A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered the remand of the Project Coordinator of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Alhaji Danjuma Mohammed, and Prince Chibuike Echem in Suleja prison in Niger State over their alleged involvement in a N5billion contract fraud.
Justice Keziah Ogbonna issued the order shortly after they were arraigned on a 55-count charge bordering on advance fee fraud, forgery, and award of fake contracts.
In the charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), it was alleged among others, that Mohammed, Echem and another person, Aminu Alhaji (said to be at large) defrauded the Managing Director of Diamond Leeds Ltd, Kenneth Ejiofor Ifekudu of N2.2billion between May 2022 and February 2024, under the pretence of awarding him contracts from the NEDC.
They were also said to have, between January and December 2023, obtained another N649.5million from Ifekudu, using the bank account of Prince Echem under the claim that they have the capacity to award to his company from the Multi-sectoral Crisis Projects (MCRP), of the Northeast Development Commission.
They were equally accused of collecting another N573million from the same contractor through a Wema Bank account belonging to Echem on the same ground.
The EFCC also accused them of obtaining under pretences a sum of $480,000 and $200,000 between January and December 2022, under the guise of awarding him contracts.
Both defendants were further accused of issuing fake contract papers to Ifekudu in the name of NEDC and made him to part with various sums before they were arrested by operatives of the EFCC.
The defendants pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them, following which the prosecuting lawyer, Olarenwaju Adeola, applied for a date for the commencement of the trial.
He informed the court that he had assembled seven witnesses to testify against the defendants.
The court did not hear the bail applications filed for the defendants by their lawyer, Chukwuka Obidike, owing to opposition from Adeola.
Adeola told the court that he was served with the bail applications in the evening of January 26 and that he only saw it in the courtroom on January 27.
He argued that bail applications were not ripe for hearing because he needed to file a response.
Ruling, Justice Ogbonna upheld Adeola’s argument and held that the applications were not ripe for hearing.
The judge then adjourned till March 25 for the hearing.