Surety for P&ID’s James Nolan arrested, released on bail in Abuja

Chief George Kadiri, a retired civil servant and traditional chief who acted as surety for James Nolan, a British national central to the ongoing $9.6 billion Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) scam trial, has been arrested.

Kadiri appeared before Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, during a resumed hearing of the high-profile case.

Kadiri, who lives in Gwagwalada, Abuja, had on November 4, 2022, sought additional time to appear in court and explain why his N100 million bail bond should not be forfeited.

This plea was made through his lawyer, O.J. Aboge, before Justice Ahmed Mohammed, who has since been elevated to the Court of Appeal.

Justice Mohammed had, on September 28, 2022, revoked the N100 million bail granted to Nolan, a director at P&ID, after Nolan repeatedly failed to show up for his trial.

The judge then issued a bench warrant for Nolan’s arrest by security agencies, including Interpol, worldwide, to ensure his appearance in court.

Justice Mohammed also ordered Kadiri to appear and justify why his bail bond should not be forfeited, following an application by EFCC’s lawyer, Bala Sanga, confirming Nolan had jumped bail.

After the case was reassigned to Justice Lifu, Kadiri reportedly stopped attending court proceedings, which led to an order for his arrest.

During Thursday’s hearing, EFCC counsel, Bala Sanga, informed the court that Kadiri had been brought in compliance with the court’s order. Sanga then moved to request the forfeiture of the bail bond.

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However, Kadiri’s lawyer, O.J. Aboge, requested an adjournment to present arguments on the forfeiture issue, noting the similarity between this case and another before Justice Egwuatu. He then pleaded with the court to release Kadiri on bail.

Paul Erokoro, SAN, Nolan’s lawyer, vouched for Chief Kadiri, stating, “Chief Kadiri, the surety, is a traditional chief in Gwagwalada. He will not run away. I stood surety for him at EFCC. This is my first time taking someone on bail.”

The anti-graft agency’s lawyer did not object to either the request for Kadiri’s bail or the plea for an adjournment.

Justice Lifu subsequently adjourned the matter until November 5 for further proceedings and a hearing on the bail bond forfeiture.

The judge ruled that “Meanwhile, the surety, Chief Kadiri, is herein released to Chief Paul Erokoro, SAN, on bail to be produced in court until this issue of forfeiture of bail bond is resolved or determined by the court; I so ruled.”

The EFCC had originally arraigned Nolan on August 18, 2020, before Justice Mohammed, with Lurgi Consult Limited named as the first defendant and Nolan as the second.