Court Strikes Out Electricity Theft Charge Against Property Developer, Osakwe
- Justice Binta Murtala Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed electricity theft charges against property developer Mr. Cecil Osakwe
- The trial faced delays due to discrepancies in a witness's statement, leading to objections by the defense
- A whistleblower’s report initially triggered the charges, but testimony from a former AEDC staff member revealed that he did not know what became of the investigation after it was submitted
Justice Binta Murtala Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has struck out the criminal charges of electricity theft brought against property developer Mr. Cecil Osakwe.
The decision followed the withdrawal of the case by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Granting the prosecutor’s request, Justice Nyako ruled:
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“It is hereby ordered as follows: That as requested by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the charge be and it is accordingly struck out. That the defendant is hereby discharged.”
The ruling brings an end to the federal government’s criminal proceedings against Osakwe, which began with allegations of tampering with electricity meters on one of his properties.
Witness discrepancies stalled case
The case had faced hurdles prior to its withdrawal. At the last hearing, discrepancies in a witness’s statement led to delays.
Prosecutor Mamman Alibaba called a witness, Mr. John Suleiman, to testify about alleged meter tampering.
However, defence counsel Victor Giwa objected to the admission of exhibits tied to Suleiman’s testimony.
Giwa argued that the documents had not been attached to the witness statement provided to the defence, making Suleiman an inappropriate person to tender them.
Justice Nyako upheld this objection, leading to an adjournment for the prosecution to address its case.
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Earlier allegations from AEDC whistleblower
The prosecution's case initially relied on a report from a whistleblower to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
Prosecution witness Mr. Gabriel Ojo, a former AEDC staff member, testified that a team investigated the allegations and forwarded a report to AEDC management.
Ojo admitted under cross-examination that he did not know the report’s fate after submission, nor could he recall the names of security guards interviewed during the investigation.
“I believe that the management passed the report to the revenue protection unit, but I do not know what happened thereafter,” Ojo told the court.
