N800m Fraud: EFCC Accuses Court Of Indulging Kogi Officials

Posted: November 28, 2012 - 18:22

Posted by siteadmin

caption: EFCC Chair, Ibrahim Lamorde

By SaharaReporters, New York

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has accused the presiding judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, Justice I. E. Ekwo, of condoning the antics of two suspects with the aim of delaying their prosecution on charges of money laundering and criminal misappropriation of N800million in public funds.

Gabriel Dauda, a former chairman of Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State, and Albert Soje Adesina, Commissioner for Agriculture, Kogi state were arraigned on April 1, 2010 alongside seven other top officials of the Kogi State government, before Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja.

The men pleaded not guilty to all the charges read to them and were granted bail in the sum of N100 million, with one surety each, who must be Nigerians of honest and reasonable character, reside in Abuja and own land worth N100 million.

They however applied and got the case file transferred to the Kogi division of the Federal High court where, at the resumed hearing of the case today, they were supposed to open their defence following the closure of the prosecution’s case. But Dauda and Adesina told the court that they needed more time as five of their witnesses were not in court.

The prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu, told the court that since the two accused persons were the principal witnesses among the defence witnesses, the two should mount the witness box and be cross examined. According to Shittu, since the EFCC has successfully prosecuted its case by calling six witnesses and tendering several exhibits, the adjournment which the accused were seeking was unnecessary.

The judge adjourned the case till next Monday, December 4, 2012.

Comments

6 comment(s)

IRRESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM

Submitted by KENETH (not verified) on December 4, 2012 - 05:23.

Journalism places premium on undiluted facts so that the reading public will be better informed. Unfortunately, half baked reporters thrive on manufacturing or misrepresenting facts and play to the gallery. The above article is a good example of this. If the reporter had been in court he would have known that on that day EFCC brought an amendment to its charges which it served on the defendants that same morning. In the legal profession, one cannot spring surprises on his opponent. The defense counsel objected to the matter going on because they needed time to study what had been placed before the court. The judge gave a short adjournment to enable the defense prepare its response. How this amounts to frustrating the efforts of EFCC can best be explained by the lackluster reporting of Sahara Reporters. To highlight this point, the report says that the adjournment was to Monday, December 4, 2013. But December 4 is Tuesday not Monday.The reporter could not even get this right.

EFCC CAN CLEAN UP NIGERIA

Submitted by JOHN ORJIEKWE (not verified) on November 28, 2012 - 20:26.

THE ANTICS OF FRIVOLOUS ADJORNMENTS OF CASES IN NIGERIAN COURTS HAVE LONG REACHED CLIMAX AND CANNOT BE TOLERATED BY EFCC PROSECUTORS.
IF EFCC WANTS TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED AS THE MAIN SOURCE OF CLEANING UP NIGERIA'S UNENDING INCIDENCES OF FINANCIAL FRAUDS IT MUST NOT ALLOW ITS-SELF TO BE PUSHED AROUND BY JUDGES WHO COULD BE COLLUDING WITH ACCUSED PERSONS. YOU DONT HAVE ANY TIME. JUST TOO MANY CASES TO CHASE.
EIGHTHUNDRED MILLION NIRA IS A LOT OF MONEY WHICH COULD PROVIDE SO MANY AMENITIES LACKED IN THE GOD FORESAKEN COUNTRY. IT IS NOT FAIR FOR TRUSTED OFFICIALS IN OUR COURTS NOT TO SHOW SERIOUS CONCERN FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH PUBLIC FINANCE TODAY.
CAN NIGERIA EVER BE RESCUED? I DOUBT IT.

Silly accusation

Submitted by Marcel Ritz (not verified) on November 28, 2012 - 20:19.

Pray, how can any reasonable person infer from the above facts that the judge was indulging the accused persons by granting them an adjournment to bring their witnesses to court. The constitution gave them the right to prepare adequately for their defence. If the judge had insisted that they go on with their case without adequate preparation, he would have given them a very good ground for appeal. The judge in my view, did the right thing and the accusation is totally unfounded.

Gov should do something

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on November 28, 2012 - 20:12.

Gov should do something for those stelling our morney !!!!we tired!!!, why can't lern from other developed country like China, germany, america, swizland etc

CORRUPT POLITICIANS SHOULD BE ELIMINATED

Submitted by Ayodeji (not verified) on November 28, 2012 - 19:37.

I think it is high time we as Nigerians rise and reclaim our country back

Ehn, you this guy, you get mind o! you better no talk am for outside

Please, leave me alone and let me speak my mind, we Nigerians have been suffering under the oppression of bad governance for so long that we can not even remember the last time we had a corrupt free month in the history of our country.

And so? Does that concern you? Why don’t you leave politics to the politicians and let the good (continue reading on http://wakeupnigeria.com/2012/11/28/corrupt-politicians-should-be-elimin...)

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

By Ayodeji Adeyemi
www.wakeupnigeria.com

Let’s continue this discussion on twitter @wakeupnigeria1

BBM PIN: 225C3D53

Justice Ekwo: Flagship of corrupt and complicit Judiciary?

Submitted by Elmango Meat (not verified) on November 28, 2012 - 18:58.

EFCC, if there is nothing you can do about corruption in Nigeria, this is a test case of what can be done to flag a new begining for Lamorde's lack lustre period as the head of EFCC.

Ogori Magongo is a tiny local Government in Kogi that should not have even had a local government of its own. They have a very educated populace with dispropotionate Clout in the affairs of Nigeria; a result of PROBABLY having one of the largest number of Professors per populace in Nigeria.

If there is a case study of PDP, EFCC and a corrupt and complicit Judiciary combining to fail in fighting corruption, this is one. Antagonism between Ogori and Magongo is uncalled for. The mischief makers including Justice I. Ekwo seized this as an instrument in AVOIDING to bring to book, those that milked the Council dry.

All Local Government Chairmen will be closely watching this case. It will be a marker of how EFCC is determined in tackling corruption. We are all watching.