The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed fresh corruption charge against a dismissed judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Godwin Obla, at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The fresh charge was filed barely 24 hours after Justice Hakeem Oshodi of a Lagos High Court in Ikeja discharged and acquitted them of a 24-count charge bordering on corruption and unlawful, enrichment by a public officer slammed on them by the anti-graft agency.
Justice Ajumogobia was re-arrested by some operatives of the EFCC shortly after the court’s verdict.
The latest charge containing 18 counts was filed yesterday afternoon at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
It was gathered that both Ajumogobia and Obla would be arraigned today before Justice Mohammed Aikawa.
Some of the counts in the latest charge marked, FHC/139C/19, reads as thus:
“That you Hon. Justice Rita Ngozi Ofili-Ajumogobia and Godwin Obla, SAN, on or about 21st day of May, 2014, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired to indirectly conceal the sum of N5 million in the Diamond Bank Account of Nigel & Colive Ltd, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: unlawful enrichment and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (a), 15 (2) (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you Godwin Obla, SAN, on or about 21st day of May, 2014, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court procured Nigel & Colive Ltd, to retain the sum of N5 million in its Diamond Bank Account on behalf of Hon. Justice Rita Ngozi Ofili-Ajumogobia, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: unlawful enrichment and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (c), 15 (2) (c) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you Hon. Justice Rita Ngozi Ofili-Ajumogobia, on or about 11th day of July, 2014, in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly conceal the sum of N12 million in the Diamond Bank Account of Nigel & Colive Ltd, opened and operated by you, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: unlawful enrichment and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you Hon. Justice Rita Ngozi Ofili-Ajumogobia, on or about the 21st day of October, 2016 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly made a false statement wherein you stated as follows: “On the 11th July, 2014, the same family that purchased my land, made a further payment of N4 million. That same 11th July, 2014, a further payment of N3 million was paid in as further payment on account of the total price of N33 million. Also on the same day, the same person paid in N5 million which was final payment of the purchase price for the sold land in Rita Ajumogobia Street, Asaba” to Lawal Abdullahi, an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, in the course of the exercise of his duty and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 39 (2) (a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004″.
