EFCC Arraigns FCT Minister’s Aide, Director over Land Scam

The immediate past Chief of Staff (CoS) to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed will be docked on Thursday (today) by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Daily Times has learnt.
Also to be arraigned over alleged land scam is one other senior official of the Ministry of the FCT.
The former Chief of Staff to the minister, Muhammed Yau Gital, who was known to be too powerful while in office and a deputy Director in the department of Mass Housing at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Sani Abba will be docked at a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Jabi for offences bordering on criminal breach of trust, obtaining by false pretence and abuse of office.
Gital and Abba allegedly conspired and defrauded one Chief Duru Mike Ejiogu, Managing Director of Visioni and Strauss Nigeria Limited to the tune of N60m (sixty million naira) on the pretext that the amount would be used to facilitate the change of Land Use in respect of Plot No: 523, Cadastral Zone BOO Kukwaba District from Passive Recreation to Residential.
Gital is alleged to be involved in so many land and financial deals supposedly carried out while serving as Chief of Staff to the minister.
In a related development, the EFCC on Wednesday arraigned the trio of Mohammed Zahradeen Bello, Abdullahi Musa and Yusuf Baba before Justice I. U Bello of Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja on a 5-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretence, conspiracy and forgery.
Daily Times gathered that the suspects were alleged to have stolen a Right of Occupancy belonging to Freelands Estate Limited from the custody of Abuja Geographic Information Systems, AGIS.
The accused persons however pleaded not guilty to the charge and upon their pleas, the defence counsel, S. A. Adeleye urged the court to admit the accused persons to bail pending trial.
Justice Bello ordered the accused to be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case to May 20 and 27, 2015 for ruling on the bail application and commencement of trial respectively.