By Olawale Lamina
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has issued a bench warrant against three staff of the Account and Finance Department of the Rural Electrification Agency ,REA, following their failure to appear in court over a multi-million-naira fraud case brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
The ICPC had charged four REA employees for
allegedly receiving about one billion naira under the pretence of false project supervision.
But, when the cases were called on Thursday before Justice Emeka Nwite, three of the defendants, identified as Hanrrietta Onormen Okojie, Umar Musa Karaye, and Emmanuel Pada Titus were neither and nor were they represented by any counsel.
ICPC counsel, Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha informed the court that the defendants were duly served and notified of their arraignment but chose not to appear.
Citing Sections 114 and 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, the anti-graft agency’s counsel therefore requested an arrest warrant for all three accused persons to ensure their presence at the next hearing of the case.
Justice Nwite granted the prayer of the counsel and issued arrest warrants against the defendants, ordering the prosecution to enforce them.
The presiding judge thereafter adjourned hearing of the matter till June 13, 2024, for the arraignment of Musa Karaye and Emmanuel Pada Titus, while June 14, 2024, was set aside for the arraignment of Hanrrietta Onormen Okojie respectively.
In a related development, another REA staff member, Usman Ahmed Kwakwa, appeared in court for allegedly commiting a N298 million fraud.
The prosecutor (ICPC) accused Kwakwa of defrauding the REA by receiving the said sum under false project supervision.
Count 1 of the charge preferred against kwakea reads: “That you, USMAN AHMED KWAKWA (M), sometime in March 2023, while being a public officer at the Rural Electrification Agency in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, received N298,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Ninety-Eight Million Naira) in different tranches under the false pretence of project supervision, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him. His counsel, S.S. Jipan, applied for bail, which the prosecution did not oppose, though they requested conditions to ensure the defendant’s presence at trial.
Justice Nwite therefore granted Kwakwa a N50 million bail and adjourned the case to July 16, 2024, for the trial’s commencement.
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