NIS Job Scam Saga: Abba Moro Granted Bail Without Conditions

In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Anwuli Chikere, stated that Mr. Moro was given bail on self-recognition, and without conditions. Justice Chikere, who ruled that two other defendants should pay N100 million each with a surety in like sum, also declared that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) failed to prove that Mr. Moro would interfere with his trial. The judge maintained that the sureties must be of the directorate cadre in the civil service.
He said the sureties and the defendants are to submit two recent passports as well as their international passports, and the sureties must also have landed properties worth the amount in any part of the country. Moro was docked alongside three others by the anti-graft agency on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering by obtaining ₦676.6 million from 676,675 job seekers in the fatal Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment exercise in 2014.
Part of the charges read
“One of the accused Mahmood Ahmadu(who is at large) in connivance with Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd, lavished the total of N423,800,000.00(Four Hundred and Twenty Three Million, Eight Hundred Thousand naira) part of the N676,675,000 (Six Hundred and Seventy Six Million, Six Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Naira) gotten from the applicants on the following: the sum N202, 500, 000( Two Hundred and Two Million Five Hundred Thousand naira ) in purchase of a property in a choice area of the Federal Capital territory, N120, 100,000 (One Hundred and twenty Million One hundred Thousand Naira ) used in upgrading a property in Abuja, while the total of N101, 200, 000( One Hundred and One Million Two Hundred thousand Naira) was converted to United states dollars for personal use.

The embattled former Interior Minister was earlier held at the Kuje prison in Abuja pending the determination of his bail application. During his detention, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, a former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Interior, was permitted to continue her administrative bail. Meanwhile, the presiding judge has fixed April 27, for the commencement of trial.