Alleged N978.4m oil fraud: Court fixes October 28 for trial

A Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere yesterday fixed October 28, 2019 for the trial of the Managing Director of Nadabo Energy Oil and Gas Limited, Mr Abubakar Ali Peters, in a N978.4 million fraud case that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) preferred against him. Justice Christopher Balogun admitted Peters to bail of […]

A Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere yesterday fixed October 28, 2019 for the trial of the Managing Director of Nadabo Energy Oil and Gas Limited, Mr Abubakar Ali Peters, in a N978.4 million fraud case that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) preferred against him.

Justice Christopher Balogun admitted Peters to bail of N100m, with two sureties in like sum.

Justice Balogun, before granting the defendant bail, expressed his displeasure with the attitude of Peters’ former counsel, Emefo Etudo.

The judge threatened to petition the Nigerian Bar Association on Etudo’s conduct if investigation reveals the lawyer had misled the court to keep Peters in prison.

“He has written two petitions against me, but he doesn’t know the law. If he had known the law, he would have known you don’t write a petition against a judge. If there is an error of law, the only option

left for you is to approach the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court,” Justice Balogun held.

On September 25, 2019, Etubo had informed the judge that he was no longer representing the defendant, alleging Peters had been paid a huge sum of money and wanted to abscond from the country.

But in his submission, the new counsel to the defendant, Olatunbosun Adekunle, submitted that Peters was a victim of a lawyer-client relationship and prayed the court to ignore Etudo’s claims.

The prosecution counsel, Tope Banjo, argued that the court should decline the defendant’s bail application, “because he is a flight risk”.

Peter is standing trial on a 27-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and use of forged documents.

He allegedly defrauded the federal government of N978.4m by supplying 6,505,140.04 litres of petroleum motor spirit instead of 19,488, 992 litres indicated in the contract.