Alleged N400m Fraud: Court plans Senator Andy Ubah’s arraignment for March 5

A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled the arraignment of Senator Andy Uba for March 5 in relation to a charge of N400 million alleged fraud pending against him and two others.
Justice Inyang Ekwo chose the date after granting an ex-parte order, authorising the prosecution to serve the two-count charge on Ubah and others through substituted means.
Justice Ekwo equally ordered that the service of the court documents should be effected within seven days from the day the order was issued.
Lawyer to the prosecution, M. C Anthony, while moving the ex-parte motion, claimed that the defendants had been evading service, despite that the police gave them administrative bail when they were arrested.
Anthony added that the case started in 2023, noting that the defendants obtained a fundamental rights enforcement order that prevented the police from bringing them to court before now.
He said it was after the order was vacated that the defendants were finally charged before the court, adding that the request for leave to serve through substituted means was to allow service on the defendants at their last known addresses.
In a charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/538/2024, filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Senator Uba, a former Special Assistant on Special Duties and Domestic Affairs to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, was alleged to have worked with three others to obtain N400million from one George Uboh.
Uba, Crystal Chidinma Uba, and Benjamin Etu (named as Uba’s co-defendants in the charge) along with Hajiya Fatima (now at large) allegedly obtained the N400m from Uboh on the pretext that they could facilitate his appointment as the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The charge reads: “That you Andy Uba, Crystal Chidinma Uba, Benjamin Etu, and Hajiya Fatima (now at large) sometime in the year 2022 within did conspire amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: obtaining by false pretences by making a presentation to George Uboh you have perfected a way to an appointment of the Managing Directorship of NDDC (Niger Delta Development Commission) to any interested person who can afford the sum of N400,000,000, a presentation which you know is not true and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8 and punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
“That you Andy Uba, Crystal Chidinma Uba, Benjamin Etu and Hajiya Fatima (now at large) sometime in the year 2022 did conspire amongst yourselves with the intention to defraud did induce George Uboh by making a presentation to him that you have perfected a way to give an appointment of the post of Managing Directorship of (NDDC) Niger Delta Development Commission to any interested person who can afford the sum of N400 000 000 a presentation which you know is not true you ed the money and converted it into your own personal use and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (2) and punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
It was learnt that the charge was informed by findings by police investigators, who acted on a petition by Uboh.
In the petition, Uboh claimed among others, to have been hoodwinked into parting with the N400m.
He said: “This petition is based on documentary and voice recording evidence thus the evidence is overwhelming and irrefutable.
“Andy Ubah stated unequivocally to me that he has perfected a way to give NDDC Managing Directorship to any candidate who brings N400, 000,000, that if the appointment does not occur, he will refund the money.
“I nominated my sister, Honorable (Engr.) Doris Uboh, who by profession, is qualified to be NDDC MD.