The defendants are sons of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and prominent Ibadan-based businessman, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola-Alao, respectively.

The accused oil marketers were re-arraigned before Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of an Ikeja High Court alongside Alex Ochonogor and Eterna Oil and Gas Plc.

The accused were earlier arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo on July 26, 2012, on a nine-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences, forgery and use of false documents.

Their re-arraignment was consequent upon the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice  Onigbanjo.

They had pleaded not guilty to the charges and were each granted a N20 million bail.

During Monday’s proceedings, EFCC Counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), informed the court of the commission’s plan to re-arraign the accused, praying the court to take their pleas again.

The court granted Jacob’s request, and the accused again pleaded not guilty.

The judge permitted them to enjoy the bail  earlier granted them by Onigbanjo and adjourned the matter till Feb. 24, 2014 for hearing of applications to quash the charges.

The applications were filed  by Tukur and Ochonogor.

According to Jacobs, the accused fraudulently obtained N1.8 billion from the Federal Government between January 2011 and April 2011 in Lagos.

He said that they obtained the sum from the Petroleum Support Fund for purported importation of 80.3 million litres of petrol. They were also accused of forging a bill of lading dated April 28, 2011 to facilitate the fraud.

According to Jacob, the offences contravened Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act of 2006 as well as Sections 467 and 468 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2003.