In Search Of Money For 2023 Campaign. Uzor Kalu in fresh battle with EFCC to unfreeze N7.1bn family bank account
January 16, 2022
Orji Uzor Kalu, the former governor of Abia State, sought a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to lift limitations on his company’s N7.1 billion bank account.

Kalu, who is a senator representing Abia North in the senate, also wants a court order to strike out his name and those of his firm, Slok Nigeria Ltd, from the EFCC’s new N7.1 billion accusation.
The former governor, through his lawyer, Ikoro N. Ikoro brought an application for the two reliefs predicated on the judgment of Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, delivered on September 29, 2021, which barred the Federal Government from retrying the former governor.
Kalu, who is the Chief Whip of the Senate, submitted that having been freed, it behoves on him to apply to the court to formally strike out his name and Slok from the charge sheet.
However, the scheduled re-arraignment of the former Commissioner of Finance in Abia State, Jones Udeogu, whom the court had ordered his retrial as well as hearing of all pending applications could not go on.
Slok’s counsel, Chief Chris Uche SAN, and Kalu’s lawyer had informed the court that the EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Jacob SAN, served his response to their application which they served on him since October 2021, on Monday, January 10, 2022.
Though, Ikoro and Uche expressed dismay over the way the EFCC lawyer decided to wait to serve his counter-affidavit on Monday night, said they needed time to reply.
In view of the reason, the trial judge, Justice Ekwo adjourned with the consensus of parties to March 10, for hearing of Kalu and Slok’s applications as well as EFCC’s motion on notice seeking transfer of the matter to Lagos.
Justice Ekwo had on September 29, 2021, stopped the Federal Government from retrying Orji Uzor Kalu, over alleged N7.1 billion fraud.
Kalu was charged alongside his firm, Slok and Udeogu, and while the duo was convicted and sentenced for 12 years, the company was wound up.
It was the opinion of the court that since Kalu was not mentioned in the judgment of the Supreme Court, which had nullified his conviction and sentencing and ordered a retrial, the judgment did not apply to him.
The judge also reasoned that it was only the former Commissioner of Finance in Abia Government House, Jones Udeogu, that could be re-tried as only his name was mentioned in the Supreme Court judgment.
About The Author
About the Author: Starnews NG
Related Posts
FRSC seizes 222 trailers conveying 3,169 passengers The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) inter-agency task force has apprehended 222 trailers transporting 3,169 passengers across Niger, Bauchi, Taraba, and Kaduna states. The task force, established to curb the transportation of passengers alongside goods, aims to reduce road traffic accidents and associated casualties caused by the reckless conduct of trailer drivers. Corps Marshal Dauda Ali-Biu announced during a press briefing in Abuja that the initiative involves collaboration with various transport unions, security agencies, and traffic management authorities. “As part of the operations, the JTF dropped over 2,440 passengers who were mandated to take alternative vehicles designed for conveying passengers. “Since the commencement of the JTF on March 23, the monster of road traffic crashes involving trailers and the fatalities that come with them have been adequately tamed and the situation arrested on all fronts,” he said. Mr Ali-Biu added that the corps had gone a step further by prosecuting recalcitrant trailer drivers aside the conventional enforcement of traffic regulations. This, he said, was done through mobile courts in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. “Subsequently, more drastic measures, including suspension and withdrawal of the national driver’s licence, will be carried out. “Permit me to reiterate at this critical moment that, on our part, as an agency of government charged with road safety supervision, we have resolved to continue in our strive to make the nation’s highways safe. “Part of our resolve is to consolidate on the gains recorded so far through the strategic combat operations of the joint task force. “We have decided to sustain the tempo by extending the operations of the JTF to other critical corridors across the nation. “The essence of this extension is to give it a holistic approach,” the corps marshal said.FRSC seizes 222 trailers conveying 3,169 passengers The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) inter-agency task force has apprehended 222 trailers transporting 3,169 passengers across Niger, Bauchi, Taraba, and Kaduna states. The task force, established to curb the transportation of passengers alongside goods, aims to reduce road traffic accidents and associated casualties caused by the reckless conduct of trailer drivers. Corps Marshal Dauda Ali-Biu announced during a press briefing in Abuja that the initiative involves collaboration with various transport unions, security agencies, and traffic management authorities. “As part of the operations, the JTF dropped over 2,440 passengers who were mandated to take alternative vehicles designed for conveying passengers. “Since the commencement of the JTF on March 23, the monster of road traffic crashes involving trailers and the fatalities that come with them have been adequately tamed and the situation arrested on all fronts,” he said. Mr Ali-Biu added that the corps had gone a step further by prosecuting recalcitrant trailer drivers aside the conventional enforcement of traffic regulations. This, he said, was done through mobile courts in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. “Subsequently, more drastic measures, including suspension and withdrawal of the national driver’s licence, will be carried out. “Permit me to reiterate at this critical moment that, on our part, as an agency of government charged with road safety supervision, we have resolved to continue in our strive to make the nation’s highways safe. “Part of our resolve is to consolidate on the gains recorded so far through the strategic combat operations of the joint task force. “We have decided to sustain the tempo by extending the operations of the JTF to other critical corridors across the nation. “The essence of this extension is to give it a holistic approach,” the corps marshal said.
