N136m fraud: Judge revokes former NIMASA staff’s bail ovet lateness to court

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of, a Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday revoked the N5m bail she granted a former staff of NIMASA Alu Dismas who is standing trial over an alleged N136m fraud.

Justice Olatoregun revoked Dismas’ bail and ordered that he should be remanded in prison after he came late to court.

At Monday’s proceedings, at 9.00 a.m., the first accused, Calistus Obi, was present in court, while Dismas had yet to arrive in court.

The case was stood down until 10.35 a.m when the second accused eventually entered the courtroom.

Justice Olatoregun, who expressed displeasure with the lateness, consequently revoked his bail.

She observed that it was not the first time the accused would be absent for his trial, saying the court could not wait for an accused.

“I hereby revoke his bail; he should be taken back into prison custody,” she ruled.

Dismas is the second accused in the ongoing trial of a former Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Calistus Obi, charged with N136m fraud.

Dismas who is a former personal assistant former DG of the Nigerian Maritime Administrative and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi was charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission eight counts.

They had pleaded not guilty to the charges and were admitted to bail in the sum of N5m each, with sureties in like sum.

Recall that the EFCC had closed the case for the prosecution on January 31, 2017, while the defence filed a no-case submission.

The court, however, dismissed the no-case submission on February 21, 2017, and ordered the defence to open its case.