ICPC arraigns civil servant for allegedly signing off uncompleted project

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1 year ago

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), on Monday, arraigned a civil servant with the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), Mr Suleiman Austin Adavize, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for allegedly signing off a contract that was not completed.

The anti-graft agency, according to its spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, dragged Adavize before Justice Peter Kekemeke, sitting at Maitama, Abuja, on a three-count charge bordering on false statement.

Ogugua informed that the defendant, an architect with the BCDA, sometime in May 2022 did make a false statement in his progress report of September 2021 to the effect that an ICT centre being constructed at Gumel Local Government Area of Jigawa State had been completed 100 per cent which he knew was false as he did not visit the project site.

According to one of the charges preferred against Adavize read in the open court, the contract from the project was awarded to Gare Investment Nigeria Limited.

The offence is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 70 (1)(b) of the Public Enterprise Regulatory.

Having pleaded not guilty to the charge, counsel to the defendant, AG Osayande moved the bail application of his client, which was, however, not opposed by ICPC counsel, Eno Ighodaro-Yahaya.

Following this, Justice Kekemeke held that since there was no objection to the bail application by the prosecution, there was no reason to deny the defendant his freedom.

According to the judge, “The application for bail is unopposed; the alleged offence is bailable so there is no reason why the defendant should be denied bail.

“He is hereby granted bail in the sum of Two Million Naira (N2,000,000.00) and one surety in like sum.

“The Surety must be; 1: A pastor in the Church where the defendant worships or the Chairman of the Estate where the defendant lives or a senior officer in the defendant’s place of work.”

Justice Kekemeke thereafter adjourned the case to February 22, 2024, for hearing.

The ICPC spokesperson stated that the commission received a petition in July 2022, alleging that an ICT centre constructed by the BCDA in Gumel Local Government Area of Jigawa State had no required fittings as the Agency handed over a building structure with only five pieces of computers, while there were three halls meant to house complete computer sets.

“It may be recalled that one of the findings of ICPC’s Constituency and Executive Tracking Initiative is that some projects that were certified completed were found not to be so when the Commission went to track them,” Ogugua stated.

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