Court orders EFCC to arrest Police lawyer for filing criminal charges against Stella Oduah

July 11, (THEWILL) – The Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to arrest a Police lawyer, Ibrahim Mohammed, for filing an 8-count criminal charge against former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah.

The police lawyer is to be investigated for filing the charges against the former Minister in the name of EFCC without the authority of the anti-graft agency.

Although the embattled lawyer, who left the EFCC since November last year, admitted error in filing the controversial charges in the name of the anti-graft agency, the Judge, Justice James Omotosho, ordered that the genuineness of his errors must be established through investigation.

Justice Omotosho had queried the police lawyer, on whether the anti-graft agency was in the know of the charges since it was being prosecuted by the Police.

Senator Oduah was expected to be arraigned before the court on eight count charge bordering on alleged complicity surrounding her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), discharge certificate and fraudulently receiving money from the federal government.

However, when the matter was called on Tuesday, Stella Oduah was not in court and the Judge sought to know why she was absent in court.

Responding, Mohammed, who introduced himself as a lawyer with the Police Legal Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja, told the court that the defendant was not in court because she has not been served with the charge.

According to him, Senator Oduah had told them she was not feeling well when invited to come for the charge.

Reacting, the court queried why the charge was coming in the name of EFCC when the prosecutor is from Police.

The police lawyer, admitted he left EFCC since November 2022 at Benin City office for the Force Headquarters on redeployment back to Police. He also admitted filing the charges on June 22 this year in the name of EFCC, seven months after, but that it was done in error.

Justice Omotoso, who was not pleased with the claim of the error, ordered his Registrar to bring the head of Police Unit at the Federal High Court into the courtroom.

The Judge then ordered the Police personnel to lead the police lawyer to the EFCC headquarters and hand him over to EFCC operatives for investigation on the genuineness of the criminal charges.

Meanwhile, further hearing on the matter has been adjourned to July 18, when the anti-graft agency must have completed its investigation and report back to the court.