N5.3bn Fraud: Court issues bench warrant against ex-Enugu Gov Chimaroke Nnamani

Ten years after a former governor of Enugu State, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, was arraigned before a Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, Justice Chuka Obiozor, on Monday issued a bench warrant against the erstwhile governor.

The Judge made the order yesterday due to the absence of the former governor in court as ordered last week Thursday to take his plea in a criminal charge filed against him by the Federal government over alleged N5.3 billion fraud.

Justice Obiozor is the fourth judge to handle the case, which began in 2007.

Other Justices who have handled the matter include: Tijani Abubakar, Charles Archibong (retd.), and Mohammed Yunusa, who was suspended by the National Judicial Council over corruption allegations.

The trial has been stalled since July 5, 2015, when some of the defendants entered into a plea bargain and forfeited their assets before Justice Yunusa.

However, when the matter came up yesterday, Nnamani’s lawyer, Abubakar Samusudeen, informed the court about the inability of his client to be in court as he said he was yet to return from his medical treatment abroad.

Samusudeen urged the court for more days to enable his client to return from abroad to stand trial.

But, lawyer to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kelvin Uzozie, urged the court to discountenance Nnamani lawyer’s application, saying that court order is meant to be obeyed.

Justice Obiozor, conceded to the submission of the EFCC lawyer, and issued arrest warrant against Nnamani.
He rejected the plea by the defence lawyer for longer adjournment to enable his law firm adequate time to contact Nnamani.

Peter Fowoyo