By Idowu Isamotu, Philip Clement & John Chuks Azu

 

An FCT High Court in Kuje has declined to grant the bail request of the former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Usman Yusuf.

Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu, in a ruling on Thursday, said the main arraignment had been deferred to enable the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to amend the charges.

Following Yusuf’s arrest at his residence on Wednesday, the EFCC produced him in court on Thursday on charges of alleged abuse of office.

The judge ordered the remand of the defendant and adjourned the case until February 3.

Meanwhile, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has condemned the arrest of the former executive secretary of NHIA, calling it a politically motivated attempt to silence opposition voices.

Reacting to the arrest in a statement, on Thursday, the spokesperson of NEF, Prof. Abubakar Jika Jiddere said Prof Yusuf was arraigned before a Federal High Court in the FCT on Thursday, January 30, 2025, but the case was adjourned to February 3, 2025.

Jiddere decried the arrest, labeling it a calculated move to intimidate opposition figures and suppress democratic voices.

The forum faulted the arrest of the professor of haematology-oncology and bone marrow transplantation.

Prof. Jiddere called for immediate release of one of their members.

The statement read: “The Northern Elders Forum received the news of the arbitrary arrest of Professor Usman Yusuf on Wednesday 29th January 2025 around 4:30 pm at his residence in Abuja by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Professor Usman Yusuf is a distinguished personality with high level credibility and unquestionable integrity.

“The Northern Elders Forum is, hereby, calling for his release, as it sees his arrest as purely politically motivated to suppress and oppress popular democratic voices that openly challenge the poor public policies and bad governance being imposed on the people by this administration.

“It is a deliberate plan to silence and intimidate the political opposition and to reverse many of the democratic rights won by Nigerians over the years in the fight against dictatorship and all forms of in human oppressions.”

Also commenting on the arrest of Prof Yusuf, a renowned cleric, Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, said “An arraignment of individuals on premises with an obvious smack of political vendetta is ill-advised at a time of national political uncertainty, economic crunch, and re-adjustments.

“I have known this gentleman for 49 years now, and all I can say about him is that he has been honest and an ardent advocate against injustice of whatever source or type since our university days in the 70s.

“President Tinubu should not allow sycophants in his administration to spoil his goodwill,” he said.