Africa-Press – Nigeria. A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to the senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume.
Ndume’s bail approval came five days after Justice Okon Abang ordered that he be remanded in prison custody for failure to produce Abdulrasheed Maina in court.
Ndume had stood as surety, to Maina, a former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly laundering N2 billion.
However, the senator was granted bail on Friday, November 27, following an application he filed, praying to be granted bail pending the determination of his appeal.
Granting the request, Abang said Ndume’s appeal filed before the Court of Appeal in Abuja was “incompetent”, noting that the trial court was minded to release him on bail on recognition of his “good behaviour and conduct”.
Meanwhile, the court asked Ndume to produce one surety, who must be a respectable person, resident within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and an owner of landed property in Abuja with evidence of ownership.
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Abang also ordered Ndume to deposit his international passport to the Chief Registrar of the court pending the determination of his appeal.
The judge added that the Borno South senator must sign an undertaking to within 10 days, compile and transmit the record of proceedings to the Court of Appeal.
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