The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, on Monday, remanded a former Syke bank Chairman, Tunde Ayeni, in the Kuje Correctional facility in Abuja, pending the determination of his bail application.
Judge Jude Onwuegbuzie gave the order after Mr Ayeni’s arraignment on 17 fraud charges on Monday.
Following Mr Ayeni’s not-guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), asked the court for a date for commencement of trial.
He also urged the court to remand the defendant in custody pending trial.
But defence lawyer, Ahmed Raji, told the court that the defence filed a bail application on behalf of Mr Ayeni on Monday and served same on the prosecution.
According to him, the EFCC only served the indictment on the defendant last Friday, 1 May, which was a public holiday.
He requested a short date for the defence hearing of the defendant’s bail application.
He urged the court to grant a short adjournment for the hearing of the bail application.
Mr Raji informed the court that Mr Ayeni was a lawyer of over 35 years practice .
He appealed to the court to release the defendant to him and another SAN in his team, Olalekan Ojo, assuring that they would present the defendant in court at the next adjourned date.
The judge adjourned the case until 13 May for the hearing of the defendant’s bail application.
However, he declined the request to release the defendant to the defence lawyers on trust. Instead, the judge opted to remand him in the correctional facility in Kuje.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Mr Ayeni with 17 counts of criminal breach of trust involving about N8 billion.
Mr Ayeni pleaded not guilty to the charges.
EFCC arrested Mr Ayeni on 23 April ahead of his trial.
Mr Ayeni, 59, was arrested in Abuja, following an investigation into loans allegedly obtained from Polaris Bank through entities linked to him and later diverted from their stated purposes.
It alleged the facilities were sourced from depositors’ funds and diverted to unauthorised uses.
