Court adjourns case against Abuja property developer

The electricity theft case filed by the federal government against an Abuja property developer, Cecil Osakwe, has been adjourned to April 13.

The case, filed before Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, was scheduled for hearing on Thursday, however, it did not continue as the court did not sit.

The lawyer in charge of the matter, after accepting it, chose April 15 for the continuation of the trial in the case.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the federal government has charged Mr Osakwe with theft of electricity worth N11 million.

The charge accuses Mr Osakwe of tampering with electricity meters, resulting in the loss of N11 million in revenue to the government, committing an offense contrary to Section 1 (10) of the Miscellaneous Offenses Act.

Mr. Osakwe was said to have been caught by officials of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) for allegedly stealing electricity from several properties, including his residence.

The defendant, however, questioned the legality of the task force that investigated the process that led to his prosecution.

He stated that said working group was unknown by law.

He brought the court’s attention to a pending lawsuit challenging the panel that conducted the investigation.

(YAYA)