29 days after meeting Buhari, Nigerian government withdraws charges against Goje

A Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State, has quashed the remaining two counts charge preferred by the Federal Government against a former governor of Gombe State and serving senator, Danjuma Goje, over allegations of corruption.

The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation was said to have applied on Thursday evening for the withdrawal of the charges, the News Agency of Nigeria reported on Friday.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had since 2011 filed a 21-count charge against Goje, but 19 of the charges were struck out in March 2019, leaving only two counts.

The presiding judge, Justice Babatunde Quadri, had while ruling on the “no-case” submission filed by Goje through his lawyers on September 14, 2018, discharged him and other defendants on 19 of the 21 counts. He held that the defendants had a case to answer on counts eight and nine and ruled that they should open their defence on May 8, 2019.

Goje is standing trial along with a former Executive Chairman of the state’s Universal Basic Education Board, Aliyu El-Nafaty; and S.M. Dokoro for an alleged N5bn fraud. A fourth defendant, the ex-governor’s cousin, Sabo Tumu, who is now late was removed from the charge sheet.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation took over the case filed against the former governor from the EFCC on June 7, shortly after he (Goje) agreed to step down for Ahmed Lawan in the race for the position of the Senate President.

Goje had come under intense pressure from the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Presidency to drop his bid to pave the way for Lawan, who was the preferred candidate of the party for the position.

But few weeks after he dropped his ambition and the subsequent take-over of the case by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, report emerged on Friday that the Federal Government had applied to withdraw the charges against the senator.

– Punch