Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos today adjourned till April 2, 2015 a formal arraignment in which Emirate Airline staff, two corporate bodies, Pathfinder International and Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, as well as others are accused of stealing $1.63 million.
The other accused persons are Abayomi Adekanbi Abiola, Isiaka Adegoke Adedeji, Awonubi Abayomi, Obinna Onyeukwu Onyenso, and George Ikpekhia. The accused face 11-count indictments bordering on stealing, fraud, obtaining funds under false pretense, willful destruction of evidence and failure to report an international transfer of funds.
An amended criminal charge filed by a Federal prosecutor, Michael Osong, alleges that, on December 19, 2007, the accused persons, who worked for Emirates Airline at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, stole four bags containing the sum of $1.63 million. The stolen funds belonged to a Lagos businessman, Chu Ikem Orji. The accused allegedly stole the funds after promising Mr. Orji that they would safely forward it to him in the city of Guangzhou, China.
The accused also allegedly conspired to fraudulently defraud the victim of the four bags containing the stolen funds. One of the counts against the accused companies and staff of Emirates Airline was that they conspired to obtain money under false pretense. The prosecutors also allege that the accused committed a felony by willfully destroying evidence when they deleted baggage details from the airline’s system.
The seventh accused person, Obinna Onyeukwu Onyenso, was not in court today. Defense lawyer, Oluwatosin Ayeni, informed the court that his client called to inform him that he was sick.
The arraignment of the accused was adjourned at the instance of Awa Kalu, a defense counsel for one of the accused persons. Mr. Kalu told Justice Idris that he was seeking adjournment because he had just been briefed about the case. He added that, since the seventh accused was not in court, it would be improper to proceed with the arraignment today.
Mr. Osong, who appeared alongside another prosecuting lawyer, Chris Ekemezie, opposed the adjournment, telling the judge that the absence of the seventh accused was not sufficient grounds to adjourn the arraignment of others. He applied to the court for the withdrawal of the seventh accused person from the charge, to enable the charges to be read to the other accused persons and pleas taken.
Justice Idris ruled to adjourn the arraignment of all the accused on April 2, 2015.