Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday acceded to an application by counsel to spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Mehuh that he be allowed to present sureties with properties in any part of Abuja instead of Maitama as previously ordered by the court.

Justice Abang had allowed Metuh’s bail application on January 15 in the sum of N400, with two sureties in the sum of N200 million each. But the judge had also ruled, among other things, that the sureties must present tax clearance certificates for three years and possess property in Maitama District, a highbrow part of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary was arrest on January 5 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and arraigned on a seven-count charge of receiving N400 million from former National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki, a retired Colonel, who is also being for illegal gun possession and money laundering, among other charges.

Metuh, who had remained in prison custody since he was granted bail on January 15, applied for variation of his bail conditions through his counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, so that he could present sureties who own properties in other parts of Abuja other than Maitama as previously ordered by the court.

In consideration the application on Wednesday, Justice Abang observed that the court is bound to remove any obstruction to the court’s order being obeyed by the accused person.

He subsequently varied the order to read “the two sureties must be resident in Abuja and owners of landed properties in any district in Abuja.”

But, he also ordered that the certificate of occupancy of the properties tendered by the sureties must be verified by the prosecuting counsel.

Also at the resumed hearing on Wednesday, prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, presented a witness, Eno Mfon Efiong, a staff of Diamond Bank Plc and Metuh’s account officer, who identified the letters which were sent to the bank by the EFCC, requesting the statement of account Destra Investment Limited, owned by the accused.

Efiong confirmed to the court that the company received an inflow of N400 million into its Diamond Bank account from the NSA office’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

The trial has been adjourned to January 28.