By Francis IWUCHUKWU
A bench warrant was on Wednesday issued against a petroleum company, OBD Petroleum Limited, a former governorship aspirant of Peoples’ Party of Nigerian (PPN) in Zamfara State, Adamu Bashir and others, for their failure to appear before the court to take their plea over alleged fraud to the tune of N299. 86 million.
The order for arrest was issued by a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, presided over by Justice Abimbola Awogboro.
Also affected by the bench warrant is Umeanor Obinna Michael, the Managing Director of the company.
Justice Awogboro issued the bench warrant, sequel to the request for it by the prosecutor, Mrs. Kehinde Bode-Ayeni, a senior Counsel in the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
In urging the court to issue the bench warrant against the Defendants, Mrs Bode-Ayeni chronicled how the oil company and two others have been consistently absent from court since when the charges were filed against them.
She also urged the court to order the Defendants’ sureties to show cause.
Bode-Ayeni told the court that the request for bench warrant was pursuant to section 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
After entertaining arguments from the prosecutor, Justice Awogboro issued the warrant against the oil company, Umeanor Obinna Michael, and Adamu Bashir, while also ordering their sureties to show cause.
The matter has been adjourned till March 3, for the arraignment of the defendants.
It would be recalled that the oil firm, Umeanor Obinna Michael, Adamu Bashir alongside Stephen Ohiwere, Ilolo Ogho Gift and Isaac Okorodudu, were brought before the court by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) over alleged conspiracy, obtaining under false pretence, forgery and fraud to the tune of N299.89 million.
All the defendants who were formerly arraigned before retired Justice Saliu Saidu were said to have defrauded a new generation bank of the said sum.
The AGF in an amended charge marked FHC/L/281c/2016, alleged that all the defendants forged a Bank Statement of account and used same to defraud the new generation bank of N299.860 million.
They were alleged to have committed the offences sometimes in October 2014.
The AGF further alleged that the oil company and Obinna Michael Umeanor, by false pretence obtained N160 million from the new generation bank, under the pretence that the money would be used to supply 1,100,000 liters of Automated Gasoline Oil (AGO) popularly called diesel to a firm, Lastan Energy Limited.
All the defendants and others now at large were also alleged to have conspired and obtained another N139,860 million from the bank, under the pretext that the money would be used for the same purpose.
To perpetrate the fraud, Obinna was alleged to have forged a Zenith Bank statement of account number 1013015544 belonging to OBD Petroleum Limited, while Okorodudu, Gift, Bashir and Stephen forged a Certificate Of Occupancy number 21/21/1991AR, registered in the name of Rotimi Olawoye, of a property located at Lekki Peninsular, Plot 6, Block B2, Eti-Osa area of Lagos State.
The offences according to the AGF contravenes Sections 1(1)(a), 8(a), 18(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other related offences Act, 2006 and are punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
The offences also contravenes Section 2(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 2004 and Sections 18(a) and 15(2) of the Money Laundering Act, 2015.
All the defendants had previously pleaded not guilty to the charge.
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