A former minister of power and steel in Nigeria, Olu Agunloye, joined the inmates of Abuja’s Kuje prison on Wednesday after a court ruling to that effect.
Agunloye is standing trial for fraudulent award of contract and official corruption 21 years after he left office, provoking concerns about the sluggishness of Nigeria’s legal system.
According to local media, the ex-minister suspiciously awarded a US$6 billion (N5.7 trillion) contract for a hydropower project a week before the end of his tenure as power minister. Authorities say he acted illegally.
Though the project was subsequently abandoned because of several controversies, investigations revealed that Agunloye was compensated with N3,600,000 (US$3,783.54) by the company in 2019.
He denied any wrongdoing but was sent to jail until his bail application is granted by the court.
Read more: https://twitter.com/officialEFCC/status/1745108127853302111?t=XmWdERfc-_-BJKTdzlmEuw&s=19
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
