A fresh 170-count charge has been filed against former governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu. As a result, he was re-arraigned along with 11 other accused persons before Justice David Okorowa of the Federal High Court, Lafia, yesterday.

The trial Judge had relocated from the Federal High Court 8 Abuja to Lafia following the withdrawal of Justice Marcel Awokulehin who stepped down from the case citing personal reasons.

Justice Awokulehin, it would be recalled, was the Judge who gave former governor James Ibori of Delta State a clean bill when he discharged him of the 170- count charge filed against him by the EFCC at the Federal High Court, Asaba, Delta State in December last year.

The EFCC had on March 3, 2010, arraigned ex-governor Adamu alongside 19 others on a 149-count charge which has now been amended to 170.

The accused persons were earlier arraigned at the Federal High Court, Lafia, Nasarawa State, before Justice Ibrahim Buba for allegedly looting the state treasury to the tune of about N15 billion during Adamu's eight-year reign as governor of the state. Buba was later transferred to Asaba and replaced with Justice Awokulehin.