Kebbi: Court adjourns corruption charges case against AG

From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

The Kebbi State High Court has adjourned till the 7th of next month to rule on the case of corruption and criminal charges brought against the immediate past Accountant-General of Kebbi State, Alhaji Muhammad Arzika Dan-Atto and his business partner, Musa Yusuf by the EFCC.

The presiding Judge, Justice Sabiu Rabi’u, who came into the court room briefly announced the adjournment, which according to him was to enable him carefully study the submission of the counsel to the accused before judgment would be delivered on the said day.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the adjournment, counsel to the Accountant-General, Barrister Suleiman Usman stated that, in any proceeding, there must be careful consideration of issues involved from the first adjournment.

“We file our application for the court to quash the criminal charges against our client for lack of concrete evidence.”He said.

He said further that in any criminal charges, it is normally based on suspicious, and issues based on suspicious may have no concrete evidence, that was why we submitted in our first application that our clients have no case to answer.

This issue according to the counsel was based on suspicion, with no concrete evidence, “this is why the Lordship would have to consider and study our argument properly.”

It would be recalled that the operatives of the EFCC had stormed the state sometimes in July, arrested the AG and whisked him to Abuja for interrogation.

Thereafter, before his retirement from service last month, he was rearrested and charged to court on a 20 count charges which includes, advanced fee fraud (419), embezzlement, money laundry among others.

The former AG and his business associate who are both standing trial denied all the charges.