Sen. Stella Oduah and others will be brought before a Federal High Court in Abuja on July 21 for their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

After the EFCC’s attorney, Hassan Liman, SAN, asked the court to let the defendants to enter a plea after the charge was brought against them on December 17, 2020, Judge Inyang Ekwo set the date.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the EFCC also sued Chukwuma Irene Chinyere, Gloria Odita, Nwosu Emmanuel Nnamdi, and Oduah.

Crystal Television Ltd., Sobora International Ltd., Global Offshore and Marine Ltd., and other companies are among the others.

The senator, who served as the senator for Anambra North in the 9th National Assembly, was due in court on charges of money mismanagement and fraud totaling N5 billion committed while she was a minister under the Jonathan Administration.

They are charged with conspiracy, money laundering, and maintaining secret bank accounts with a commercial bank in the 25-count charge with the marking: FHC/ABJ/CR/316/2020.

During the newly restarted hearing, Liman stated that on June 15, the court called the attorneys’ attention to a letter or petition written to the Nigerian chief justice against Justice Ekwo, and the judge instructed the EFCC to launch an inquiry in an effort to identify the writers.

He said that the commission had conducted the inquiry and was in a position to

He is said to be Mr. Okolo Obinna Johnson, a promoter of two businesses, according to the attorney.

He claimed that the search was conducted, the alleged person’s BVN was linked using the provided phone number, and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) worked with the EFCC.

Yet according to Liman, despite working with other security agencies, the anti-graft agency made every attempt but failed to locate the physical person.

“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.

A Defence lawyer, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, said he would not be silent when the court was threatened.
“No one should threaten our judges. It is up to the work of the judges that this country continues to survive,” he said.

Ogwu James, SAN, said that the issue was not about the petition but the contact they made with the court.

He said though anybody had the right to write petition, sending a message to the court was the issue.

The EFCC’s lawyer then said that the commission had gotten the call log of the number through their investigation.

The judge, who wondered how the person got his phone number, said, “That character was sending messages to me, thereby, breaching my privacy.”

Justice Ekwo, who said that the order to arrest the person was still subsisting, said “The order found him, bring him to court and let me deal with the matter.”

He said the order given to the deputy chief registrar, Litigation of the court to get the certified particulars of another organisation involved in the matter at CAC had been carried out.

He asked if there was anybody representing the organisation in the court but no one stood up.

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.

He expressed displeasure in the manner the trial was allowed to degenerate, saying “The court is never without an option, but out of respect to you, I will not take those options.”
He said that the matter would be tried and tried to conclusion.

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.

Liman, therefore, 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.
The judge consequently adjourned the matter until July 21 for a plea