Two top Nigerian politicians charged with theft: official

Dimeji Bankole, pictured in January. By Pius Utomi Ekpei (AFP/File)


ABUJA (AFP) - Two former leaders of Nigeria's lower house of parliament faced a 17-count charge of theft and the misappropiation of 241 million dollars in bank loans in an Abuja court Monday, prosecutors said.

Dimeji Bankole, the ex-speaker of the House of Representatives, and his deputy, Usman Nafada, were charged with a "fresh 17 count charge of criminal breach of trust, misappropriating and theft", anti-graft police EFCC said.

Both former parlimentarians, who were arrested on June 5 and June 12 respectively, were alleged to have obtained the 37.7 billion naira (241 million dollar, 168 million euro) loans and disbursed the amount as allowances to legislators in violation of the law, the EFCC said in a statement.

The Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission is the official government agency that fixes salaries and allowances of government officials.

According to the charge, the politicians' "dishonestly" used the parliament's account to obtain the loans which were paid out to the legislators "to augment their allowances and 'running costs'" in violation of government financial regulations.

The prosecutors accused them of theft because they allegedly agreed to approve these allowances to legislators without the consent and approval of the Commission.

Bankole and Nafada pleaded not guilty to these charges and were ordered remanded in custody of the EFCC, the agency said.

Bankole had on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja pleaded innocent to 16 charges of fraud laid against him.

He and other leaders of the former parliament had been accused of misappropriating nine billion naira in inflated contracts.