By Innocent Anaba

Lagos—The Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, yesterday, re-arraigned the Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, Ibrahim Abdulsalam and six other persons over alleged stealing and conversion of the agency money amounting to N6.850 billion before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

EFCC had last week Thursday arraigned the NAMA boss, three directors of the agency and the wife of one of the directors.

The other defendants are Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Agbolade Segun, Clara Aliche, wife of Adegorite, Joy, who is the Managing Director of Multeng Travels and Tours Ltd and two limited liability companies Randville Investment Ltd, Multeng Travels and Tours Limited alleged to have been used as conduit pipe to defraud the agency.

The other defendants in the amended charge are Bola Akinribido and Sesebor Abiodun.

The matter was listed for hearing of the bail applications of the defendants, yesterday, but the prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo informed the court that he came with a 24 count amended charge and urged the court to allow the charge to be read to the accused persons again.

According to him, two other defendants were included in the amended charge and the defendants counsels did not oppose the application.

Trial judge, Justice Babs Kiewumi granted the request and the charge was read to the defendant who took their plea.

Meanwhile,  the defendants all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In the first count of the amended charge, EFCC alleged that the first to fifth defendants and one Nnamdi Udoh still at large between January 31, 2013 and September 3, 2015, with intent to defraud, conspired and induced NAMA to deliver N2,847,523,975 to Delosa Ltd, Air Sea Delivery Ltd and Sea Schedules Systems Ltd under the pretence that the said sum was the cost of clearing consignments belonging to the agency.

The offence was said to have contravened Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act, 2016 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.

The commission also alleged in the charge that the defendants on December 19, 2014, forged a document titled “ Guaranty Trust Bank Plc Apapa 2-Burma road NCS Payment Acknowledgement receipt number: 05821082014177651”

Two of the defendants Sesebor Abiodun and Bola Akinribido were only charge parts of the 24 count amended charge.

After their plea was taken, the prosecutor urged the court to allow him call his witnesses.

But all the defendants counsel, including Mr O. Akoni, SAN, who represented the NAMA boss opposed the commencement of the trial immediately, adding that the bail applications should be heard first.

Justice  Kiewumi while ruling on the bail applications granted all the accused person bail in the sum of N20million each with one sureties in like sum.