A Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo has again fixed July 21 for the arraignment of Sen. Stella Oduah and eight others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The date was fixed after Hassan Liman, SAN, counsel to EFCC appealed to the judge to direct the defendants to take their plea in accordance with the law so that the court can take complete cognisance of the case instituted since 2020.
Recall that the EFCC had in 2020 in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CR/316/20, charged Oduah, Gloria Odita, Nwobu Emmanuel Nnamdi, Chukuma Irene Chinyere, Global Offshore and Marine Limited; Crystal Television Limited, Sobora International Limited and China Civil Engineering Construction Company Limited (CCECC) on 25-count bordering on fraud and financial misappropriation to the tune of N5 billion.
Upon resumed hearing on July 15, 2023, Justice Ekwo held that a group had petitioned his court over the case and was sending messages to his phone and threatening his personal liberty.
He then adjourned to today (July 17) for update on their arrest or otherwise while ordering the EFCC to track the person behind the phone number that was sending threats to his phone.
At the resumed hearing on Monday, EFCC’s counsel, Hassan Liman SAN told the judge that the commission has carried out investigation on that phone number and the owner has been identified as Okolo Obinna, a promoter of two companies.
He said the effort was made through the search and linked BVN of the alleged person via the telephone number submitted and that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
“This is how far the commission has gone in carrying out the directive of the court,” he said.
He assured that the EFCC would not leave any stone unturned in bringing the culprit to book.
Counsel to one of the defendants, Kanu Agabi SAN, told the judge not to be “worried at all” over the texts of threat on his phone.
After listening to counsels, Justice Ekwo told the EFCC lawyer that the anti-graft agency must arrest and produce the persons sending those threats to him.
“The order for you to arrest him is a pending order,” the judge said.
Liman, meanwhile, appealed that the defendants be ordered to take their plea, even as the investigation continued with the persons behind the letter and the text messages.
But all the defence lawyers disagreed, saying the matter was adjourned for report.
Justice Ekwo therefore, told the counsels that he does not like the direction the case was taking and vowed to conclude it while ordering the defendants to take their plea this Friday, July 21.
He also ordered that any defendant that does not come to court will be arrested.