By Desire Emmanuel
A lawyer who wrote a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and accused his landlord of not having any means of livelihood has been remanded in prison custody after he was found to have provided false information.
The lawyer, Steve Adamu, was said to have written the petition to the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, where he claimed that his landlord had no means of livelihood, yet he was acquiring exotic vehicles and buying landed properties all over Kaduna City.
However, after receiving the petition, the operatives of the anti graft body began investigations and it was found out that the allegations were false and malicious, prompting his arrest.
He was thereafter charged to court and brought before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, sitting in Kaduna, on a one-count charge of false information peddling.
According to the EFCC in a statement on Tuesday, the charge against him reads: “That you, Steve Adamu, within the jurisdiction of this court, committed an offence to wit: wilfully gave false information to the EFCC, which was used to carry out investigation on your complaint to the commission.
“This information you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 16(1) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 16(2) of the same Act.”
When the charge was read to him in the court, he pleaded not guilty, prompting the prosecution counsel, M.E. Eimonye, to ask the court for a trial date, while the defence counsel urged the court to grant him bail.
Justice Khobo thereafter ordered that he should be remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter till December 20 for hearing of the bail application
