Court Remands Ex-Chief Of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh In Prison

The arraignment was initially billed for Thursday last week, but was deferred due to the absence of the trial Judge, Justice Abang Okon, who was said to have travelled out of jurisdiction.

Badeh was accused of diverting over N3.9billion from accounts of the Nigerian Air Force in 2013. He was therefore arraigned on the 10-count criminal charge levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Badeh was said to have allegedly perpetrated the fraud along with Iyalikam Nigeria Limited while he was the Chief of Air Staff.

The EFCC accused them of allegedly purchasing landed assets in many choice areas of Abuja with the money, an offence, the EFCC said is contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

The assets allegedly include a mansion at No. 6, Ogun River Street, Off Danube Street, Maitama, Abuja, which the defendants were said to have purchased with N1.1bn.

The accused also allegedly bought a commercial plot of land at Plot 1386, Oda Crescent Cadastral Zone A07, Wuse II, Abuja, for N650m.

They were said to have paid N878m for the construction of a shopping mall at Plot 1386, Oda Crescent Cadastral Zone A07, Wuse II, Abuja, and another sum of N304m to complete the construction.