Chairman of the Taraba State Civil Service Commission, Dr. Yuguda Manu Kaigama was, yesterday, arraigned before a state High Court 5 sitting in Jalingo by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged conspiracy, obtaining by false pretences and forgery.

The top state official who was recently suspended from office was arraigned on a 37 count charge over offences punishable under the EFCC Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and penal code laws of Northern Nigeria.

He was accused of obtaining from some Taraba State local government chairmen sums of money totaling about N17.5 million, an amount the accused said was to settle some officials of the EFCC for purported petitions against them.

When the case came up, the 37 count charges were read to the accused who was also joined with a co-accused, Yakubu Danjuma Takun (now at large)  alleged to have conspired with the accused person to commit the crime. Yuguda who was the only suspect in court pleaded not guilty to all the charges read to him.

In view of the not guilty plea by the accused, counsel to the EFCC , Sylvanus Tahir applied for a  date to enable the prosecution commence trial and also applied that the accused person be remanded in prison custody pending commencement of trial.