Iyabo Obasanjo

Ex Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo's daughter, Iyabo, was on tuesday ordered by an Abuja High court, be remanded in police custody . The embattled senate health committee chairman, who had been in hiding for days, suddenly appeared in court to forestal a possible bench warrant.

Iyabo's counsels had prevailed on the judge to remand their client in police custody because, according to them, leaving her in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission(EFCC), could pose a threat to her.

She had to make do with one of the police officers office, with her staff bringing in a make shift bed, fixing the faulty air conditioner, and mosquitoe net.

 Refusing oral application for bail, the trial judge, Salisu Garba, held that " i rely on section 341 and 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code, CPC, and on my previous ruling on the oral application by other accused persons in this matter, to grant this aplication would amount to double standard." 

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Iyabo who has been doing some cat and mouse with law enforcement agents for close to a month, is being tried over the N10million collected by her comittee from the unspent budget of the Health ministry. Former Health minister, Adenike Grange, and other top shots in that ministry are also on trial.

While allegedly sharing the traditional excess funds  at the end of 2007 financial year, at the ministry, Grange illegally approved N10 million for Iyabo's committee. Part was used by members of that committe for trip to Ghana.

Curiously, despite the the bad press this has generated for the senate, the upper legislative body, say it would be with her all the way. According to its spokesman, Ayogu Eze, Iyabo's commitee did no wrong, since members did not know, "the money was stolen"