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Drama in court as AGF, IGP ‘fight’ over who to prosecute trial of ex-gov, Ohakim

There was drama on Thursday at a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, as the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) approached the court seeking to take over the case against the former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, on criminal charges of a threat to the life of his mistress, Chinyere Amuchienwa.

The court had earlier slated Thursday for the arraignment of the former governor but a counsel from the office of the AGF, Bagudu Sani, approached the Court, saying the office of the AGF had taken over the case by a letter dated March 17, 2021, which he said had been served on the IGP.

According to Sani, the office of the AGF took over the case from the IGP to ensure that the prosecution was done diligently.

However, counsel for the police, Rufus Dimka, opposed the taking over of the case by the office of AGF, noting that the charges against the former governor were prepared by the office of the IGP, who is the complainant in the case.

In response, Justice Taiwo Taiwo told Sani that he had taken judicial notice of the letter but maintained that the counsel should file the letter formally before the court.

He deferred the arraignment of the former governor to May 6, 2021, to enable parties to file and serve written addresses on the property of the office of the AGF taking over the case from the Police.

Ohakim has been on police administrative bail since November 11, 2020, when he and one Chinedu Okpareke were dragged to court by the police over allegations of threat to life and the harassment of Amuchienwa.

According to the charge number, FHC/ABJ/CS/287/2020, Ohakim and Okpareke were alleged to have threatened to release a nude photograph of Amuchienwa if she fails to drop charges of attempted kidnap against them.

The Police in the five counts dated November 25, 2020, alleged that Ohakim and Okpareke, knowingly and intentionally transmitted communication through a computer system to harass and bully Amuchienwa, an offence that is punishable under Section 24(1)(a) of the Cybercrime Act 2015.

The money laundering trial of former senior special assistant on public affairs to Ex-President Goodluck Jonath, Doyin Okupe, before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court Abuja has been adjourned till April 26 and 27, 2021 for continuation of trial

At the resumed trial on Friday, March 5, 2021, counsel to the first defendant, G.K Gadzama, SAN, led in evidence, the fifth defence witness, Ehimare Edokwa Harold, an Assistant Manager at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Branch of Zenith Bank Nigeria limited, Lagos.

The witness told the Court that he was mandated to appear and present the mandate card and statement of account of Romiox Soiffix International Limited, following a subpoena on his bank.

Our bank was served with a subpoena and I was asked by the bank to represent the bank. I was asked to present a mandate card and a statement of account of Romiox Soiffix international ltd,” he said.

The witness further told the Court that he authored the document on behalf of the bank, the “Certificate of compliance too is here and certified by me; I am with the bank for 13years, the statement covered from inception to date and it covered forty four pages.”

But prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Audu objected to the tendering of the documents, arguing that it was not certified by the bank.

“We are just having the privilege of looking at this documents and we are objecting to these documents because it has not been certified by the bank which it is claimed to have come from. This documents have not been certified by the bank, and that is our objection. But if my lord is minded about certifying the document, it is okay.”

However, Gadzama urge the Court to accept the documents in evidence, describing them as primary documents.

Justice Ojukwu admitted the documents, marked as exhibit Q and R, and adjourned the matter till 26 and 27 April, 2021 for continuation of trial.

The EFCC is prosecuting Okupe alongside his two companies: Value Trust Investments and Abrahams Telecoms on a 59-count charge bordering on money laundering and criminal diversion of funds to the tune of N702 million.