IGBINEDION REGAINS FREEDOM

Lucky Igbinedion

After days of battling to meet stringent bail condition, embattled former Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Nosakhaire Igbinedion has left detention after fulfilling bail conditions given to him by the Federal High Court, Enugu.

The release is coming 10 days after the court granted him bail on 16 conditions, followed a production warrant issued to the Enugu office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by the court, which enabled the Commission to release him to the court. Wearing white brocade, Igbinedion was brought to the court at exactly 10.30am in a white Peugeot Boxer.

Arriving the court, he was immediately taken to the court registry to sign necessary bail bonds. A few minutes later, he emerged in company of his lawyers and relatives and walked straight into a waiting black colour Camry car which took him straight to the Akanu Ibiam Airport where he boarded an Ark airline aircraft.

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Igbnedion, who was arraigned by EFCC on January 23 on a 147-count charge of corruption and money laundering while in office as governor of Edo State between 1999 and 2007, had until Wednesday remained in the custody of the EFCC. Although the ex-governor pleaded "not guilty" to the charges, Justice Olayinka Faji had last Monday granted him bail on 16 conditions following an application brought by his counsel, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim (SAN).

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, had charged the former governor along with three other companies KIVA Corporation, GAVA Corporation and EKPEN and sons.

Igbinedion, a two time governor of Edo states (1999 -2007), was listed among serving governors under investigation by the former Chairman of the EFCC Mallam Nuhu Ribadu while presenting a report on 31 corrupt governors to the Senate, on September 28, 2006.

The trial judge Olayinka Faji, adjourned the case to February 4, and asked that Igbinedion be remanded in EFCC custody in Enugu state .