Another staff member of the Account and Finance Department of the Rural Electrification Agency, Henrietta Okojie, was on Friday arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja.
Okojie is one of the four REA staff being tried for alleged involvement in N1.85bn fraud brought against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The other three officials have already been arraigned and two remanded in prison.
While Usman Kwakwa was released on bail, Emmanuel Pada and Umar Laraye who were arraigned on Thursday were also remanded in prison.
Okojie is facing a four-count charge.
When the matter was called, the ICPC lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, informed the court that the matter was for Okojie to take her plea.
Akponimisingha applied that the June 6 bench warrant issued against the defendant be vacated since she was in court.
Justice Nwite granted the request.
Okojie pleaded not guilty to all four-count charges after it was read to her.
ICPC counsel proceeded to apply for a trial date.
Okojie’s lawyer, Ishiaku Garba, informed the court that a bail application had been filed and served on the prosecution on June 11.
Akponimisingha said though the application was served in his office on Tuesday, he only saw it on Thursday and would need time to respond.
“My lord, June 12 was a public holiday and I couldn’t have come to the office,” he said.
He said he should be allowed to respond in the interest of a fair hearing.
The judge agreed that the prosecution should be afforded the opportunity to respond to the bail plea.
Justice Nwite ordered Okojie to be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre.
He adjourned the hearing of the bail application till June 20 and fixed July 10 for trial.
Justice Nwite had on June 6, 2024, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Okojie, Laraye, and Pada for refusing to show up in court for their scheduled arraignment.
The judge gave the order after Akponimisingha moved an oral application to the effect.
Justice Nwite fixed today for ICPC to produce her for arraignment and to take her plea. While Laraye and Panda’s cases were fixed for Thursday, June 13 (Yesterday).
The ICPC had preferred separate four-count charges against the four defendants over allegations of misappropriation of public funds meant for the provision of electricity to rural communities across the country.
In the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/203/24, Okojie was alleged to have in count one, sometime in March 2023 or thereabout, with intent to defraud the REA, received the sum of N342 million in different tranches through her Access Bank Account: 0009022275 under the false pretence of project supervision.
The offence is said to be contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
