A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Zuba, Abuja, has remanded a Project Coordinator of the North East Development Commission, Alhaji Danjuma Mohammed, and one Prince Chibuike Echem at the Suleja Correctional Centre over an alleged N5 billion contract fraud.
The two defendants were arraigned on Tuesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a 55 count charge bordering on advance fee fraud, forgery, and the alleged award of fictitious contracts. Another suspect, identified as Aminu Alhaji, was said to be at large.
According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly defrauded the Managing Director of Diamond Leeds Limited, Kenneth Ejiofor Ifekudu, of N2.2 billion between May 2022 and February 2024.
The commission alleged that the money was collected under the pretence that contracts would be awarded to the company through the North East Development Commission.
The anti graft agency further told the court that Mohammed and Echem obtained an additional N649.5 million from the same contractor between January and December 2023 through a bank account belonging to Echem.
The funds were allegedly collected on the claim that the defendants had the authority to award contracts under the Multi Sectoral Crisis Recovery Projects of the commission.
The EFCC also accused the defendants of collecting another N573 million through a Wema Bank account linked to Echem, as well as sums of 480,000 dollars and 200,000 dollars within the same period, all allegedly under false pretence.
The commission said the offences were contrary to the provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under the same law.
Both Mohammed and Echem pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to them by the court.
Following their pleas, the prosecuting counsel, Olarenwaju Adeola, asked for a trial date, stating that the EFCC had lined up seven witnesses to prove its case.
Counsel to the defendants, Chukwuka Obidike, informed the court that a bail application had been filed on behalf of his clients and urged the court to grant them bail.
The application was opposed by the prosecution, which argued that it was only served with the bail request a day earlier and that it intended to file a counter affidavit.
In her ruling, Justice Keziah Ogbonna held that the bail application was not ripe for hearing, noting that granting it at that stage would deny the prosecution fair hearing.
She consequently ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Suleja Correctional Centre and adjourned the case to March 25 and April 7 for commencement of trial.
