Operatives of the Econ-omic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday stormed three companies in Enugu State capital allegedly linked to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, arre-sting no fewer than 50 top officials and workers for questioning.
The raid and arrests in Enugu came on a day the commission arraigned former Kogi State governor, Prince Abubakar Audu in Lokoja.
The EFCC had in October presented a report to the National Assembly in which it indicted Nnamani for amassing N50 billion in state resources. The governor had denied the allegation, saying his hands were clean.
The companies raided by the commission in Enugu are Cosmos FM, Rain-bowNet Telecommuni-cations and Capital Autos.
Audu, who appeared before the State High Court in handcuffs, faces an 80-count charge preferred against him. The charges range from illegal contract award to a proxy company to conversion of government property to personal use. After the charges were read, the former governor pleaded, �I am far from being guilty.�
In Enugu, EFCC operatives arrived Cosmos and RainbowNet, which are located within the same area, at about 3pm in two Civilian buses and another Peugeot Boxer, and swiftly cordoned off the premises. After the 45-minute operation, they hauled the companies� workers and top officials, whose identities were not clearly known, into the waiting buses.
The operatives thereafter moved to Opara Avenue where Capital Autos is located, and also arrested officials and other workers.
Our Correspondent who visited the companies was informed that only security officers were left out in the offensive.
According to sources, the commission will resume its operation in other firms, including some schools allegedly owned by the Governor. The schools include Mea Matter Elizabeth College and Renaissance University, both located at Agbani Village.
The raid of the companies may not be unconnected with the allegation against Gov-ernor Nnamani that he has amassed about N50 billion in the state and owns a good number of companies, including the three companies visited by the officials of the EFCC.
Special Adviser to Governor Nnamani on Media, Mr. Festus Adedayo, however, maintained that the Governor has nothing to do with the firms under investigation.
In Lokoja, virtually all the ministries and government agencies, especially Kogi State Directorate of Rural Development was alleged in the charge to have been used as conduit pipe to embezzle the state funds.
Before Audu�s arrival in court, the police had cordoned off all roads leading to the court, which itself faced the state police command headquarters, an action that brought into the consciousness of people that something was amiss. police Bomb detectors ensured that everybody who had business in court yesterday was frisked while hundreds of mobile policemen surrounded the entire building.
The court that looked so ancient from the roofing to its interior decoration, could not contain the crowd as aged family members of the accused, mostly women, had taken positions before the police blockade of the entrance.
As the former governor alighted from the unmarked vehicle with over 40 mobile policemen and other security agents in mufti, family members could not hide their emotion and asked why their breadwinner was handcuffed.
They whispered their anger into the courtroom, praying that: �Audu would escape the present ordeal in the hand of government.�
Brought to the court around 10.18AM, Audu who wore a blue caftan with a blue cap to match upon sighting the crowd, raised his hands saying: �My trial is political.�
The former governor who looked unperturbed in the dock, pleaded �not guilty� to all the counts on the charge sheet, the plea which took the court three and a half hours to take.
Audu dramatised his pleas to counts 7 and 30 when he said: �I am far from being guilty and nothing can be farther from truth, my Lord I�m not guity at all.�
And just before the defence Lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) could mention the word �bail,� the prosecutor, Rotimi Jacobs objected, saying because of the circumstances surrounding the case, oral application for bail should not be allowed except it came through formal application with each party swearing to an affidavit.
But Chief Olanipekun countered that even in murder and felony cases, depending on the circumstances, bail had been granted citing the case of Abiola versus FGN and that the present case could not be treated differently.
He said that: �The offence was not only bailable but also ordinarily bailable. Bail can be applied for orally. In this case there is nothing to suggest that formal application should be brought before your lordship. It is time wasting and the liberty of somebody is been curtailed.�
It was at that point the presiding judge, Justice M.A Medupin asked the defence to proceed with his submission.
Chief Olanipekun argued that since the investigation has been completed and the accused was willing to stand his trial, there was no point to deny him bail and as a respected person who had the privilege of ruling the state for six years, he would not jump bail.
�Bail is a constitutional right. The accused is not being tried for felony. He possessed the personalities that can easily be identified and identifiable anywhere like an Albino who easily can be identified in the market crowd,� he said.
Olanipekun who protested that his client was handcuffed, said that: �Nigeria is a civilized society and that if he is convicted, he is still entitled to his human person.�
He cited plethora of cases to substantiate his submission that his client was still innocent in line with the provision of section 36 (5) of the 1999 constitution.
He however, thanked the EFCC for taking good care of his client and asked the court to order that he be remanded in EFCC custody instead of the prison�s.
He urged the court to take judicial notice of the positions the accused had held in the state which made him a senior citizen and would not do anything to rubbish his status.
Replying, the prosecutor, Rotimi Jacobs said that the accused lacked the credible character for him to be admitted to bail as he had earlier resisted arrest by trying to run from the operatives before he was overpowered.
Besides attempting to evade arrest, the accused was said to have refused to submit his international passport upon request and he has continued to threaten the prosecution witnesses who were still in EFCC custody.
He urged the court to refuse the bail and instead grant accelerated hearing of the case as there were evidence that the accused had the capacity to interfere with the evidence.
The presiding judge, Justice M.A. Medupin fixed ruling for bail application for next week Wednesday and ordered that the accused be remanded in EFCC custody.
Dec22006