As Court Fixes September 23 To Hear Objection
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, June 8, 2026, moved to re-arraign three officials of the National Assembly before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Jikwoyi, Abuja, over alleged fraud involving the sum of ₦337,062,350.
The defendants are Aishatu Bappa El-Nafaty, Director of Public Affairs Department in the Directorate of Special Duties and Parliamentary Security, National Assembly; Mamud Alhaji Abubakar, a former Permanent Secretary in the services of the National Assembly; and Igba Ityoakura Joseph, a Deputy Director of Procurement in the National Assembly.
They were scheduled to be re-arraigned before Justice Muhammed Zubairu on an amended 23-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, criminal breach of trust, official corruption and illegal conversion of funds belonging to the National Assembly.
However, the re-arraignment could not proceed following a preliminary objection filed by counsel to the second defendant, Muhammed Ndayako, SAN.
Ndayako prayed the court to strike out counts three, four, five, six, seven and 18 of the amended charge dated October 8, 2025, describing them as incompetent and an attempt to revive counts already quashed by the court in a ruling delivered on May 12, 2025.
Responding, EFCC counsel, Francis Usani, said he was served with the preliminary objection at short notice on Friday, June 5, 2026, despite the defence having more than one month from the last adjourned date to file the objection.
Usani argued that the objection was filed on the eve of the re-arraignment in order to frustrate the proceedings. He urged the court to strike it out as frivolous and incompetent, and to direct the defendants to take their plea on the amended charge.
Count one of the charge alleged that El-Nafaty, while serving as Deputy Director and Head of Training and Welfare at the National Assembly, now Director in the Public Affairs Department in the Directorate of Special Duties and Parliamentary Security, conspired with Abubakar and Joseph between 2017 and 2019 to commit criminal breach of trust by a public officer.
The alleged offence was said to be contrary to Section 97 of the Penal Code, Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990.
In count three, the EFCC alleged that El-Nafaty, between 2017 and 2019, was entrusted with dominion over the sum of ₦89,871,225 transferred from the National Assembly Management Overhead Account and National Assembly General Services Account domiciled in SunTrust Bank Plc to an account belonging to her, and allegedly dishonestly misappropriated and converted the money to her own use.
The commission said the alleged offence was contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 312 of the same law.
Count 10 alleged that El-Nafaty, between 2017 and 2018, made false receipts purportedly issued by Fazh Integrated Services Ltd, showing evidence of payments allegedly received from her with different amounts and dates, knowing the documents to be false and intending that they be acted upon as genuine.
The EFCC said the alleged conduct contravened Section 362 of the Penal Code and is punishable under Section 364.
During proceedings, the first defendant also indicated interest in filing a similar preliminary objection.
Justice Zubairu directed her to file the objection within 48 hours and held that the prosecution should be given time to respond appropriately in the interest of justice.
The court thereafter adjourned the matter to September 23, 2026, for hearing of the preliminary objection.
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