Ex-NHIS boss, Dr. Usman Yusuf, remanded in prison

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Kuje, on Monday, remanded a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Prof. Usman Yusuf, in prison custody.

Prof. Yusuf was remanded after he pleaded not guilty to an amended five-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the defendant who was appointed to head the NHIS in August 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, abused his office by conferring undue advantage to himself.

It was alleged that the defendant who was arrested by the EFCC on January 29, approved the purchase of a vehicle at the cost of N49,197,750, against the budgeted sum of N30,000,000.

EFCC alleged that as a public officer in the services of NHIS, the defendant, who held a private interest in the corporate entity known as GK Kanki Foundation, without recourse to the due process, awarded a N10.1million contract to the Foundation for purported training of 90 persons, when the actual number of the participants were 45.

He was said to have committed an offence contrary to Section 45 of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and punishable under the same section 45 (2) and (3) of the same Act.

Meanwhile, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him on Monday, even as his lawyer, Mr. O. I. Habeeb, prayed the court to allow him to remain in EFCC custody, pending the determination of his request for bail.

However, trial Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu declined the request, noting that the prison was the appropriate place to keep a defendant that has been arraigned in court.

Consequently, she ordered that the defendant should be remanded at Kuje prison till February 12 when his bail will be determined.

It will be recalled that Prof. Yusuf was initially suspended in 2017 by the Health Minister, and later by the Board of the NHIS in 2018, over alleged corruption.

He was subsequently removed as NHIS Executive Secretary in 2019 after he was sent on an administrative leave.

Prof. Yusuf’s arrest and trial sparked off reactions, with a former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, describing it as an attempt to suppress opposition voices.

“The Tinubu government, despite being riddled with individuals who themselves are embroiled in scandals and investigations by both local and international authorities, continues to use the very machinery of the state to silence its critics. It weaponises these pending investigations to suppress all opposition,” Atiku stated in a post he shared on his social media platforms.

One of the count in the charge against the defendant, read: “That you, Prof. Usman Yusuf, sometime between 2016 and 2017, whilst being the Executive Secretary Of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court used your position to confer an undue advantage upon yourself and knowingly acquired a private interest in an entity known as Lubekh Nigeria Limited owned by your nephew, Khalifa Hassan Yusuf by awarding to him a contract for media and special public relations consultancy in the sum of N17, 500.000.00 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 22 and punishable under the same section of the Corrupt Practices and other offences Act, 2000.”