COURT REMANDS NEDC COORDINATOR DANJUMA MUHAMMAD IN PRISON CUSTODY

Zuba, Abuja – January 28, 2026

The Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Zuba, Abuja, has remanded the former National Project Coordinator of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Danjuma Muhammad, and Chibuike Echem in Suleja Correctional Facility over their alleged involvement in contract scams amounting to more than ₦2 billion.

The two defendants, alongside one other person currently at large, are being arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 55-count charge bordering on advance fee fraud, forgery, and the alleged award of fake contracts to one Kenneth Ifekudu. The alleged offences were said to have occurred between 2022 and 2024, involving sums exceeding ₦2 billion.

At the arraignment, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Following their plea, prosecution counsel, Olarenwaju Adeola, requested a date to commence trial. Counsel to the defendants, Chukwuka Obidike, informed the court that his clients had filed a bail application.

However, the EFCC opposed the bail request, with its counsel arguing that more time was needed to file a counter-affidavit in response to the application.
After listening to submissions from both parties, the presiding judge, Justice Keziah Ogbonna, ordered that the defendants be remanded in Suleja Correctional Facility. The court subsequently adjourned the matter to March 25 for the commencement of trial.
The case is expected to draw significant attention due to the scale of the alleged financial crimes and the involvement of a senior official of a key regional development agency.