Appear in court on July 9 to explain whereabout of your client, Judge orders defence counsel Nnamdi Awa Kalu
By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Justice Ambrose Lewis Allagoa of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered a defence counsel Nnamdi Awa Kalu Esq. to appear before the court on the 9th of July, 2025 to clarify the whereabout of his client, one Richard Ironbar Edemadem who is said to have jumped bail and refused to appear in court for his trial.
Justice Allagoa made the order summoning the lawyer on Friday during the trial of four persons and a company over alleged N36,837,438.20 fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is currently prosecuting the five defendants, Richard Ironbar Edemadem, Samuel Okpapi, Nelson Ojovbo, Bamigbade Olushola and ISD Technology Limited over fraudulent tampering with Critical Mobile Telecommunications Network System of MTN Communications Nigeria Limited.
The defendants were alleged to have used the compromised Critical Mobile Telecommunications Network System to send unsolicited messages to subscribers and consequently debiting their account and thereafter share the money among themselves.
However, midway into the trial on Friday, Justice Allagoa observed that out of the five defendants listed in the charge before him, only four were present for trial. He then asked the prosecutor why the first defendant Richard Ironbar Edemadem whose name was frequently being mentioned by the witness was not in court.
In his reply to the question, the prosecutor, Mr Nnaemeka Omewa told the judge that the first defendant had since jumped bail while his counsel Mr. Nnamdi Awa Kalu had stopped coming to court for the case.
Upon the prosecutor’s explanation, Justice Allagoa further asked Omewa why the prosecution has not gone after the sureties at least if it would mean to forfeit the bail bond signed by them if they were unable to produce the defendant.
In his reply to the judge’s enquiry, Omewa then explained that the prosecution has made several efforts to trace the sureties even by searching the court file for their address, but could not find any document relating to the sureties or their bail bond in the court file.
It was at this point that Justice Allagoa made an order directing the defendant’s counsel who had also not been coming to court to appear before the court on the next adjourned date, 9th of July 2025 to clarify what he knows about the whereabout of his client.
During the trial on Friday, the 4th prosecution witness Mr Olamide Sadiq from the EFCC who is the Investigating Officer, continued with his evidence by narrating to the court how the defendants defrauded MTN subscribers to the tune of over N36 million by tampering with Critical Mobile Telecommunications Network System of MTN.
Sadiq said that four of the defendants who are IT experts working for some other Telecom Enhancing Service Providers conspired among themselves by compromising the critical telecom network system of MTN, sending unsolicited messages to subscribers and thereafter surcharging them.
The proceeds from this illegal act were then shared among the defendants and their companies.
Meanwhile, following the conclusion of the evidence of the Investigation Officer, Justice Alagoa adjourned further trial till July 9, 2025.
The charge against the defendants reads:
COUNT 1 .
That you, Richard lronbar Edemdem, Samuel Okpapi, Nelson Ojovbo, Bamigbade Olushola, ISD Technology Limited and One Sola (still at large) sometime in 2017 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to commit a felony to wit: Tampering with Critical Mobile Telecommunications Network System and thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 27 (6b) and 10 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Section of the Act.
COUNT 2
That you, Richard Ironbar Edemdem, Samuel Okpapi, Nelson Ojovbo, Bamigbade Olushola, ISD Technology Limited and One Sola (still at large) between 2017 and 2018 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court intentionally tampered with Critical Mobile Telecommunications Network System which you are not authorized to do by letter of your contract of service and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 10 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Section of the Act.
COUNT 3 .
That you, Richard Ironbar Edemdem, Samuel Okpapi, Nelson Ojovbo, Bamigbade Olushola, ISD Technology Limited and One Sola (still at large) between 2017 and 2018 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable
Court took possession of the sum of N36,837,438.20(Thirty Six Million, Eight Hundred and Thirty Seven Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty Eight Naira,
Twenty Kobo) which you reasonably ought to have known that such Fund forms part of proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing and thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 15(2) (d) and (6) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as (Amended) and punishable under the same Section of the Act.
They had pleaded not guilty to the charge and had been granted bail.
