Usani, was not happy with the timing of the objection which was lodged on the prosecution on June 5, three days before the scheduled re-arraignment.
Usani described the argument as frivolous, incompetent and meant to frustrate the re-arraignment of the accused. He asked the court to dismiss it and enable the accused persons to enter their pleas on the modified accusations.
EFCC said the defendants plotted between 2017 and 2019 to conduct criminal breach of trust while working in different positions in the National Assembly.
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