afrol News, 19 May - Nigeria's indicted senator has been sent to jail after she had surrendered herself to a court probing into corruption charges in the health sector.

Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, the daughter of Nigeria's former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Chairperson of the Health Committee, went into hiding for several weeks, refusing to comply with graft investigators.

Accused of receiving "kick-backs" from the ministry, Ms Obasanjo-Bello was put under remand until Wednesday when the court will hear her bail application.

The court complied with Senator Obasanjo-Bello's submission that she must not be held by the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because she was threatened by the agency's agents. She was therefore ordered to be kept in a police cell.

Top senior officials - two former ministers and nine civil servants - are facing criminal charges of defrauding more than US $2.5 million of the unspent budget, which should have been returned to the Central Bank - an order issued by President Yar'Adua.

Ms Obasanjo-Bello had earlier claimed to be the victim of a "witch-hunt" and would not be driven into interview by the anti-graft agency because she had not committed any crime.

Anti-graft investigators wanted to know how her committe had spent more than US $80 million of funds allocated by the Health Ministry.

Last week, Mr Obasanjo rebuffed allegations of mismanagement of funds meant to improve Nigeria's ailing power sector.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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