By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) has filed charges against former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, on alleged N2.5 billion fraud.
Oduah was arraigned before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, December 10, alongside Gloria Odita, with whom the former minister faces another pending alleged N5 billion money laundering trial before another court.
In the charges, the defendants were alleged to have committed the offence in January 2014, just about a month before Oduah was forced out of office over a procurement scandal.
Oduah served as Minister of Aviation from July 2, 2011 to February 12, 2014 under the administration of Goodluck Jonathan. She also represented the Anambra North Senatorial district twice, in 2015 and 2019.
The five–count charges filed against Oduah and her co-defendant said fraudulently obtained N2.5 billion disguised as the cost of technical supervision and security from the Ministry of Aviation.
In one of the counts, the defendants were alleged to have obtained “the whopping sum” of N2,469,030,738.9 from the federal aviation ministry “through Broad Waters Resource Nigeria Limited and Global Offshore Marine Limited by false pretence.”
In its allegation, the prosecution noted that the defendants knew that representing the money as “cost of technical supervision and security integrated and logistics support services” was false.
The charge said the offence was contrary to sections 8(a) and 1(1)(a) of The Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges after they were read to them.
Thereafter, Oduah’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, and Odita’s lawyer, Wale Balogun, applied that their clients be granted bail, with Oduah’s lawyer contending that the defendant is a well-known figure.
Balogun informed the judge that the defendants had complied with the bail conditions in another case before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where all travel documents were deposited.
The prosecution team, led by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, did not oppose the motion for their bail but asked the court to set a definite date.
Fagbemi said he would rather request a date for trial to commence, while he called on the judge to compel the defendants to submit their travel documents.
The trial judge, Hamza Muazu, granted bail to the defendants on self-recognition and instructed that their travel documents be submitted to the court.
Oduah’s counsel subsequently requested her travel documents.
The judge expressed readiness to grant the request if the defendant applied for permission to travel. But he also indicated that granting the request will be subject to the presentation of her case to the satisfaction of the court.
Justice Muazu thereafter adjourned the case to February 12 and 13, 2026, for the commencement of the trial.
In a separate case, Oduah is facing a N5 billion fraud charge alongside Odita, the Chinese construction company, CCECC, and others, before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Others named in the case as defendants are Nwosu Nnamdi, Chukwuma Irene Chinyere, Global Offshore and Marine Ltd, Tip Top Global Resources Ltd, Crystal Television Ltd, and Sobora International Ltd.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed the case with 25 counts on December 17, 2020, but the arraignment was stalled until July 21, 2023.
The 25 counts in the case centred on allegations that the defendants committed money laundering involving N5,052,415,984 between February and June 2014.
The charges also include conspiracy to commit money laundering, transferring, taking control, and taking possession of proceeds of fraud, aiding and abetting money laundering, and opening anonymous bank accounts, all of which the defendants denied.
