A federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Kuje has rejected the bail application of Usman Yusuf, a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
  
Yesterday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought Yusuf to court over alleged fraud. The NHIS ex-boss was arrested by EFCC operatives at his residence on Wednesday.
    
The anti-graft agency charged Yusuf with allegedly using his position at the time to confer an undue advantage to himself by approving the “purchase of a vehicle at the cost of N49,197,750, against the budgeted sum of N30,000,000.
 
It also accused the defendant of retaining private interest in the corporate entity known as GK Kanki Foundation, and without due process, awarding a contract in the sum of N10.1m in favour of GK Kanki Foundation, for the purported training of 90 persons — when the actual number of trainees was 45.”
  
At the court proceedings yesterday, the judge, Chinyere Nwecheonwu, deferred Yusuf’s arraignment to allow the EFCC to amend the charges.The defence counsel, Isah Dokto Haruna, who held brief for O.I. Habeeb, moved for the bail application.

Nwecheonwu rejected the request on the account that the arraignment had been deferred.  The judge, thereafter, ordered Yusuf’s remand at the custody of the anti-graft agency and adjourned the arraignment to February 3.