Drama ensued at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday when Justice James Omotosho of the court handed over police lawyer, Ibrahim Mohammed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for filing an 8-count criminal charge against Senator Stella Oduah without the authority of the anti-graft agency.
The court is inquiring how the charge sheet which was filed in June by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is being prosecuted by the police.
The controversy began when the matter was called and the counsel, Mohammed, announced his appearance for the Nigeria Police Force.
He told the court that the defendant, Stella Oduah, was not in court because the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) said she could not be served because she was indisposed.
The judge went further to inquire about who signed the charge, which the prosecutor affirmed.
Justice Omotosho further probed if he was a police officer, and he answered in the affirmative. He said he was seconded to the EFCC but had been deployed back to the Police Force in November 2022.
He added that he resumed at the Legal Department of the Police Headquarters in January 2023.
The court further inquired how the charge was filed in June 2023 by the EFCC, but is being prosecuted by the police.
The judge asked if a reasonable man would believe his explanations. He further added that the Prosecution Counsel will be taken to the anti-graft agency to explain himself.
He subsequently called for the investigation of the counsel.
In a brief ruling, Justice Omotoso ordered the EFCC to investigate the Prosecution Counsel and revert to the court. The court also ordered the counsel, Ibrahim Mohammed, to report to the EFCC immediately.
Oduah was expected to be arraigned before the court on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged complicity surrounding her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and allegedly receiving money fraudulently from the Federal Government.
The case has been adjourned till July 18 for the EFCC to report to the court, on its investigation.
The Federal Government filed an eight-count charge against former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah at a Federal High Court in Abuja on June 26, 2023, according to court documents made available to Channels Television on Monday.
One of the counts read, “That you SENATOR STELLA ODUAH AND D.A.O OSHINOWO (at large) sometime in the year, 2017, at Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did conspires amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: make a document titled ‘Re: Request for National Youth Service Confirmation Which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 3(6) of the miscellaneous offences Act CAF M17 of the revised edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007 and Punishable under section 3 (1) (c) of the same Act.”
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