By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA — This is not best of times for six top officials of the Rural Electrification Agency, REA, as they were yesterday re-arraigned before an Abuja high court sitting in Gudu over a 65-count amended criminal charge bothering on conspiracy, fraud and criminal breach of public trust.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is prosecuting them for allegedly collaborating with three sitting lawmakers to siphon about N5.2 billion from the coffers of the establishment in the guise of paying over 65 alleged fictitious companies that were purportedly awarded contract of Grid Extension and Solar Electricity Project.

The said project was funded from the 2008 Amended Budget of the REA.

The six officials who took turns to enter plea of ‘not guilty’ to the entire charges preferred against them by the anti-graft agency, yesterday, were the Managing Director of the REA, Samuel Gakpe, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Dr. Abdullahi Aliyu, as well as four directors in the establishment, Mr. Simon Nanley, Engr. Lawrence Orekoya, Abdulsalami Jahun Garba and Barrister Kayode Oyedeji.

They were alleged to have used their different positions to fraudulently facilitate the withdrawal of monies from an account of the agency domiciled in a Central Bank account number 010372014, at various times, and shared same after deceiving the Federal Government into believing that it was used to settle debts owed contractors that participated in the electricity project.

Some of the alleged bogus companies that the EFCC insisted were used to perpetuate the crime, were listed as, Chief & Chief  Nig. Ltd, Cambra Heights Investment Company Ltd, Skipper Electric Ltd, Sayuti Enterprises, Bukinn Moore Ventures, Construction Affairs Ltd, Williards Engineering, Alistar Trading Ltd, Valexcon Global Ltd, Oliza Investment, among 55 others.

The anti-graft agency further maintained that the three lawmakers orchestrated the fraud, adding that the six REA officials were used to facilitate the illicit withdrawals of the monies.

Meantime, former Senate Committee Chairman on Power, Senator Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane, his House of Representatives counterpart, Hon. Godwin Ndudi Elumelu and Hon. Jibo Mohammed, would equally appear before the Abuja high court on October 21, to take fresh plea over an amended 64- criminal count charge bothering on the same substantive matter.

Justice Adebukola Banjoko had earlier ordered two separate trials on the criminal matter following a request by all the embattled REA officials, who pleaded for an accelerated hearing of the case against them, after unanimously disassociating themselves from applications from the parliamentarians.

The lawmakers had in their applications, urged  the trial court to stay its proceedings pending the hearing and determination of separate appeals they said were lodged before an appellate court sitting in Abuja.

They are before the appellate court to challenge the decision of trial Justice Banjoko who refused to quash the criminal charges filed against them by the EFCC.

The judge had refused to hands-off their trial, maintaining that the proof of evidence against them disclosed enough prima-facie allegations that would warrant that they faced prosecution.

The six REA officials who are currently on bail, however, contended that staying proceeding in the matter would further compound their woes, even as they pleaded the court to try them separately, adding that their salaries were stopped shortly after the criminal case was initiated against them ab-initio by the anti-graft agency.

Their  request was acceded to by the trial high court which yesterday slated November 3 to commence definite hearing on the criminal case against them.