The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has remanded two staff of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) pending the hearing of a N1.835 billion fraud allegation levelled against them.
The two personnel Umar Musa Karaye and Emmanuel Pada Titus, were brought before the court over an allegation of N1.835bn fraud. They were arraigned alongside two others by the Independent and Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before Justice Emeka Nwite, over alleged fraud, criminal conspiracy and diversion of public funds amounting to N1.835bn.
Dr Osuoben Ekoi Akpanimisingha, assistant Chief Legal Officer of the ICPC, during the arraignment, had told the court that the defendants had been personally served by him to appear before the court on 6 June 2024, but failed to appear, despite having full details of their arraignments by the anti-graft commission.
In the four-count charges obtained by journalists, the anti-graft agency accused the defendants of receiving the sums of N165m and N261m respectively in different tranches under the pretence of project supervision thereby committed an offence contrary to the Advanced Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The court has adjourned the case to 20 June 2024 for bail hearing and 10 July 2024 for the trial case of the accused.
