The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the arrest of the Managing Director of the National Airspace Management Authority (NAMA), Mr. Matthew Pwajok for alleged disobedience to a court order.
Justice Babs Kuewunmi made the order following an application by counsel to the third and eighth defendants, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Olalekan Ojo at the resumption of a N6.95 billion fraud charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) against a former NAMA managing director, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, and 11 others.
Mr Ojo is representing NAMA’s former General Manager of Finance, Segun Agbolade ( who is the third defendant) and Randville Investment Ltd ( the eight defendant).
In his application, the senior advocate had alleged that Pwajok shunned a July 2 subpoena issued on him and commanding him to appear in court and to produce some documents requested by both defendants.
Mr Ojo told the Justice Kuewunmi that despite being served with the subpoena and a further hearing notice that his presence was necessary in court today, the NAMA MD had disobeyed the court order and refused to show up.
In a short ruling, Justice Kuewunmi directed the Commissioner of Police, Lagos and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to ensure Pwajok is brought to court.
The judge adjourned further proceedings till January 10 and 11, 2023.
The Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) is prosecuting Abdulsalam and 11 others for an alleged fraud.
Some of the others are a former Chief Executive officer/Managing Director of NAMA, Nnamdi Udoh (who is said to still be at large), a former general Manager, Procurement, Adegorite Olumuyiwa, former general manager, Finance, Agbolade Segun, Joy Ayodele Adegorite, Randville Investment Limited, Multeng Travels and Tours Limited as well as some other companies.
The defendants were alleged to have conspired and stolen the sum of N6, 922,676,815.00 from NAMA.
One of the charges reads “That you, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, Nnamdi Udoh (still at large) Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Agbolade Segun, Clara Aliche, Joy Ayodele Adegorite, Randville Investment Limited and Multeng Travels and Tours Limited, on or about August 19, 2013, in Lagos, with intent to defraud conspired to induce the NAMA to deliver N2,847,523,975.00 to Delosa Limited, Air Sea Delivery Limited and Sea Schedules Systems Limited under the pretence that the said sum represented the cost of clearing consignments belonging to the said Agency.
“You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”.
The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the offence.