The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, discharged former Minister of Interior, Sen. Abba Moro, of the criminal charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the 2014 Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment tragedy.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba held that the EFCC failed to establish ingredients of fraud that could link the lawmaker with the alleged offence.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NIS recruitment exercise, which took place on March 15, 2014, resulted in the dead of scores of job seekers while several others were injured at various recruitment centres across the country.
Justice Dimgba, while delivering ruling in a no-case submission, also discharged and acquitted Dretex Tech Nigeria limited and its owner, Alhaji Ahmadu Mohammed, from the entire charges.
Dretex was a private information communication technology company used by the Ministry of Interior to carry out the recruitment exercise.
Justice Dimgba, while discharging Moro who was a minister under President Goodluck Jonathan government from the alleged fraud aspect of the recruitment exercise, however ordered him to defend himself on the public procurement aspect of the charges.
The judge held that although the company used for the recruitment had been discharged and acquitted, Moro, who is currently a senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, would have to defend himself on the preparations put in place before the Ministry of Interior embarked on the recruitment.
Dimgba further said that the fact that human lives were lost and injuries sustained during the stampede made imperative for the defendant to offer explanation on the preparations employed.
The judge, therefore, fixed Oct. 29 and Oct. 30 for the defendant to open his defence.
