Drama As Judge Hands Over Police Lawyer To EFCC Over Unauthorized Charges Against Sen Oduah

An unexpected event unfolded at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday when Justice James Omotosho handed over a police lawyer, Ibrahim Mohammed, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Mohammed is being investigated for filing criminal charges against former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Adaeze Oduah, without the required authorization from the EFCC.

The police lawyer had filed an 8-count criminal charge against the former Minister in the name of the EFCC. However, he did this without the anti-graft agency’s permission, leading to the unexpected order by Justice Omotosho.

In an unusual court event on Tuesday, police lawyer, Mohammed, found himself in hot water when he announced his representation of the Nigeria Police Force for a case involving Stella Oduah, a former Minister of Aviation. Mohammed told the court that Oduah was absent due to health reasons.

However, when the court discovered that the charges against Oduah were signed by a police officer, questions arose.

The police officer who signed the charges had been temporarily assigned to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but was returned to the police force in November 2022. This raised eyebrows as the charges were filed by the EFCC in June 2023, but are being prosecuted by the police.

The judge questioned the legitimacy of the prosecutor’s explanation and subsequently ordered the EFCC to conduct an investigation into the prosecution counsel, Mohammed.

The former Aviation Minister, Oduah, was taken to court on an eight-count criminal charge, which included accusations of document forgery, conspiracy to commit a felony, among other offences.

These charges come amidst a controversy surrounding allegations of document falsification by Oduah, with claims that she dishonestly stated she had completed the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program.

The judge has scheduled a follow-up hearing and directed the prosecution counsel, Mohammed, to report to the EFCC for the investigation.