Twenty-two officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as well as a retired director of the commission, Ahmed Stephen Ozouche, have been dragged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in Kogi State for offences bordering on criminal conspiracy.
They were arraigned before Justice Alaba Ajileye of the Kogi State High Court, Koton-Karefee.
The arraigned persons were alleged to have been involved in criminal act of conspiracy to fraudulently obtain the sum of N32, 120,000 (Thirty-two Million, One Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira) as benefits to themselves during the 2015 general elections.
The offence allegedly occurred in March 2015.
The arraignment of the accused persons was almost stalled due to the absence of one of the defendants. “Due to the absence of the second defendant, I will be seeking for a short adjournment to enable me determine the next step to take regarding the matter,” counsel to the EFCC, G.K. Latona, told the court.
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The defence team, however, objected to the request saying “the prosecution ought to have known by now that the second defendant cannot be in court to take his plea.”
They therefore urged the court to take the plea of the defendants in court and the court so ordered.
Meanwhile, a statement signed by INEC ’s head of media and publicity, Tony Oriade, disclosed that the absent defendant was among the commission’s staff who lost their lives in a tragic motor accident that occurred in Kogi recently.
The charges were therefore read to the defendants to who pleaded “not guilty.” Subsequently, they were admitted to bail in the sum of N10 million, with one surety in like sum, who must not be below level 12 and must be a Civil Servant (State or Federal).
Hearing in the case was adjourned to December 6 and 13, 2018.
