Na wa ooo....Justice Okon Abang, of the federal high court, Abuja, has remanded Alex Badeh, immediate past former chief of defence staff, in prison pending the determination of his application for bail.Abang dismissed a March 2 application for bail filed by his counsel, Samuel Zibiri, on the grounds of incompetence and asked the defence counsel to file a fresh one. Zibiri had asked the court to remand Badeh in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and not in prison.
But the court did not grant his request. Abang fixed March 10 for hearing of the bail application, and March 14 for trial and asked that Badeh be remanded in prison custody.
The EFCC on Monday arraigned Badeh before Abang. The former chief of defence staff is facing an 11-count charge of criminal breach of trust and corruption to the tune of N3.9bn. He arrived at the court a few minutes before 9am in dark shades, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He is alleged to have used funds of the Nigeria air force to purchase choice property in Abuja. According to the EFCC, Badeh illegally used N60m to renovate his sons house, which he purchased for N260m in Abuja, between January and December 2013.
The former defence chief is also alleged to have used N878m -being funds of the air force- to build a shopping mall in Abuja.
Three of the charges read: “That you Air Chief Marshal Alex S Badeh (whilst being the chief of air staff, Nigerian air force) and Iyalikan Nigeria Limited, between January and December, 2013, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did use the dollar equivalent of the sum of N1, 100, 000, 000.00 (One billion, one hundred million naira only), removed from the accounts of the Nigeria air force, to purchase for yourselves a mansion situated at No 6 Ogun River street, off Danube street, Maitama, Abuja, when you reasonably ought to have known that the said funds formed part of proceed of unlawful activity (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) of Air Chief Marshal Alex S Badeh, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) (d) of the money laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered $1m cash from one of the mansions belonging former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh(retd.).
Punch reports that the money was recovered after detectives searched a mansion located at 6, Ogun River Street, Maitama, Abuja.
A detective at the EFCC, who did not want his name in print, said, “We have seized several properties belonging to Badeh. A few days ago, we returned to the mansion located at 6, Ogun River Street, Maitama.
“In the presence of several witnesses, including neighbours, we searched the house and recovered $1m in cash. The money has been lodged as evidence.”
Meanwhile, the anti-graft agency has since placed a seal on the mansion, with the warning, “EFCC, Keep off!”
The property, which is said to be worth over N1.1bn, is one of the five properties seized from the ex-defence chief.
Some of the properties were said to have been purchased, renovated and furnished for a son of the former CDS, Alex Badeh (Jnr.).
Badeh also allegedly bought a commercial plot of land at Plot 1386, Oda Crescent, Cadastral Zone A07, Wuse II, Abuja for N650m.
He is expected to appear in court on Monday (today).
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