By TAIYE AGBAJE

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to arrest three officials of Rural Electrification Agency for failure to appear in court for their arraignment.

Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling, gave the order for the issuance of arrest warrant against the officials; Emmanuel Pada Titus, Umar Musa Laraye and Henrientta Onomen Okojie, involved in an alleged N1.853 billion fraud.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ICPC had preferred separate four-count charges against the affected officials over allegations of misappropriation of public funds meant for the provision of electricity to rural communities across the country.

In the first charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/204/24, the anti-corruption agency sued Titus as sole defendant.

The commission sued Karaye in the second charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/202/24, while Okojie was equally sued in the charge number: FHC/ABJ/CR/203/24.

When the three cases were called, none of the three defendants was in court to take a plea.

The prosecution lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, told the Justice Nwite that Titus, Karaye and Okojie were served with copies of the charges and duly informed of the day’s proceedings, but chose to stay away on their own volition.

Akponimisingha explained that the defendants were on administrative bail, but owing to their absence from the court, he urged the judge to issue a bench warrant for their arrests.

He cited Sections 114, 124 and 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, to back his application.

In a short ruling, the judge granted the lawyer’s application as prayed.

He held that he was convinced that the defendants deliberately absented themselves from the court, while delivering separate rulings on each of the applications.

Justice Nwite, who ordered the trio’s arrest, directed that they should be produced in court in the next adjourned date.

While the judge adjourned Titus and Karaye’s cases until June 13 for arraignment, he fixed June 14 for the arraignment of Okojie.

However, the ICPC arraigned Usman Ahmed Kwakwa, also an official of REA on a four-count charge bordering on fraud.

Kwakwa pleaded not guilty to the counts preferred against him.

Justice Nwite admitted him to a N50 million bail after the prosecution lawyer, Akponimisingha, did not oppose the defence lawyer’s bail request. (NAN)

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