Ex-council chairman, convicted of fraud, granted bail by Supreme Court

Reprieve came the way of a former Caretaker Chairman of
Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State, Gabriel Daudu,
as the Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to the convicted
council boss.

Mr. Daudu, who was also a member of the State House of Assembly,
was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, on charges bordering on money laundering and misappropriation
of public funds to the tune of N1.4 billion.

He was found guilty by a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja of
77 out of 208 counts and consequently sentenced to two years on
each of the counts. The sentence was to run concurrently.
Dissatisfied with his conviction, Mr. Daudu approached the Abuja
Division of the Court of Appeal praying the court to set his
conviction aside.

However, in a unanimous decision on March 1, the appellate court
upheld the ruling of the lower court and dismissed Mr. Daudu’s
appeal as “unmeritorious and lacking in merit”.

Still not satisfied, Mr. Daudu proceeded to the Supreme Court,
praying to be admitted to bail pending the determination of the
appeal before it.

After due consideration of arguments by Joseph Daudu and Wahab
Shittu representing the appellant and the respondent (EFCC)
respectively, the apex court admitted Mr. Daudu to bail with two
sureties in the sum of N2 million each.

The sureties must have landed property and must be resident in
the FCT.

Mr. Daudu, who is currently serving his prison sentence in
Koton-Karfe is expected to complete the sentence in August.

Reprieve came the way of a former Caretaker Chairman of
Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State, Gabriel Daudu,
as the Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to the convicted
council boss.

Mr. Daudu, who was also a member of the State House of Assembly,
was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, on charges bordering on money laundering and misappropriation
of public funds to the tune of N1.4 billion.

He was found guilty by a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja of
77 out of 208 counts and consequently sentenced to two years on
each of the counts. The sentence was to run concurrently.
Dissatisfied with his conviction, Mr. Daudu approached the Abuja
Division of the Court of Appeal praying the court to set his
conviction aside.

However, in a unanimous decision on March 1, the appellate court
upheld the ruling of the lower court and dismissed Mr. Daudu’s
appeal as “unmeritorious and lacking in merit”.

Still not satisfied, Mr. Daudu proceeded to the Supreme Court,
praying to be admitted to bail pending the determination of the
appeal before it.

After due consideration of arguments by Joseph Daudu and Wahab
Shittu representing the appellant and the respondent (EFCC)
respectively, the apex court admitted Mr. Daudu to bail with two
sureties in the sum of N2 million each.

The sureties must have landed property and must be resident in
the FCT.

Mr. Daudu, who is currently serving his prison sentence in
Koton-Karfe is expected to complete the sentence in August.