Justice Chinyere E. Nwecheonwu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court Abuja has adjourned the arraignment of Professor Usman Yusuf, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme ,NHIS, to February 3.

Yusuf was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ,EFCC, on Wednesday and brought before the court on Thursday to face fraud-related charges.

His arrest follows allegations of financial mismanagement, contract fraud, and abuse of office.

EFCC investigations disclosed that he allegedly inflated the NHIS ICT budget from ₦4.975 billion to ₦8.7 billion and approved payments beyond his authorized limit.

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Additionally, he is accused of unlawfully awarding contracts to Lubekh Nigeria Limited, a company linked to his nephew, Khalifa Hassan Yusufu, without following due process.

He also allegedly granted contracts to firms that lacked the required expertise.

The court rescheduled the arraignment to allow for amendments to the charges against him.

During the proceedings, Yusuf’s defence counsel, Isah Dokto Haruna representing lead counsel O. I. Habeeb (SAN) applied for bail, but the court denied the request.

The judge ordered that the defendant remain in EFCC custody until the new arraignment date.

Crediblenewsng.com