Arms deal: Metuh gets bail, Ex-NAF chief detained

By Vivian Okejeme
Abuja

The Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday ordered the release of the embattled National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, from Kuje Prison after he has met the bail conditions set by Justice Okon Abang of Federal High Court, Abuja.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday varied the bail condition earlier granted Chief Olisa Metuh on January 19.
Metuh through his counsel, Emeka Etiaba had prayed the court to vary the bail condition on ground that the defendant is finding it difficult to meet up.
In his ruling,  Justice  Abang, granted part of  Metuh’s application for variation of the bail conditions.

Justice Okon held that Metuh would no longer be required to produce two sureties who must have property strictly in the Maitama area of Abuja.
Metuh was released from prison after 13 days of remand in custody with respect to the charges of fraudulent receipt of N400m from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014 and money laundering involving separate $2m cash transaction.
The charges were preferred against him and his company, Destra Investments Limited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He was released from prison on Thursday evening after the trial judge  signed his release warrant, upon being satisfied with the verification of the details of the two sureties provided by
the accused and the title documents of the property owned by the sureties.

The verification exercise was done by the Chief Registrar of the court and it also involved the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, whom the judge directed must verify the residential addresses of the two sureties.
A court official confirmed to newsmen that Metuh met the bail conditions and presented the necessary documents before the official close of work in court on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the former Chief of Air Staff, Air vice Marshal Adesola Amosu, has been arrested and detained by the EFCC over allegations of massive fraud that characterized arms procurement during his tenure.

An EFCC source  said the retired air marshal was being investigated amongst other acts for reportedly authorising the purchase of two helicopters without functional rotors.
He added that the former top military officer later compelled two air force officers to fly in one of the helicopters after the craft was equipped with a rotor that was taken from an unserviceable
Russian-made helicopter gunship. The air force officers died in a crash near Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, because the rotors fitted on their chopper was too heavy.

The source claimed that EFCC investigators had so far traced nine luxury homes to Amosu, including  an imposing property in the Government Reservation Area (GRA) of Ikeja in Lagos state. Our source stated that the Ikeja property, estimated at more than N350 million.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently asked the EFCC to launch a broad investigation of serving and retired military officers suspected of looting funds budgeted for the procurement of weapons and other tools for the Nigerian military to support the war against insurgents in the country’s northeast.