Justice Silvanus Oriji of the FCT High Court, Apo-Abuja, Tuesday, discharged former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Sunday Ehindero, and Commissioner of Police budget, John Obaniyi of N16.4 million fraud charge.
Justice Oriji held that the prosecution failed to make a prima facie case.
“The defendants are hereby discharged” he said.
He held that the prosecution failed to prove that the defendants converted the said interest generated to their personal use.
“I therefore uphold the no case submission” he said.
He further stated that the investigation officer did not discredit the claim of the defendants to prove that the money was not used for operational purpose.
Counsel to Ehindero, Kelvin Omoraw, and Samuel Odariko representing Obaniyi had filed a no-case submission after the prosecution closed its case on May 8, after calling four witnesses.
The former police boss and a commissioner of police in charge of finance and budget at the Force Headquarters, John Obaniyi, were arraigned on May 10, 2018 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), accused of misusing N557 million donated by the Bayelsa government to the Nigerian Police Force to purchase arms and ammunition, which they were alleged to have diverted into separate accounts belonging to them.
The commission had alleged that the defendants conspired and used their positions to place N500 million being part of N557 million donated by the Bayelsa government in two fixed deposit accounts.
The N500 million placed in fixed deposits, according to the anti-corruption commission, yielded N16.4 million interest, which they were accused of allegedly using for personal interests.
