Court Orders Remand of Former Minister, Agunloye, at Kuje Correctional Center

Alex Enumah in Abuja

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, yesterday, ordered the remand of a former Minister of Power and Steel, Chief Olu Agunloye, at the Kuje Correctional Center, Abuja.

The remand order was pending the hearing and determination of his bail application.

Agunloye, a minister under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and also a former Corp Marshall, of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), was recently arrested and detained for some days by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged criminal offences.

The Commission had said that it was investigating the former minister over alleged corruption and fraud in the $6 billion Mambilla hydropower contract.

But the minister denied the allegation and pleaded not guilty to all the seven-count charge bordering on fraudulent award of contract and official corruption.

Following his not guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Abba Muhammed prayed the court for a trial date, adding that the defendant be remanded at the Correctional Center, pending commencement of trial.

But Agunloye’s lawyer, Adola Adedipe, informed the court that he had filed a bail application for the defendant and prayed the court to grant him bail and commit him to the custody of the EFCC.

However, Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, in a short ruling ordered that the former minister be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Center, pending the hearing and determination of his bail application fixed for January 11, 2024.

One of the count read: “That you, Olu Agunloye, whilst being the Minister of Power and Steel on or about the 22nd of May, 2003, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court awarded a contract, titled “Construction of 3,960mw Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station on a Build, Operate and Transfer Basis” to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited without any budgetary provision, approval and cash backing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(4) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000.”

Another count read: “That you, Olu Agunloye, on or about the 10th of August, 2019 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, corruptly received the sum of Three Million Six Hundred Thousand Naira (N3,600,000.00) through your Guaranty Trust Bank account no.0022530926 from Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited (SPTCL) and Leno Adesanya for having conveyed the “approval of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the construction of the 3,960 megawatts Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station” in favour of SPTCL which you did whilst serving as the Minister of Power and Steel without the approval of the Federal Executive Council contrary to and punishable under Section 8(1)(a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”