Akinwale Akintunde
The arraignment of the Chief Executive Officer of a limited liability company, Kenneth Ndubuisi Amadi, and his company, Idid Nigeria Limited, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged fraud was wednesday stalled due to the absence of the defendants in court.
The businessman and his company were alleged to have obtained the sum of N1,115, 000,000 by false pretence from a Petroleum company, A-Z Petroleum Limited.
According to the prosecution, the defendants committed offences contrary to section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act, CapA6, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
When the matter was called for the defendants to be arraigned, they were not present in court, as the chief state counsel from the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federation, Mr. A. K. Alilu, told the court that it has been very difficult to serve the defendants a copy of the charge.
However, counsel to the defendants, Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN), told the court that they are not opposing the arraignment and trial, and he have spoken to the prosecutor to receive a copy of the charge on behalf of the defendants.
Thereafter, the prosecutor served the defence counsel a copy of the charge, and the presiding Judge Mohammed Liman, adjourned till January 8, 2020, for the arraignment.
The charge preferred and filed before the court against the defendants reads in part: “That you Kenneth Ndubuisi Amadi, male, adult of No 31A, Providence Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos and Idid Nigeria Limited of No 26,Osisiogu Crescent, Utako, Abuja, sometime in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court did obtain by false pretence and with intent to defraud, the sum of one billion, one hundred and fifteen million naira belonging to Eunisell Nigeria Limited, from A-Z Petroleum, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, Cap. A6, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
“That you Kenneth Ndubuisi Amadi, male, adult of No. 31A Providence Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, sometime in 2016,while serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Eunisell Nigeria Limited in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court, did utter forged documents to wit, invoices and waybills to A-Z Petroleum limited with intent that they may be acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of Eunisell Nigeria Limited, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(2)(c) of the miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, laws of the Federation of Nigeria,2004 and punishable under the same Section of the Act.
“That you Kenneth Ndubuisi Amadi, male, adult of No 31A Providence Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos sometime in 2016, while serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Eunisell Nigeria Limited at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court did knowingly and without the authority, depressed data in respect of the financial transfer you made to Eunisell Nigeria Limited with intent to confer economic benefits on yourself, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 14(1) of Cybercrimes(Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 and punishable under the same Section of the Act.”
