Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ordered the remand of a former executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Usman Yusuf at Kuje Correctional Center.
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday arraigned Yusuf on fraud allegations, but he pleaded not guilty to the five-count preferred against him.
Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu made the decision after the defendant’s counsel, O.I. Habeeb, requested that his client be held in the custody of the EFCC pending the hearing of his bail application.
However, the judge ruled that the defendant could not be kept in EFCC custody after arraignment and therefore ordered his remand at the correctional centre.
The case was adjourned to February 12 for the defendant’s bail hearing.
Yusuf is facing allegations of corruption and abuse of office.
He was arrested on Wednesday, January 29, when operatives of the EFCC stormed his Abuja home at about 4:30 p.m. and picked him up for alleged N4 billion fraud, among other infractions.
His arrest followed an ongoing investigation into an allegation that he inflated the NHIA’s ICT budget from N4.975 billion to N8.7 billion and approved payments beyond his approval limit.
According to reports, the EFCC is investigating Yusuf for also awarding contracts to a company known as Lubekh Nigeria Limited, where his nephew Khalifa Hassan Yusufu is a director.
Yusuf, a professor of haematology/oncology and bone marrow transplant, is also being held for financial mismanagement and abuse of office.
It’s alleged that he used his position for personal gains, approving contracts without following due process and awarding contracts to firms that lacked the competence to execute projects.