Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed July 21 for arraignment of former minister of aviation, Stella Oduah and others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Inyang Ekwo fixed the date after EFCC’s counsel, Hassan Liman, SAN, prayed the court to allow the defendants to take their plea, having filed the charge against them since Dec. 17, 2020.
Upon resumed hearing, Liman said that on June 15, the court drew the attention of counsel to a letter or petition written to the chief justice of Nigeria against Justice Ekwo and the judge gave a directive to the EFCC to carry out an investigation with a view to unravel the identity of the persons.
He said the commission had carried out the investigation and was able to trace the identity of the person to be one Okolo Obinna Johnson, a promoter of two companies.
However, Liman said that the anti-graft agency made all efforts to track the physical person, in conjunction with other security agencies, but were yet to be successful.
The judge then said that the organisation’s letter, the phone number and their names would be given to the EFCC so as to arrest them and bring them to court.
Liman, therefore, appealed that the defendants be ordered to take their plea, even as investigation continued with persons behind the letter and the text messages.
Justice Ekwo held that any defendants that is not in court anytime the matter is fixed for trial, would be ordered to be arrested and remanded in detention.
Oduah was scheduled to be arraigned on alleged N5 billion fraud and financial misappropriation while she served as Minister during the Jonathan Administration.
