TODAY
January 23, 2021
A former aide to Nigerian president, Okoi Obono-Obla, sacked in 2019, has been charged before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court with diverting N19.9 million office procurement fund.
Mr. Obono-Obla, who was the head of a presidential panel on recovery of public assets, was charged alongside his protocol official, Aliyu Ibrahim, and an official of ABR Global Petroleum Resources Limited, Daniel Omughele.
Anti-graft ICPC prosecutor Samuel Ipinlaye told the court that the funds received by Mr. Obono-Obla from NDIC was diverted into the account of Aliyu Ibrahim, using proxy companies, according to a transcript of proceedings seen by newsmen. Mr. Ipinlaye said the funds stolen money was earmarked for office furnishing.
Share
The former Chairman of the disbanded Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Mr Okoi Obono-Obla, has been arraigned in court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), on allegation of offences bordering on fraud.
He was arraigned before Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Apo, for allegedly forging an O’ Level certificate.
According to a statement authorized by the commission’s spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, and made available to newsmen in Abuja, on Saturday, Obono-Obla was arraigned with his Special Adviser on Protocol, Aliyu Ibrahim and the Managing Director of ABR Global Petroleum Resources Limited, Daniel Omughele, for allegedly diverting N19.9 million meant for the furnishing of SPIP’s office.
Obono-Obla was arraigned before Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Apo, Abuja, for allegedly forging an Ordinary Level certificate.
Obla was accused of dishonestly using as genuine, “a Mary Knoll College, Ogoja General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level, May/June 1982 (GCE) Statement of Result for Ofem Okoi Ofem with candidate No: 09403/247 showing an O’Level credit (6) score for Literature in English.”
The ICPC further accused him of using same as part of the five O’Level credit requirement to study Law for the 1985/86 academic session in University of Jos, knowing same to be forged.
The defendants however pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Defence lawyers: Paul Erokoro (SAN) , Abel Ozioko, and Emmanuel Okere applied for their bail on liberal terms. Which was not opposed by the prosecution counsel, Samuel Ipinlaiye.