Akin Kuponiyi

A Federal high court sitting in Lagos south west Nigeria presided over by Justice Rilwan Aikawa today ordered the arrest of Attorney General of Akwa Ibom state, Mr Uwemedimo Thomas Nwoko,commissioner for finance; Nsikan Linus Nkan, the Accountant General; Nfon Jacobson Udomah and one Margret Thompson Ukpe, a cashier in Akwa Ibom state Government house, all of them alleged to be at large.

The order of the presiding judge was as a result of an application made by Economic and Financial Crime Commission EFCC prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo seeking for warrant of arrest against all the officials of Akwa Ibom state whose names appeared in the N1.4 billion criminal charge filed before the court against the embattled NBA president Paul Usoro SAN.

Paul Uzoro SAN was today re-arraigned before justice Aikawa on the allegations of converting to personal use, concealing the source of, disguising the origin of and retaining in his account sums of money to the tune of N1.4billion belonging to the Akwa Ibom State government.

The alleged offences were committed between 2015 and 2016, and named as Usoro’s
accomplices are the aforementioned persons who the court had issued bench warrant against and Governor Emmanuel Udom, of Akwa Ibom State, who is currently constitutionally immune to criminal prosecution;

Listed as witnesses to give evidence of their investigation, with exhibits and reveal their findings are Ibrahim Musa Miringa and Abdulrah Mohammed AraboIt. while documents recovered by them in the course of the investigation would be tendered and analysed before the court,while Udom Idongesit Ekom would give evidence of the transaction source of the sum of N300,000,000.00 and how the account of Paul Usoro & Co was opened.

Other witnesses includes Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), Theophilus Oyesanya (SAN), Onyechi Ikeazu (SAN), Festus Jumbo and D.D. Dodo who will give evidence of the legal services rendered with the Uzoro for Emmanuel Udom, for which they received payments from the Uzoro

Representatives of Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Diamond Bank, Standard Chartered Bank will equally testify

The charge against Usoro stated thus:

Count 1: that you Paul Usoro (SAN), Emmanuel Udom (currently constitutionally immune to criminal prosecution), Uwemedimo Thomas Nwoko (still at large), Nsikan Linus Nkan (Commissioner of Finance Akwa Ibom State) (still at large), Mfon Jacobson Udomah (Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State) (still at large) and Margaret Thompson Ukpe (still at large), sometime in 2015 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired among yourselves to commit an offence, to wit: conversion of the sum of N1, 400, 000, 000 (one billion four hundred and ten million naira) property of Government of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity to wit: criminal breach of trust and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (A) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

Count 2: That you Paul Usoro (SAN), Emmanuel Udom (currently constitutionally immune to criminal prosecution), Uwemedimo Thomas Nwoko (still at large), Nsikan Linus Nkan (Commissioner of Finance Akwa Ibom State) (still at large), Mfon Jacobson Udomah (Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State) (still at large) and Margaret Thompson Ukpe (still at large) on or about the 14th day of March 2016 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court converted the sum of N300, 000, 000 (three hundred million), property of the Government of AKwa Ibom State of Nigeria, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

Count 3: That you Paul Usoro (SAN), Emmanuel Udom (currently constitutionally immune to criminal prosecution), Uwemedimo Thomas Nwoko (still at large), Nsikan Linus Nkan (Commissioner of Finance Akwa Ibom State) (still at large), Mfon Jacobson Udomah (Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State) (still at large) and Margaret Thompson Ukpe (still at large) on or about the 14th day of March 2016 in Nigerian within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court concealed the sum of N300, 000, 000 (three hundred million), property of the Government of AKwa Ibom State of Nigeria, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and 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.

Count 4: That you Paul Usoro (SAN), Emmanuel Udom (currently constitutionally immune to criminal prosecution), Uwemedimo Thomas Nwoko (still at large), Nsikan Linus Nkan (Commissioner of Finance Akwa Ibom State) (still at large), Mfon Jacobson Udomah (Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State) (still at large) and Margaret Thompson Ukpe (still at large) on or about the 14th day of March 2016 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court disguised the origin of the sum of N300, 000, 000 (three hundred million), property of the Government of AKwa Ibom State of Nigeria, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and 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.

Count Five: That you, Paul Usoro (SAN) on or about the 14th day of March, 2016 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court used the sum of N300,000,000.00 (three hundred million Naira), property of Government of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

Count Six: That you, Paul Usoro (SAN) on or about the 14th day of March, 2016 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court used the sum of N300,000,000.00 (three hundred million Naira), property of Government of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria in your Paul Usoro & Co’s account No. 1014604466 domiciled in Zenith Bank Plc which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

Count Seven: That you, Paul Usoro (SAN) on or about the 24th day of August, 2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court retained the sum of N530,000,000.00 (five hundred and thirty million Naira), property of Government of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria in Paul Usoro and Company’s Clients’ account No. 0690123425 domicile in Access bank Plc which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

Count Eight: That you, Paul Usoro (SAN) on or about the 18th day of September, 2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court retained the sum of N40,000,000.00 (forty million Naira), property of Government of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria in Paul Usoro and Company’s Clients’ account No. 0690123425 domicile in Access bank Plc which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

Count Nine: That you, Paul Usoro (SAN) on or about the 3rd day of December, 2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court retained the sum of N260,000,000.00 (two hundred and sixty million Naira), property of Government of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria in Paul Usoro and Company’s Clients’ account No. 0690123425 domicile in Access bank Plc which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

Count 10: That you, Paul Usoro (SAN) on or about the 27th day of August, 2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court transferred the sum of N65,000,000.00 (sixty-five million Naira), property of Government of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria from Paul Usoro and Company’s Clients’ account No. 0690123425 domicile in Access Bank Plc to Uwemedimo Thomas Nwoko (Hon. Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Akwa Ibom State) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
Defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The defence counsel Ifedayo Adedipe SAN leading five other senior advocates of Nigeria including Offiong O. Offiong, Olusina Sofola, Gorge Oguntade, A.T Kehinde and Essien Udoh applied that the defendant should be allowed to continue on the bail earlier granted him by the first trial judge Muslim Sule Hassan who later returned the file to the Administrative Judge for reassignment due to the allegations of bias by the defence counsels.
However Oyedepo opposed the application and urged justice Aikawa to impose fresh conditions for bail because the case was to start afresh before him.
After listening to the argument of the two parties Justice Aikawa in his ruling admitted Usoro to bail in the sum of N250m and one surety in like sum
The judge said that the surety must be either be a landed property owner within court jurisdiction or a civil servant who must not be lower than Director in the employment of Federal or state Government.
In the case of civil servant, the judge added that the credential must be verified, Uzoro must deposit his international passport with the court,but release Usoro to his lawyer Offiong O. Offiong SAN pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions which must be fulfilled within fourteen days from today
Thereafter, Justice Aikawa adjourned till 18th and 19th of March,2019 for trial of the accused NBA president to commence.