The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, June 8, 2026, moved to re-arraign three senior officials of the National Assembly before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Jikwoyi, Abuja, over alleged ₦337,062,350 fraud.
The defendants — Aishatu Bappa El-Nafaty, Director of Public Affairs in the Directorate of Special Duties and Parliamentary Security; Mamud Alhaji Abubakar, a former Permanent Secretary in the National Assembly Services; and Igba Ityoakura Joseph, Deputy Director of Procurement — were listed in an amended 23-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, criminal breach of trust, official corruption, and illegal conversion of funds.
However, proceedings were stalled after defence counsel for the second defendant, Muhammed Ndayako (SAN), raised a preliminary objection, urging the court to strike out several counts of the amended charge on the grounds that they were incompetent and an attempt to revive previously quashed allegations.
The defence argued that the affected counts had already been dismissed in a prior ruling and should not be reintroduced in the fresh charges.
In response, EFCC prosecution counsel, Francis Usani, expressed displeasure over the timing of the objection, describing it as belated and capable of frustrating the re-arraignment process. He urged the court to dismiss the application and proceed with the defendants’ plea.
The prosecution maintained that the amended charge, which includes allegations of misappropriation of funds running into hundreds of millions of naira, was properly filed and should be heard on its merits.
According to the charge, the defendants allegedly conspired between 2017 and 2019 to commit acts of criminal breach of trust involving National Assembly funds, while other counts accuse them of fraudulent transfers and fabrication of payment receipts.
One of the key allegations detailed the alleged diversion of ₦89.8 million into a personal account, while another count accuses the first defendant of issuing false receipts in relation to payments purportedly made to a private company.
The court also noted that the first defendant intends to file a similar preliminary objection and directed her to do so within 48 hours.
Justice Muhammed Zubairu adjourned the matter to September 23, 2026, for hearing on the preliminary objections, directing both parties to ensure timely filing of responses in the interest of justice.
The case continues as the court prepares to determine the validity of the amended charges before the defendants are formally re-arraigned.
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