Abba Moro on his way to Kuje prison.

In my argument on why Goodluck Jonathan did not deserve a second term last year, I argued that Abba Moro walking as a free man was a reason Jonathan had to go. I wrote

“Lest I forget, is Abba Moro another testimony that this government has encouraged corruption? He was Minister of Interior and stood behind a scandalous recruitment drive which allowed a consultant keep all the funds raised. In case you have forgotten the details, over 500000 citizens were charged to take a test for an Immigration service job while there were only 5000 openings. The applicants were charged a fee to write the test. This payment gave the government an obligation to provide good service to all such as adequate security, comfort, which will all go to show the government had respect for them. Nothing like that happened. Instead many of the applicants lost their lives arising from the shoddiness of public officials. No one is reported to have been sacked by the Jonathan administration.”

Last week, Sahara Reporters reported that Abba Moro had been arrested by EFCC following the recruitment scam. Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Anaesthesia Nwaobia, and a deputy director who allegedly facilitated the scam were also arrested alongside Moro. The defendants are accused of obtaining by false pretence, procurement fraud and money laundering. They are said to have defrauded 676,675 applicants, each job seeker paying the sum of N1000 for registration in the job recruitment scam.

A federal High Court sitting in Abuja, today, has ordered the immediate remand of former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, and two others, in Kuje prison, pending the hearing of their bail application on March 2nd. The presiding judge, Justice Anwuli Chikere, granted bail to second defendant, Anaesthesia Nwaobia, because she recently put to birth and was still nursing her child.

Source: Sahara Reporters