EFCC Drags Former Yola Commissioner To Court

A former commissioner of finance and local government and chieftaincy affairs, John Elias was on Thursday, October 22, arraigned before a Federal High Court in Yola, Adamawa state. Elias was accused alongside three of his companies – Oil Trust Limited, AL-Akim Investment Nigeria Limited and Da’ama Specialist Hospital – of conspiracy and unlawful deals in forfeited property by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The commission allagedled that Elias sold and channeled some property under forfeiture to the federal government. Investigations by the EFCC showed that the Elias sold a landed property at Galadima Aminu Way in Yola to one man, Hamid Yusuf for N20 million. The property said to have been sold through a house agent Jibril Mairiga. Wilson Uwujaren the spokesperson for the EFCC said the former commissioner is also alleged to have coerced the tenants in another property to be paying their rents to Al-Akim Investment Limited without authorization by the commission. He was also said to have given another property on Atiku Abubakar Way in Yola, Adamawa state to his brother, Joel Yohanna for use as a private hospital. Elias however pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against him while the prosecution counsel, Al’Qasim Ja’afar, asked the court for a trial date. The judge Aliyu, who presided over the case granted the accused person bail in the sum of N5 million with a surety in like sum. He fixed trial date for December 15.