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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.
Alex Enumah in Abuja
Chairman of the now disbanded Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Mr Okoi Obono-Obla, was on Friday arraigned alongside two others before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Apo, Abuja over allegations bordering on fraud.
Obono-Obla and his co-defendants were arraigned on a 10-count charge brought against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
The other defendants include his (Obobo-Obla’s) Senior Assistant, Special Duties (Protocol), Aliyu Ibrahim, and the Managing Director of ABR Global Petroleum Resources Ltd, Daniel Omughele.
The ICPC specifically accused the former SPIP Chairman of conspiring with the others to divert N19,994,185.00 meant for the furnishing of SPIP offices.
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) has arraigned a former Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, and two others for alleged diversion of funds belonging to the panel.
The two others are Aliyu Ibrahim, Senior Special Assistant, Special Duties (Protocol) to the Chairman (SPIP), and Daniel Omughele-Managing Director of ABR Global Petroleum Resources LTD.
Mr. Obono-Obla who pleaded not guilty to the 10-count charge preferred against him is accused of conspiring with the other defendants and also using his position to confer an unfair advantage on Aliyu Ibrahim by diverting the sum of Nineteen Million, Nine Hundred and Ninety-Four Thousand, One Hundred and Eighty-Five Naira (N19, 994, 183.00) received by SPIP from the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).