A High
Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday ordered that the
Chairman of the Goodluck Support Group, Aminu Abubakar and one Okechukwu
Geoffrey be remanded in prison custody over allegation of blackmail.
The
accused persons were docked on a 3-count charge bordering on extortion and
conspiracy to extort, slammed against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices
and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The
accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges when read to them and the
prosecution counsel, George Lawal, prayed the court for date to commence trial
in the matter.
Counsel
to the accused persons, E. A. Egbebu, informed the court about his motion
challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter and that the
charges against the accused persons be quashed.
Prosecution
counsel, George Lawal, objected to the application on the grounds that the
application was premature.
Egbebu,
Counsel to the accused persons in his reply on points of law argued that since
the motion is challenging the jurisdiction, the court is expected to hear it
before arraigning the accused persons.
The Court
presided over by the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
Justice Ishaq Bello over-ruled the submission of the defence counsel that the
court should hear the motion challenging jurisdiction before the accused
persons take their plea.
Justice
Bello adjourned the matter till July 9, 2015 for hearing of the motion
challenging the jurisdiction of the court filed by the defence counsel, while
their bail application will be taken on June 11, 2015
Abubakar
and Geoffrey (the accused persons) were said to have been in possession of some
documents relating to some officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources,
with the intent to implicate them if they fail to give him the sum of
N50million.
It was
gathered that, having sensed danger in what the officials later realised to be
blackmail, they reportedly petitioned the ICPC through an intermediary.
The investigative
team of the commission swung into action, coordinated a sting operation where
the N50 million earlier solicited for by Abubakar was negotiated downwards to
N25 million.
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