EFCC set to arraign Stella Oduah on July 21 over N5bn fraud

The former minister of aviation Stella Oduah’s arraignment has been scheduled for July 21 by an Abuja federal high court.
After Monday’s court session, the presiding judge, Inyang Ekwo, set the date.
Oduah, a senator for Anambra North, will go on trial with eight other defendants on a 25-count charge that includes allegations of conspiracy, money laundering, and keeping secret bank accounts with First Bank Plc.
Gloria Odita, Nwosu Emmanuel Nnamdi, Chukwuma Irene Chinyere, Crystal Television Ltd., Sobora International Ltd., Global Offshore and Marine Ltd., Tip Top Global Resources Ltd., and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) Nigeria Ltd. are additional defendants.
Oduah was accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of stealing N5 billion worth of government monies while she was a minister.
Between 2021 and 2023, the case was set for arraignment multiple times, but it was postponed for a number of reasons.
The judge ordered the EFCC to make certain arrests at the most recent court hearing due to a “threat” to his life.
He claimed that the people had texted him warning him not to hold the defendants’ trial.
The commission had conducted an inquiry and was able to trace the identify of the person using the telephone number, prosecution attorney Hassan Liman said the court during the resumption of the hearing.
The person was named by the attorney as Okolo Obinna Johnson, a promoter of two businesses.
He added that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) worked with the EFCC and that the effort was done through the search and connected bank verification number (BVN) of the alleged person via the telephone number provided.
However, Liman claimed that despite best efforts and collaboration with other security agencies, the anti-graft agency was unable to locate the physical person.
He pledged that the EFCC will exhaust all legal avenues to prosecute him.
The judge postponed the case until July 21 so that the trial could begin, adding that any defendant who was not present on that date would be jailed.