Alleged N5.2bn scam: EFCC to re-arraign Ugbane, Elumelu Feb 1

Former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Nicholas Ugbane and House of Representatives member, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, are to be re-arraigned before Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi on February 1.
This stems from the reassignment of the case file by the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Justice Lawal Gummi, following the withdrawal of the trial judge, Justice Adebukola Banjoko, from the suit. Also scheduled to take a fresh plea is Hon. Jibo Mohammed.
Ugbane, Elumelu and Mohammed are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged breach of due process, criminal conspiracy, diversion and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N5.2 billion.
The alleged misappropriation of funds is in respect of contract awards at the Rural Electrification Agency, REA. The accused were first arraigned on October 30, 2009 on a 130-count charge alongside six senior officials of REA.
However, the charges were severed wherein the lawmakers were jointly charged on a 62-count charge, leaving the other six accused to face a 68-count charge.
Meanwhile, the re-arraignment, which would have taken place yesterday, could not go on, at the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, as the third accused, Mohammed, was absent in court.