Kehinde Fajobi
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the remand of former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Usman Yusuf, at Kuje Correctional Centre.
Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu issued the order after Yusuf was arraigned on five amended counts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged abuse of office and contract fraud between 2016 and 2017.
Yusuf pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyer, O.I. Habeeb, requested that he be kept in EFCC custody pending his bail hearing, but the judge declined, stating that after arraignment, custody is transferred to the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The case was adjourned to February 12, 2025, for the bail hearing.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned Yusuf’s detention, calling him a “fierce and unyielding social critic” and suggesting his arrest was politically motivated.
“The Tinubu government, despite being riddled with individuals who themselves are embroiled in scandals and investigations by both local and international authorities, continues to use the very machinery of the state to silence its critics,” Atiku wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.