News About Nigeria reports development surrounding the felony charge levelled against former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, she has finally responded to the accusations made by the federal government.
According to reliable sources, the charges, comprising eight counts, were filed on June 26, 2021, at the Federal High Court in Abuja under the reference FHC/ABJ/CR/275/23.
The allegations against Oduah centre around perjury, a serious felony offence. It is alleged that she provided false testimony under oath, specifically by falsely declaring that her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate was missing.
This false claim was purportedly made to support her eligibility for electoral contests and political office appointments.
Oduah’s legal representative, James Onoja, issued a press statement emphasizing that his client was neither formally notified about the lawsuit nor invited for questioning. Onoja contends that Oduah only became aware of the charges through social media.
“On behalf of our client, we would like to state that she is completely unaware of the charges,” Onoja stated.
He further asserted that no investigation was conducted by the Nigerian police or any other security agency, and Oduah was not requested to provide any statement.
Onoja went on to suggest that the lawsuit may be politically motivated, branding the charges as a gender-based attack on his client’s political career.
He criticized the professionalism of the two lawyers, Ochogwu Ogbe and Ibrahim Mohammed, who filed the suit, alleging that they neglected to affix their mandatory practising seals as required by the legal profession.
During the recent court hearing on Tuesday, Judge James Omotosho ordered an investigation into the prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Mohammed, by the EFCC. The judge’s decision stemmed from inconsistencies found in the charges against Oduah.
Interestingly, Mohammed signed the charge as a member of the legal and prosecution department of the EFCC but identified himself as the head of the inspector-general of police (IGP) monitoring unit, Nigeria police force headquarters, Abuja, in a supporting written address.
