EFCC’s bid to re-arraign NASS directors over N337m fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday failed to re-arraign three senior National Assembly officials over an alleged N337.06 million fraud after a defendant filed a preliminary objection challenging parts of the amended charges.

The defendants are Aishatu Bappa El-Nafaty, Director of Public Affairs in the Directorate of Special Duties and Parliamentary Security of the National Assembly; Mamud Alhaji Abubakar, a former Permanent Secretary in the National Assembly Service; and Igba Ityoakura Joseph, a Deputy Director of Procurement.

The trio appeared before Justice Muhammed Zubairu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Jikwoyi, Abuja, where the EFCC sought to re-arraign them on an amended 23-count charge bordering on conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, forgery, official corruption and alleged diversion of National Assembly funds amounting to N337.06 million.

The re-arraignment, however, could not proceed after counsel to the second defendant, Muhammed Ndayako (SAN), filed a preliminary objection seeking the striking out of six counts in the amended charge.

The defence argued that counts three, four, five, six, seven and 18 were incompetent and amounted to an attempt to revive charges that had already been quashed by the court in a ruling delivered on May 12, 2025.

Responding, EFCC counsel Francis Usani told the court that the objection was served on the prosecution only days before the scheduled re-arraignment despite the defence having ample time to file it.

Usani urged the court to dismiss the objection, describing it as frivolous and an attempt to frustrate the arraignment process. He maintained that the defendants should proceed to take their pleas on the amended charges.

According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly conspired between 2017 and 2019 to unlawfully convert National Assembly funds for personal use.

One of the charges alleges that El-Nafaty, while serving as Deputy Director and Head of Training and Welfare in the National Assembly, dishonestly converted N89.87 million allegedly transferred from National Assembly accounts into her personal account.

Another count accuses her of forging payment receipts purportedly issued by a company, Fazah Integrated Services Ltd, with intent to defraud.

During the proceedings, the first defendant indicated her intention to file a similar preliminary objection.

Justice Zubairu directed her to do so within 48 hours and granted the prosecution time to respond to the objections.

The court subsequently adjourned the matter until September 23, 2026, for hearing on the preliminary objections.