NNPC ex-GMD, Yakubu, for arraignment July 4

The Federal Government has fixed July 4, 2016 for arraignment of former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu and the owner of Atlantic Energy Limited, Jide Omokore, before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The arraignment, which was originally scheduled for yesterday was shifted due to the inability of the prosecution to bring together the accused before Justice Binta Nyako.

Prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacob (SAN), who confirmed the development, stated that since all the suspects were not in court, there would not be need to arraign the accused separately.

“The accused persons are scattered across the country and we are trying to avoid a situation whereby the accused persons will be arraigned separately.
“What we are trying to do now is to gather all the accused persons together and I believe we should be able to arraign them on July 4, “ he stated.

Others to be arraigned alongside Yakubu and Omokore are Victor Briggs, Abiye Memnere, David Mbanefo, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Limited.

Atlantic Energy Limited was alleged to have received multi-billion dollars worth of public assets without due process from the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2011.

It was also alleged that the company was created less than a year earlier and had not produced a drop of oil before it was awarded controlling stakes in two oil blocks – OML 30 and 34 – for over $50 million each.