N5.2bn POWER FRAUD: Ugbane, Elumelu & others

N5.2bn POWER FRAUD: Ugbane, Elumelu & others to remain in EFCC custody 3 more days


An Abuja high court sitting in Gudu, today, ordered that the senate committee chairman on power, Senator Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane, his house of Rep. Counterpart Hon. Ndudi Godwin Elumelu and the other 8 accused persons formally arraigned before it yesterday on a 156 criminal count charges of corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), be further remanded in custody until Monday, when it will consider their applications for bail

Justice B.A.A Banjoko made this order today, after listening to the heated debate that had ensued between counsels to the accused persons and the EFCC, who had insisted that it would need up to 48 hours to respond to all the written applications for bail filed by 9 of the accused persons today.

The other accused persons are Hon. Igwe Paulinus, Hon. Jibo Mohammed both of the house of Reps., Dr. Aliyu Abdullahi who is the managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Sam Gakpe, and four directors of the Agency, Mr. Simon Nanley, Engr. Lawrence Orekoya, Abdul Salami Jahun and Barrister Kayode Oyedeji.

They all pleaded with the trial Judge to consider their social status and the fact that they have been held in EFCC detention for more than 13 days and grant them momentary respite.

They argued that all the criminal charges preferred against them were all bail able offences.

Arguing for the 4th accused person, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), cited the case of Abiola Vs State, to the effect that such application for bail could be made orally, in which case he maintained that the prosecution may not have up to 48hrs to respond.

Nevertheless, Mr Godwin Obla, who handled the prosecution for the EFCC today, vehemently opposed the move by the accused persons to make oral submissions through their counsels, for their bail.

He insisted that it was trite for the court to keep its record straight by allowing the written motion already entered in the court register, to ripe before it could be heard.

Obla further urged the court to disregard the issue of status of the accused persons and focus on the amount of money they are alleged to have stolen, which he said could rival annual budgetary allocation for 3 states.

He refuted the allegation that the accused persons were denied access to their family members while in EFCC detention.

According to him, “The fact that they are allowed to change their clothes is enough evidence that we are not too hard on them, they should understand that their detention cell, is not a market place where every Tom and Harry or their numerous political associates can stroll in at leisure” he added.

It would be recalled that thou the arraignment of the accused persons commenced yesterday, it was however concluded today, as all the 10 accused persons, entered a plea of innocence to the remaining 27 count charges out of the 129, that was painstakingly read to them today by the court registrar.

The accused persons who were brought to court in two separate vehicles with plate numbers BD 523-DKA-KADUNA and AA 697-NBB –NASARRAWA, were escorted back to their cell at exactly 11:46 am by team of mobile police men attached to the EFCC.

They are alleged to have made more than 156 withdrawals from a particular a federal governments account in the CBN.

It was latter discovered that the money was not only repeatedly collected for the payment of the same contract, but was given to 56 shoddy companies.