The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Niger State, Tanko Beji, has been remanded in prison.
The chairman was ordered remanded in prison over an alleged N937 million fraud.
A Niger State High Court ordered the remand of Beji in prison on Monday.
Beji, who was shocked by the ruling, was docked after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission filed an amended charge against him in an existing N4.568 billion fraud case involving a former Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, and his former Chief of Staff, Umar Nasko.
Beji, the second defendant in the amended charge, is accused of aiding and abetting former Aliyu, the first defendant, to convert to his own use the sum of N937 million withdrawn from the state security account in 2011.
It should be recalled that Aliyu and Nasko have been on bail after they pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them when the matter first came up in April.
The Counsel to the 1st and 2nd defendants, Ayodele Olajide (SAN) applied for the bail of the 2nd defendant after he pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him.
Olajide said that his client would not jump bail as he was well known to the court having been a legal practitioner in the state for over 20 years.
The EFCC prosecutor, Gbolahan Latona, however, opposed the bail application on the grounds that the offence was not ordinarily bailable.
The presiding judge, Aliyu Mayaki, ordered the 2nd defendant to be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the matter till June 23 for ruling on the bail application.
Mayaki, however, asked the 1st and 3rd defendants to continue with their bail, adding that amendment of a charge does not require new application for bail.
