Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court sitting in Gudu, Abuja yesterday, October 14, 2014 adjourned to January 14, 2015 for further hearing in a case of N5.2bn scam instituted against Samuel Ibi Gekpe and five other senior officials of Rural Electrification Agency, REA, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Gekpe and the other accused persons- Abdullahi Aliyu, Simon Kirdi Nanle, Lawrence Kayode Orekoya, Abdul-samad Garba Jahun and Kayode Oyedeji were accused of breaching the trust conferred on them as public officers by fraudulently awarding contract for Grid Extension and Solar Electricity from the amended budget 2008 of the REA.
They were also alleged to have fraudulently facilitated the withdrawal of the sum of N119.7million from the account of the agency domiciled in Central Bank of Nigeria.
It would be recalled that at the last adjournment, Gekpe’s counsel, Offiong Offiong made a “no case submission,” praying the court to quash the charge against his client on the ground that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused persons
At the resumed hearing of the case today, counsel to EFCC, Adebowale Kamoru who held brief for Kemi Pinhiero, SAN, prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable him respond to all processes including the “No case submission” by the defence.
Justice Banjoko, in granting his prayers consequently adjourned the matter to January 14, 2015.
