A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday adjourned until Oct. 20, the trial of a retired military commander, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, and three others charged with N8.5 billion fraud.
Atewe, a former Commander of the Niger-Delta Military Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, is charged alongside Patrick Akpobolokemi, a former Director- General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.
Charged along with him by the EFCC are two members of NIMASA.
The accused are standing trial on an amended 22 counts.
The trial was adjourned following the absence of the judge, Justice Ayokunle Faji, who was on an official assignment.
The accused were re-arraigned before Faji on Feb. 3, following the transfer of Justice Saliu Saidu, who was handling the case.
Saidu was transferred from Lagos to Port Harcourt.
The accused pleaded not guilty before Faji who allowed them to continue on the bail terms granted by Saidu.
The EFCC accused them of conspiring to defraud NIMASA of N8.5 billion using seven companies.
The companies are Jagan Ltd., Jagan Trading Company Ltd., Jagan Global Services Ltd., Al-Nald Ltd., Paper Warehouse Ltd., Eastpoint Integrated Services Ltd., and De-Newlink Integrated Services Ltd.
The EFCC claimed that the accused committed the fraud from Sept. 5, 2014, to May 20, 2015, in contravention of Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering Act, 2012, and Section 390 of the Criminal Code, 2004.