Politics
Court orders arrest of Senator Uzodinma
A court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the chairman of the Senate Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff, and Marine Transport, Senator Hope Uzodinma.
A Kubwa Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, gave the order on Tuesday following the senator’s alleged issuance of N200 million dud cheque.
Uzodinma, who represents Imo-West at the Senate, alongside Smiec Engineering and Chemical Construction Company, Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company, allegedly issued the N200 million dud cheque to Chitex Ventures and Chima Akuzie.
The judge presiding over the matter, Abdulwahab Mohammed, recalled that the defendant was absent on the last adjourned date of September 11, but his counsel, Eze Oguaju, promised to make him available this Tuesday (today), September 18.
Following the defendant’s lawyer’s failure to produce him in court, Mohammed relying on Section 478 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, issued a bench warrant against Uzodinma, and entered a plea of not guilty for the other defendants.
The section provides that a court shall order a plea of not guilty to be entered and the trial shall proceed as though the corporation involved had duly entered a plea of not guilty.
The matter was then adjourned till September 25 for hearing.
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The lawyer to Chitex Ventures Ltd and Chima Akuzie, Oluwatosin Ojaomo, had earlier prayed the court to invoke the provisions of Section 131 of the ACJA against the defendant, by issuing a warrant of arrest against the defendant.
He had wondered why the defendants were absent in court regardless of the fact that they know about September 18 arraignment date.
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