A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the former acting national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Haliru Bello, and his son Abba Bello, bail.

Both men are standing trial for an alleged diversion of N300 million meant for the procurement of arms by the Office of the National Security Adviser. Two firms, BAM Projects and Properties Limited were charged along with the duo.

The court set the bail sum at N300 million. Also, Bello and his son will provide two sureties each.

One of each of the sureties must be a civil servant not below Level 12 in the civil service. The other surety must have properties in Abuja worth N300 million.

The court also ruled that both defendants persons must deposit their travel documents with the court.

It also ordered that both defendants are only to be released when they have met their bail conditions. Therefore, Abba Bello will still be remanded at Kuje Prsion, Abuja, while Haliru Bello will remain under the care of the Inspector General of Police.

During the first appearance in court on Tuesday, the former PDP chief who came in a wheelchair and his son entered “a not guilty” plea on a four-count criminal charge, bordering on alleged N300million fraud.

According to the amended charge dated December 30, 2015 preferred against the accused persons by EFCC, Bello and his son, Abba, are alleged to have conspired by using the firms to withdraw N300 million from an account of the ‎Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) operated with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Upon the duo entering their plea, the counsel for EFCC, Mr. Aliyu Yusuf, immediately prayed the court to remand them in prison custody pending trial.
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But that request by EFCC’s counsel was opposed by defence counsel, O. Osoka and Abdulaziz Ibrahim who drew the attention of the court to a motion for bail on behalf of their clients’ pursuant to sections 162, 165 (1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, as well as sections 35 and 36(5) (6) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.