Pascal Arogorn Ibe
li Ndume (APC, Borno South), who was on Monday taken into custody by officials of the National Correctional Service from Kuje, FCT on the orders of a Federal High Court in Abuja, will appeal the verdict on Tuesday.
Counsel to Ndume, Marcel Oru, said the appeal against the remand order will be filed on Tuesday before the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
He said his client was not given a fair hearing because they had requested for documents to enable Ndume adequately defend himself.
Justice Okon Abang had ordered Ndume, who was surety to the former chairman of the Presidential Pension Reform Task Team (PPRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, to be remanded after the accused severally failed to appear in his trial over alleged N2 billion pension funds fraud.
“We needed the document before the judge to defend our client,” Ndume’s lawyer said.
“That has not been given to us, and fair hearing demands that this should be given to us before the court goes into the issue of forfeiture,” he said.
A source close to the lawmaker said Ndume was taken to Kuje Correctional Centre around 4 pm yesterday.
He said the ranking lawmaker was not reachable as his mobile phones were switched off soon after he was taken away from the court.
“Ndume will be taken to the court tomorrow (today) in continuation of the trial. Since there are three options for him available, we are hoping one of them will be met for him to regain his freedom,” the source said.
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