Court orders arrests of REA workers over failure to appear on fraud allegations
By David Lawani, Abuja
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja today ordered the arrest of three staff of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) for failing to appear at their arraignments over multiple charges of fraud and diversions of public funds.
The staff Emmanuel Pada Titus, Henrietta Onormen Okojie, and Umar Musa Karaye respectively had earlier been granted administrative bails by the Independent and Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged fraud, criminal conspiracy, and diversion of public funds amounting to the sum of N1.835bn only, negating due process.
Meanwhile, another staff of the agency, Usman Kwakwa, was offered administrative bail of N50m, with one surety in like sum with three years tax clearance, a landed property in the FCT, among others.
Presenting the charge, an Assistant Chief Legal Officer of the ICPC, Dr Osuoben Akpanimisingha, stated that Emmanuel Pada Titus was being arraigned for the alleged diversion of N261m.
He also informed that Henrietta Onormen Okojie was being arraigned for the diversion of N342m, while Umar Musa Karaye was being arraigned for the diversion of N165m.
The complainants, on behalf of the Federal Government, Okojie sought the permission of the court to have the trio arrested, for deliberately failing to appear, despite having full details of their arraignments by the Commission.
However, citing section 114 and section 184 of the Criminal and Justice Act respectively, the complainant maintained that he had personally served the defendants the notices of arraignment on May 29, 2024, with the details of appearances clearly stated, but the defendants on their notices had failed to appear for their arraignments.
Recall that investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the ICPC, as well as the Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, had shown outflows of payments amounting to N1.835bn.
The alleged disbursements were paid in tranches into six personal accounts of some senior officials of the agency.
In the charge sheets co-signed by the Director of Legal Services and Assistant Legal Officer of ICPC, Henry Emore, and Dr Osuoben Akponimisinghi, respectively, a total of N1.835bn were paid by Abubakar Abdullahi Sambo in tranches to the defendants.
The Judge had adjourned the re-arraignment of Emmanuel Pada Titus, Henrietta Onormen Okojie, and Umar Musa Karaye to June 13, 2024, and that of Usman Ahmed Kwakwa to June 14 2024 respectively.
