The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to transfer all files and processes relating to the 25-count money laundering and fraud charges instituted against former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah and eight others to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The Presiding Justice Inyang Ekwo, who gave the order shortly after the defendants took their non-guilty plea, said the order was necessary in view of the controversy the case had generated since instituted.
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, now N7.5b.
Recall that at the hearing on June 15, Ekwo had ordered the EFCC to fish out persons behind breaching his privacy through text messages on his phone and another group who petitioned the chief justice of Nigeria regarding the ongoing suit.
He then fixed July 21, 2023 for taking of plea by the defendants after years of no trial.
At the resumed sitting, Oduah and the other defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges while the judge adjourned to October 17 for trial.
But the judge sought further explanation as to why the EFCC has failed to produce the people threatening him despite admitting their names had been tracked.
The EFCC legal team could not give the judge a convincing answer.
Subsequently, Justice Ekwo ordered the AGF to take over prosecution of the matter from the EFCC.