Stella Oduah: Justice Ekwo suspends fraud trial over threat to life

By Taiye Agbaje

Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Price (EFCC) to fish out persons on the aid of breaching his privateness thru text messages on his phone in a fraud swimsuit against Sen. Stella Oduah and others.

Justice Ekwo, who gave the picture on Thursday, shared copies of the messages to lawyers representing the events within the initiate court docket.

The earlier opinion to arraign Oduah lately modified into once, alternatively, suspended by the mediate over alleged threat to his existence by but to be identified persons.

He introduced out a publication by the neighborhood at some level of which his existence modified into once severely threatened over the planned trial.

He held that proceedings wouldn’t initiate within the matter till the culprits are produced within the following adjourned date.

The mediate also directed the deputy chief Registrar of the FHC accountable of Litigation to liaise with the Company Affairs Price (CAC) to plot the identities of the promoters of the offending organisation for the motive of nice looking them.

He talked about that sanctity of the court docket need to be maintained including that Nigeria modified into once no longer a banana republic or animal kingdom where acts of lawlessness could perchance very nicely be condoned.

He ordered the prosecution to create the culprits in court docket as section of the efforts to also be definite the defendants within the case are safe and nicely secured to stand the fling.

Counsel to EFCC, Ofem Uket, expressed disappointment over the model and vowed that the anti-graft agency would set aside the needful to train the culprits to e book.

He alternatively prayed the court docket no longer to permit unknown particular person’s acting as exterior third birthday celebration to crawl the trial.
The mediate this ability that adjourned the swimsuit till July 17 for a account.

Justice Ekwo had, on June 5, warned these sending him non-public messages within the N5 billion swimsuit filed by the EFCC against Mrs Oduah, who modified into once frail Aviation Minister within the executive of President Goodluck Jonathan, to desist from intruding into his privateness.

The EFCC had sued Oduah alongside Gloria Odita, Nwosu Emmanuel Nnamdi and Chukwuma Irene Chinyere.

Others consist of World Offshore and Marine Ltd, Tip Top World Sources Ltd, Crystal Tv Ltd, Sobora Global Ltd and others.

The senator, who represented Anambra North Senatorial District on the ninth Nationwide Assembly, modified into once scheduled to be arraigned on alleged N5 billion fraud and financial misappropriation whereas she served as minister within the course of the Jonathan Administration.

Within the 25-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/316/2020, they’re accused of conspiracy, money laundering and sustaining anonymous bank accounts with a commercial bank.