The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the former Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, to enter his defence in the N29 billion fraud case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
In his ruling, Justice Okon Abang dismissed Nyako’s no-case submission.
The EFCC is prosecuting the former Governor alongside his son Abdulaziz and two companies on a 37-count charge of money laundering, criminal conspiracy, stealing and abuse of office.
The EFCC had, so far, called 21 witnesses to establish its claims against the former Governor and the co-defendants, but the Governor had submitted that he had no case to answer.
Nyako, a one-time military Governor of Niger State, served Adamawa as a civilian Governor between 2007 and 2014.
He was impeached by the state House of Assembly in July 2014 but was cleared by the Federal Court of Appeal in February 2016.
Although the Supreme Court also declared his impeachment null and void and ordered that all his entitlements be paid to him, it declined to reinstate Nyako, 78, as Governor in a December 2016 verdict.
