Judge threatens to dismiss ICPC suit over minister’s absence as DSS arrests former pension panel boss Maina

Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa of the Federal High Court, Abuja has threatened to close a case initiated by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the absence of its witness.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, was to shed light on the N2.5 billion allegedly approved for the Digital Switch-Over (DSO) project.

However, he has been out of the country on an assignment to the United Kingdom in respect of the legal dispute between Nigeria and the Irish firm, P&ID, over the $9.6 billion judgment deal awarded by a British arbitration court against the Federal Government regarding a botched gas swap deal involving both parties.

The anti-graft agency had sued the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Ishaq Kawu Modibbo, Pinnacle Communications Ltd., its chairman, Sir Lucky Omoluwa, and the Chief Operating Officer, Dipo Onifade, for alleged fraud in the digital project of the Federal Government.

At the resumed sitting yesterday, the prosecution counsel, Henry Emore, informed the trial judge that the minister was absent in court because “the President sent him on an urgent assignment.”

Consequently, he sought an adjournment to enable him bring the two remaining witnesses.

But dissatisfied with the non-diligent prosecution of the suit, Justice Ogunbanjo-Giwa reminded him that there were limits to which a court could grant adjournment in a ‘criminal’ case.

“You think you can continue to waste the time of the court by asking for adjournments?” she queried, while warning that once the prosecution exhausts his time, the court would ask the defence to open its case.

However, the judge granted leave to the NBC boss to attend the International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) Congress holding in Egypt between October 28 and November 22, ordering the release of his international passport to facilitate the trip.

She equally held that he must return the document to the registrar of the court upon return on or before November 30.

The court, therefore, adjourned the matter till October 21, December 4 and 5 for continuation of trial.

In a related development, the Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed the arrest of former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina.

In a statement, the secret police said Maina was arrested on Monday, September 30 in Abuja.