Trial Delayed for Ex-NIRSAL MD Due to Judge’s Absence

The court proceedings for Aliyu Abdulhameed, the former Managing Director of NIRSAL Plc, were postponed on Tuesday, October 15, due to the unavailability of Justice Inyang Ekwo at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

This case was slated as number two on the day’s agenda but could not commence since Justice Ekwo was reportedly occupied with another matter.

The trial has now been rescheduled to begin on November 25.

Abdulhameed and co-defendant Babangida Abdullahi were initially arraigned on March 13, facing ten counts, to which they both pleaded not guilty.

They received administrative bail from the police, which was previously granted to them.

The charges, filed on November 28, 2023, by CSP Celestine Odo of the Nigeria Police Force, are documented under case number FHC/ABJ/CR/555/2023.

The indictment accuses the defendants and others not in custody of conspiring to forge documents around October 23, 2023.

In a second charge, the defendants are again accused of being involved in a conspiracy related to these offenses.

These allegations violate Section 3(6) and are punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010.

Abdulhameed was dismissed by former President Muhammadu Buhari on December 1, 2022, due to allegations of corruption tied to agricultural loans.

NIRSAL, which has a capital of $500 million, is a non-bank financial entity established by the Central Bank of Nigeria to oversee agribusiness credit-related risks across the country.