Stella Oduah
Court hands over lawyer to EFCC. The Federal Government has filed an eight-count indictment against Stella Oduah, former Minister of Aviation, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The former lawmaker is named as the single defendant in the complaint filed by the FG through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and she is accused of falsely claiming to have misplaced her National Youth Service Corps certificate, among other things.
According to court documents, the charge was filed on June 26, 2023, at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division by Ochugwu Ogbeh Esq. and Ibrahim Mohammed Esq. of the Legal and Prosecution Department of the EFCC in Benin, Edo state.
One of the counts read, “That you Senator Stella Oduah and D.A.O Oshinowo (at large) sometime in the year, 2017, at Federal Capital Territory, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: Make a document titled ‘Re: Request for National Youth Service Confirmation which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 3(6) of the miscellaneous offences Act CAF M17 of the revised edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007 and Punishable under section 3 (1) (c) of the same Act.
“That you Senator Stella Oduah and D. A. O. Oshinowo (at large) sometime in the year 2017 at Federal Capital Territory, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fabricate an incorrect document with intent to cause injury to wit titled Re: Request for National Youth Service confirmation with intend that it may be acted upon as genuine, the representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 156 of the Penal Code Act and Punishable under section 158(1) of the same Act.
“That you, Senator Stella Oduah, sometime in the year 2011, at Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did forward your credentials to the Federal Government of Nigeria, among which is an affidavit and extract from police crime diary, that you lost your National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Certificate, the representation you know to be false, which led to your nomination as a Cabinet Minister and thus committed an offence contrary to the Constitution.”
“That you Senator Stella Oduah sometime in the year 2018, at Federal Capital Territory, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did retain the aggregate sum paid to you as salaries and allowances by the Federal Government of Nigeria as a Minister of Aviation and two-term Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from the Taxpayers Money knowing that same represent proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: obtaining by false pretense and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 and Punishable under the same Section 17[b] of the same Act.
“That you, Senator Stella Oduah, with intent to defraud, obtained the aggregate sum of salaries and allowances as Minister and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, from the Federal Government of Nigeria under the pretense of being qualified with your credentials, which pretence you knew or ought to have known to be false, and thus committed offences contrary to the Constitution.”
In May 2022, the NYSC, in a letter, marked NYSC/DHQ/PPRU/783/Vol III, disclosed that Oduah did not complete the mandatory one-year NYSC programme in response to an inquiry made by a group known as the Concerned Anambra North PDP Stakeholders.
According to the agency, Oduah began her NYSC program in 1982 but absconded, and she denied colluding with the previous aviation minister to conceal the facts.
On Tuesday, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja handed over police lawyer Ibrahim Mohammed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for filing an 8-count criminal charge against Senator Stella Oduah without the authority of the anti-graft agency.