Mohammed, a police officer who appeared for EFCC, admitted committing an error in filing the charge against Oduah in the name of the anti-graft agency.
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has washed its hands off a lawyer, Ibrahim Mohammed, who filed a fresh charge bordering on perjury and document falsification against Senator Stella Oduah in the name of the anti-graft agency.
Counsel of the EFCC, H. A Okonofua, told Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday that the commission did not instruct Mohammed to prosecute Oduah, the sole defendant in the matter.
Mohammed and Oduah were not in court on Tuesday.
Okonofua said, “The counsel, Ibrahim Mohammed, was de-seconded back to Nigeria Police on 14 November, 2022, and he was not sent to represent the EFCC to prosecute the defendant in the charge he filed in June.”
The judge, consequently, adjourned the matter until October 4 for the report of the investigation on Mohammed to be filed before the court.
On July 10, it was reported that the EFCC was expected to arraign Oduah before Justice Omotosho the next day on alleged perjury and document falsification.
The ex-lawmaker, who represented Anambra North Senatorial District in the 9th National Assembly, is being accused of misrepresenting facts about whether or not she participated in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and was issued a certificate to that effect.
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She was alleged to have falsified documents with which she got into public offices, including being a minister and a senator in the fresh charge.
But on July 11 when the matter was called for arraignment, Mohammed, a police officer who appeared for EFCC, admitted committing an error in filing the charge against Oduah in the name of the anti-graft agency.
He told the court that though he was seconded to the EFCC, he was redeployed to the Force Headquarters in November last year.
He said it was in error that he signed the charge in the name of the EFCC Office in Benin.
The judge then ordered his arrest and investigation by the commission.