NEDC official, associate remanded over alleged N5bn contract fraud

An FCT High Court has remanded the project coordinator of the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC), Alhaji Danjuma Mohammed, and his associate, Prince Chibuike Echem, over alleged N5 billion contract fraud.

Justice Keziah Ogbonna on Tuesday remanded the defendants in Suleja custodial centre, Niger State, after their arraignment on a 55 criminal count charge bordering on advance fee fraud, forgery and award of fake contracts.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which put them on trial, alleged that Mohammed, Echem and another person, Aminu Alhaji (said to be at large) defrauded one Kenneth Ejiofor Ifekudu of the sum of N2.2 billion between May 2022 and February 2024, under the pretence of awarding him contracts from the commission.

They were also accused of collecting another N573 million from the same contractor through a Wema Bank account belonging to Echem on the same ground.

The EFCC also accused them of obtaining under false pretences a sum of $480, 000 and $200,000 between January and December 2022, under the guise of awarding him contracts and issued fake contract papers.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges personally read to them by the judge, prompting the EFCC’s lawyer, Olarenwaju Adeola, to plead for a date for commencement of trial.

However, defence lawyer, Chukwuka Obidike, sought their bail but was unsuccessful as the EFCC opposed it.

Consequently, the judge fixed March 25 to April 7 for the accelerated trial of the defendants.

The EFCC lawyer, while opposing the bail request, told the judge that the anti-graft agency was served with the bail application in the evening of January 26 and that he only saw it in the courtroom on January 27.

Adeola insisted that the bail application was not ripe for hearing because he needed to file a counter-affidavit to legally object to the request.

In a brief ruling, Justice Ogbonna agreed with the EFCC’s counsel that the application was not ripe for hearing, adding that allowing it to be argued would amount to a denial of fair hearing on the part of the prosecution.

Consequently, the judge fixed March 25 to April 7 for the trial of the defendants.

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