The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has been given to go ahead to prosecute the leader of the Goodluck Support Group, Aminu Abubakar, who spearheaded a campaign for the reelection of former President Goodluck Jonathan, and Okechukwu Geoffrey on a three-count charge bordering on extortion and  blackmail.

Aminu and his partner are facing trial for trying to blackmail and extort money from some officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

The two accused claimed to be in possession of documents relating to wrongdoings committed by the officials and demanded to be paid N50 million in order not to leak the documents to the public.

The accused challenged the court’s jurisdiction in the case and sought to quash the charges, but Justice Ishaq Bello of a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court dismissed their claims, saying there was no basis for that as the prosecution had successfully linked them to the crimes.

“The charge clearly shows where the first accused had a meeting with the officials of the petroleum ministry, where he demanded for the sum of N50million and even went ahead with threats, and even went into a meeting where he collected the sum of N5million, even writing an undertaking,” counsel to the ICPC, George Lawal, argued against the accused application.

The accused persons were earlier granted bail in the sum of N15 million and two sureties in like sum and the case adjourned to October 21, 2015 for trial.