Court
rejects visit to property allegedly acquired by Air Force ex-chief
• EFCC
arrests NABDA DG, Ogbadu, over alleged N23m scam
• Judge’s
absence stalls Dasuki’s trial again
A
Prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
Mr. Usman Zakari, yesterday told a Federal High Court, Lagos, that some officials
of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) allegedly received
about N264.8 million to rig the 2015 general elections.
Zakari, who
is also an operative of the anti-graft agency, gave the testimony while giving
evidence in the case against the INEC officials who are facing charges of
corruption and undue enrichment.
According to
the witness, following investigations, it was discovered that the first accused
person (Nwosu), who was the Administrator of INEC in Kwara State at the time,
signed for a payment of N264.8 million.
In a similar
vein, a Federal High Court Lagos, yesterday said it was premature to visit the
scene where evidence of the proceed of the alleged crime committed by former
Chief of Air Staff, Adesola Amosu, is domiciled.
The court
took the decision while rejecting the application by the EFCC urging it to
conduct a visit to the scene of alleged crime.
In his
ruling, Justice Mohammed Idris held that such a visit at this stage of the
proceedings was premature.
He,
therefore, adjourned till October 3 and 4 for continuation of trial.
In another
development, the EFCC yesterday said it had arrested Director-General of the
National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof. Lucy Jumeyi Ogbadu,
over alleged N23 million fraud.
In a
statement yesterday, the EFCC Spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, stated that Ogbadu
was arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following her alleged involvement
in criminal conspiracy and diversion of public funds and also her link with the
Bayelsa State Director of Bio-resources Development Centre, Mr. Josiah Habu,
who is being investigated by the anti-graft agency in an alleged case of
fraudulent diversion of N75 million.
He said
investigations by the EFCC showed that Ogbadu allegedly received N23 million
through a bank account belonging to the wife of Habu, Mrs. Esther Habu.
Also
yesterday, the absence of presiding Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf stalled the
trial of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki
(rtd), at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
The trial
could not proceed as Justice Baba-Yusuf was said to have gone on an assignment
outside Abuja.
The court
clerk though declined comment, it was gathered that the judge was part of the
Federal Capital Territory Judiciary delegation attending the burial ceremony of
Justice Victoria Ayodele Uzo-Amaka Onejeme, a pioneer judge of the Abuja High
Court who died recently.
Counsel in
the matter, including Olajide Ayodele (SAN), Dr. Kayode Olatoke (SAN) and Mr.
Akeem Afolabi (SAN), among others, left the court-room around 11:00 a.m. when
information filtered that the trial would not proceed.
The lawyers and
the court officials later shifted the prosecution till September 27 due to the
coming yearly vacation of the court scheduled to begin on July 10 and terminate
in the middle of September.
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