Leadership (Abuja)
George Agba
2 November 2009
Abuja — A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday fixed November 12, 2009 for chairmen of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Power, Sen. Nicholas Ugbane and Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, respectively, to take their plea on the fresh charges brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
EFCC had earlier filed a 158-count charge against them and 29 others over an alleged Rural Electrification Agency (REA) contract fraud amounting to billions of naira.
The trial judge, Justice Garba Mohammed Umar, slated the date after counsel to EFCC, Godwin Obla, informed the court of the commission's intention to amend its charges against the accused persons.
He pointed out that Jibo Mohammed, one of the accused persons, was shot and is receiving medical attention in the hospital.Also to take their pleas are 29 other accused persons.
To this extent, he asked to delist the name of Mohammed from the main charge in order for the case to continue.
Besides, the absence of respondents from seven corporate organisations who are defendants in the charge halted arguments on application for bail for the accused persons.
Consequent upon this, the prosecution counsel, Obla, made an oral application for a short adjournment to enable the EFCC serve the accused persons with copies of the hearing notices, pointing out that in a criminal matter, an accused person or his counsel ought to be present in line with the doctrine of fair hearing.
Specifically, one of the charges reads: "That you, Engr. Samuel Ibi Gekpe, Dr. Abdullahi Aliyu, Simon Nanle, Engr. Lawrence Kayode Orekoya Abdulsamad Garba Jahun and Barrister Kayode I. Oyedeji, Senator Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane Hon. Ndudi Godwin Elumelu Hon. Jibo Mohammed sometime in December 2008, in Abuja within the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, while being public servants/ officers, and in such capacity, involved in the proceeds of public procurement in the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) agreed among yourselves to do unlawful acts, to wit; conducting procurement fraud by means of fraudulent and corrupt acts, unlawful influence and undue interest in the awards of Grid Extension and Solar Electrification projects unlawfully awarded from the 2008 Amended budget of the Rural Electrification Agency and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 58 (4) (b) and punishable under section 58 (1) and (5) and (b) of the public procurement Act 2001."
Some of the companies used in the alleged scam include Omotosho & Sons Ltd, Okia Morris Ltd, Helping Hat. Ltd, Chief & Chief Nig. Ltd and Valexcon Global Ltd. Others to be arraigned include deputy to the Chairman, House Committee on Power Mohammed Jibo, House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Rural Development, Paulinus Igwe, and a contractor Emeka Ohagbena.
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