ABUJA—An Abuja high court sitting at Gudu yesterday issued an order remanding alleged wife to the late Chief of Staff Headquarters, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Asabe in Suleja prisons over alleged attempt to dupe the Comptroller General of Prisons.

EFCC

The woman who was identified by the anti-graft agency as Mrs Joy Asabe, was alleged to have falsely represented herself as wife of the late Major General Yar’Adua, with the intent to defraud the Comptroller General of Customs.

She was said to have committed an offence the EFCC said was contrary to section 8(a) of the advance fee fraud and other related offences Act 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act and section 324 of the penal code Act, cap532,1990.

The trial high court judge, Justice Abubakar Talba gave the order remanding her yesterday after the EFCC had arraigned her and another, one Linda Anyanwu, on a three count -charge of fraud and attempt to obtain by trick.

Although they pleaded not guilty to the charge, the court yesterday sent them to prison in the first place to enable it time to hear and determine their bail applications. EFCC had dragged both Asabe and Linda to court.

Asabe was charged as Hajia Asabe Williams (aka wife of late Yar’Adua). The anti-graft agency is contending that Asabe is not the wife to the late Gen Yar’Adua.

They were docked at exactly 3:40pm yesterday by the EFCC alongside one Miss Linda Anyanwu, as the third accused person, Ibrahim Gaya, is said to be presently at large. Both accused persons entered a plea of   not guilty to the 3-count charge read to them yesterday by the court registrar.

The Hajiya did not waste time to correct Justice Abubakar Yalba yesterday, when he referred to her as Joy Asabe Williams, alias Hajiya Asabe Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

She told the court that her claim to the Yar’Adua family was never questionable and that there was no basis to add alias before her name.

Though her counsel Mr. Adamu Abdul Williams, yesterday filed an application for her bail, the EFCC insisted that it would need time to file its own application in opposition to her release.

Mr F.P Abu, who represented the commission, yesterday further pleaded with the Judge, to transfer the accused persons from EFCC detention to prison custody.

He told the court that the transfer was imperative considering that the detention facilities in the EFCC was overstretched.

Consequently, the judge ordered that the accused persons be remanded in Suleja prison until June 22 when hearing will commence on the matter.

The accused persons has been in EFCC custody since the 13th of last month when they were arrested by the men of the state security services(SSS) who latter handed them over to the EFCC for prosecution.

It was gathered that the travail of the accused persons, started about three weeks ago when Miss Linda Anyanwu, who was said to be based in Germany, appeared at the Customs headquarters Abuja, to demand for some bags of rice.

She identified herself as a representative of the Asabe Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Charity Foundation, an NGO owned by the Hajiya.

It was said that a fracas ensued between the lady and the Comptroller General of Customs over the issue of identity, and the Hajiya was invited to clarify the controversy.

On getting to the Customs office, she, alongside Miss Linda were immediately whisked away by men of the SSS.