Head of the now disbanded Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Mr Okoi Obono-Obla, was on Friday arraigned alongside two others before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Apo, Abuja, Nigeria, over allegations bordering on fraud.
Obono-Obla, who was also accused of forging his academic credentials, and his co-defendants were arraigned on a 10-count charge brought against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
The other defendants include Obobo-Obla’s Senior Assistant, Special Duties (Protocol), Aliyu Ibrahim, and the Managing Director of ABR Global Petroleum Resources Ltd, Daniel Omughele.
In a charge marked CR/922/2020, the ICPC specifically accused the former SPIP Chairman of conspiring with the others to divert N19,994,185.00 meant for the furnishing of SPIP offices.
The defendants however pleaded not guilty to the 10 count charge read against them, following which their lawyers urged the court to admit their clients to bail on liberal terms.
Prosecution counsel, Samuel Ipinlaiye, who subsequently withdrew his earlier objection to the defendants’ bail application due to the current coronavirus challenge, prayed the court to grant bail on terms that would ensure that the defendants are available in court for their trial.
In a short ruling trial judge, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N10 million each with a surety, who must not be below the rank of director in the service of either the Federal Government and any of its agencies or the FCT and any of its agencies.
Justice Adeniyi ordered Ipinlaiye to retrieve the defendants’ international passports, already deposited with the ICPC and hand them to the Registrar of the court.
He then adjourned till March 17 for the commencement of trial.