Ex-NHIS boss Usman Yusuf arraigned for ‘fraud’, remanded in Kuje prison

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Usman Yusuf, a former executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), on fraud allegations.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the five-count charge before Chinyere Nwecheonwu, judge of a federal capital territory (FCT) high court, on Monday.

After the arraignment, O.I Habeeb, counsel to the defendant, prayed the court that his client be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending hearing of the bail application.

However, the trial judge noted that the defendant cannot be in the custody of the EFCC after arraignment. Consequently, she ordered his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre.

The case has been adjourned to February 12 for the defendant’s bail hearing.

Usman was appointed executive secretary of the NHIS in 2016 by then President Muhammadu Buhari.

He was suspended by the health minister in 2017 and the board of the NHIS in 2018 over alleged corruption and other irregularities in the running of the scheme.

He was thereafter removed as NHIS executive secretary after embarking on an administrative leave in 2019.

The former NHIS boss was arrested by EFCC operatives at his residence on January 29.

According to the court document seen by TheCable, the EFCC charged Yusuf with allegedly using his position at the time to confer 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.

The EFCC also accused Yusuf of retaining private interest in GK Kanki Foundation, and without due process, awarding a contract in the sum of N10.1 million in favour of the foundation, for the purported training of 90 persons — when the actual number of trainees was 45.