Ex-Governor Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State is in hot soup as the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday refused the plea to vacate the bench warrant it issued for his arrest.
Chimaroke Nnamani
The former governor’s lawyer, Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN) plea was turned down by Justice Chuka Obiozor, who insisted that Nnamani must be produced before him in respect of a N5.3billion fraud charge.
Justice Chuka also struck out the ex-governor’s application, challenging the court’s jurisdiction and seeking a perpetual injunction to restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting him.
However, the judge has adjourned the case till February 20, 2018 at the instance of the EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Kelvin Uzozie, who pleaded for time to consult with the anti-graft agency on how to proceed with the case.
Recall that Chimaroke Nnamani, his ex-aide; Sunday Anyaogu and six companies had been first arraigned in 2007 for allegedly conspiring to divert about N5.3billion from the coffers of Enugu State. The case was last year December transferred to Justice Obiozor, who fixed December 4th for the re-arraignment of the defendants.
Meanwhile, at the Friday’s proceedings, Anyaogu was in court but the ex-governor was not.