THE Deputy Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Dr Cosmos
Chukwudi Ndukwe has been arraigned before Hon. Justice C.C. Thomas
Adiele at the Abia State High Court, Umuahia, by the Independent Corrupt
Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
He was alleged to have used his position as a public officer for
self-gratification and corrupt enrichment to the tune of N54, 610, 000
(Fifty-Four Million Six Hundred and Ten Thousand) Naira. The accused person alongside his company Messrs Conk Productions Nigeria
Limited and his agent, Chijioke Okonkwo, are being slammed with an
8-count charge bordering on gratification and abuse of office.
Dr. Ndukwe is alleged to have used his position as the Managing
Director/Chief Executive Officer of Abia State Environmental Protection
Agency between February 2007 and April 2012 to confer corrupt advantage
upon himself by accepting the sum of N5, 850,000 (Five Million, Eight
Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) purportedly as a loan from Messrs.
Ancoold Nigeria Limited, a contractor with the Agency where he had
served as an official, an offence that is contrary to and punishable
under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Act, 2000.
In
addition, the defendants Dr. Ndukwe and his company, Messrs Conk
Productions Nigeria Limited, were alleged to have received gratification
to the tune of N42,750,000 (Forty-Two Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty
Thousand Naira) in various monthly instalments between March 2009 and
January 2010. He was also alleged to have corruptly accepted for himself, the total
sum of N5, 000,000 (Five Million Naira) through an agent, Chijioke
Okonkwo, as a reward for assisting Ancoold Nigeria Limited to secure
prompt payment of the contract fees for the provision of environmental
sanitation services to Abia State Environmental Protection Agency.
Dr Ndukwe and Mr Okonkwo were also alleged to have conspired to
conceal the gratification by depositing the said sum in the account of
Messrs Conk Productions Nig. Ltd. under various names, an offence that
is contrary to Section 26(1)(c) and punishable under Section 24 of the
Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges and the defence counsel tendered a formal bail application for them.
According to a statement by the commission’s spokesperson, Mrs
Rasheedat Okoduwa, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian
Tribune in Abuja, on Wednesday, the Prosecuting Counsel, Ephraim Otti,
did not raise any objection because the offences were bailable.
Justice Adiele granted bail to each of them in the sum of One Million
Naira and one surety each in like sum who shall show evidence of means,
tax payment, a residential address within Aba and Umuahia, and the
address verified by the Registrar of the court. The judge gave them
seven days to perfect their bail conditions.
The case was then adjourned to 3rd, 4th and 5th June 2019 for definite hearing.
