From Victor Osula, Abuja
An Abuja traditional chief, George Kadiri, who stood surety for Mr James Nolan, a British national, at the centre of an ongoing $9.6 billion Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) scam trial, has been arrested.
Kadiri, a retired civil servant and traditional chief in Gwagwalada, was on Thursday, produced before Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court at the resumed hearing in the matter.
Justice Mohammed had, on September 28, 2022, revoked the N100 million bail granted to Nolan, a director in P&ID, following his refusal to appear for his trial.
In the ruling, the judge issued a bench warrant against Nolan, and ordered that he should be arrested by security agencies, including the Interpol, anywhere he is sighted within or outside Nigeria and be produced in court to stand his trial. The judge also directed that the surety appear in court to show cause why his bail bond should not be forfeited.
The order followed the application made by EFCC’s lawyer, Bala Sanga, that Nolan had jumped bail. However, after the case was re-assigned to Justice Lifu, Kadiri had been evading court sitting, which led to an order for his arrest.
In a motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/143/2020 filed by his lawyer, O.J. Aboge, before Justice Ahmed Mohammed, the surety had sought more time within which to appear in court to show cause why his bail bond should not be forfeited.
When the case was called on Thursday, Sanga said the commission had brought Kadiri to court in obedience to a court order.
Aboge, who appeared for Kadiri, sought a date to address the court on the issue of forfeiting the bail bond of N100 million.
“This charge here is different. I humbly apply for the bail bond that should be forfeited. The cases before Justice Egwuatu and the one here are the same. I want to produce an argument on the various points raised before the court”, he said and prayed the court for the surety to be released to him on bail.
Defendants’ lawyer, Paul Erokoro, SAN, agreed to take Kadiri on bail.
“Chief Kadiri, the surety, is a traditional chief in Gwagwalada. He will not run away. I stood surety for him at EFCC. This is my first time taking someone on bail”, Erokoro begged.
While the anti-graft agency’s lawyer neither opposed the submission made on bail nor objected to the request for an adjournment. Justice Lifu adjourned the matter until November 5 for further proceedings and a hearing on the issue of forfeiture of the bail bond entered by Kadiri.
“Meanwhile, the surety, Chief Kadiri, is herein released to Chief Paul Erokoro, SAN, on bail to be produced in court until this issue of forfeiture of bail bond is resolved or determined by the court, I so ruled”, Justice Lifu declared.
The EFCC had, on August 18, 2020, arraigned Nolan before Justice Mohammed in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/143/2020. Alleged to be at large, Nolan is also standing trial in about eight other cases for his involvement in the $9.6 billion controversial contract awarded to P&ID.
