Inspector-General of Police has withdrawn the fraud case filed against former Anambra South Senator, Andy Uba, after he refunded the N400 million following his repayment of N400 million to the complainant.
Gatekeepers News reports that Uba and his co-defendant, Benjamin Etu, were previously accused of conspiring with one Hajiya Fatima, who remains at large, to fraudulently obtain N400 million from businessman George Uboh in 2022.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants falsely claimed they could help secure the appointment of a managing director for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in exchange for the payment.
According to the charge, the alleged act violated Section 8 and was punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006. The Attorney-General of the Federation had earlier approved the Inspector-General of Police to proceed with the case in July.
Despite several failed attempts to arraign the defendants, the court had, on September 24, threatened to issue a bench warrant for Uba’s arrest should he fail to appear at the next hearing.
At the latest sitting on Thursday, prosecution counsel Aminu Abdullahi informed the court that the police had decided to discontinue the case after both parties reached an amicable settlement.
Abdullahi noted that a notice of discontinuance was filed in the early hours of today, and confirmed that the defendants had refunded the N400 million to the complainant. Counsel to the defence, C.F. Odiniru, did not oppose the application for withdrawal.
In his ruling, Justice Mohammed Umar accepted the withdrawal notice filed by the police, struck out the charges, and discharged both defendants, effectively bringing the case to an end.
