Former Chief of Defence Staff pleaded not guilty

 

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that a former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, be remanded in the Kuje Prison pending the determination of his bail application on March 10.

Badeh was on Monday arraigned on a 10-count charge by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Okon Abang.
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When the charges were read to him, he pleaded not guilty to all the counts and expressed desire to stand trial.

His counsel Samuel Zibiri (SAN) made an attempt to argue his bail application which the court held was premature in view of the fact that it was filed before the arraignment.

Justice Okon Abang in his ruling held that the motion for bail of Badeh was not competent because it was filed before his arraignment and the court could only have jurisdiction to hear the application after his arraignment.

He further struck out the motion and order them to file a fresh bail application.

Meanwhile, Badeh is to be remanded in Kuje Prisons custody pending the hearing of his bail application fixed for March 10,2016.