ABUJA – The trial of two ministries’ staff, Mrs Joy Ndubuisi Chineme, a staff member of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, (first defendant) and one Mr Godwin Tabo Sakat of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, (second defendant) over alleged 12 million job racketeering has commenced in earnest before Justice C.O. Oba of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had first arraigned the duo in a nine-count charge in July 2024.
At the commencement of the trial on Monday, the prosecution counsel, Mr Suleiman Abdulkareem brought before the court, Mrs Adah Ojoma, an Assistant Director in ICPC and the first prosecution witness in the case.
Mrs Ojoma told the court that a petition against the first defendant was received on 4th of March 2022 which led to an investigation by the Commission.
According to her, in the course of the investigation, “The team first discovered the sum of Three Hundred Thousand naira in her (Mrs Chineme’s) bank account and different other amounts totalling over 12 million naira.”
She transferred some of the money to her Zenith bank account and some to the second defendant (Mr Sakat).
Giving a breakdown, Ojoma said sometime in 2018, the first defendant transferred the sum of 3.9 million naira into her Zenith Bank, while in 2019, over 5 million naira was transferred and then over 2.5 million naira in 2021. And that the sum of 4.3 million naira was transferred to the second defendant.
She added that in the course of the investigation, a letter of employment that was fake was also discovered.
She continued that, upon invitation to the Commission, the first defendant came and made her statement voluntarily.
However, counsel to the first defendant, E. E. Oga opposed that the first defendant did not make her statement voluntarily but under duress and therefore prayed the court to allow for a trial within trial.
Reacting, ICPC counsel, Mr. Abdulkareem said although the statement was not a confession, he was not opposed to the plea by his learned counsel.
During the trial within trial, Mrs Ojoma told the court that the first defendant was invited by the Commission and that after legal procedures were explained to her, she called her husband at one time and her sister at another time to write the statement on her behalf as she could not write properly.
Counsel to the first defendant however moved for an adjournment to enable him to bring the defense witness.
The matter was thereafter adjourned till the 25th of March, 2025 for continuation of trial.