$1.6m: Court resumes six-year-old alleged stealing trial involving Emirates Airlines

A Lagos Division of the Federal High Court has fixed February 6 and 7 for the resumption of a case of alleged conspiracy and stealing of $1.630 million involving Emirates Airlines and six others.
Mike O’Song, the prosecution counsel, said the offence was committed in 2007 when the complainant, one Chu Ikem Orji, boarded an Emirates Airline in Lagos enroute China.
Joined alongside the airline in the three-count charge were Pathfinder International Ltd, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, Abayomi Adekanbi Abiola, Isiaka Adegoke Adedeji, Awonubi Abayomi, and Jennifer Eze.
Others were Obinna Onyeukwu Onyenso, Mohammed Yousouf, George Ikpekhia, and Haffeez Azeem.
The defendants were accused of conspiring and stealing four bags with tag numbers EK 428682, EK 423683, EK 650162, and EK 650161 one of which contained $1.630 million on December 19, 2007 at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
The prosecution said the defendants tagged and collected the bags from Mr. Orji.
One of the charges read, “That you, Emirates Airlines, Pathfinders International Limited, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, Abayomi Adekambi Abiola, Isiaka Adegoke Adedeji, Awonubi Abayomi, George Ipekhia and others now at large on or about the 19th day of December, 2007 at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court conspired among yourselves to commit a felony to wit: stealing four bags with tag number EK 428682, EK 428583, EK 650162, EK 650161, tagged and collected by you from Prince Chu Ikem Orji, one of which contained the sum of $1,630,000 on the promise of keeping them intact for onward delivery to him at Guangzhou China and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 516 of the criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to Mr. O’Song, upon complaint of non delivery of the bags containing the funds, the Sales Manager of Emirates Airlines, Mr. Adedeji issued a letter of undertaking dated November 2008 and addressed to the commissioner of police special fraud unit promising to produce the missing bags.
Having failed to fulfill the undertaking, the defendants were arraigned in March 2012 before Mohammed Idris, a federal judge.
In July 2012, the defendants filed a motion seeking to quash the charges on the grounds that the charges were an abuse of court process, did not disclose any prima facie case against them, and that the missing funds were proceeds of money laundering.
In his ruling delivered on January 21, 2013, the judge dismissed the motion.
According to Mr. Idris, the court is obliged to conduct summary trial of the accused without proof of evidence, as it is not a requirement for summary trials as provided under Section 33(2) of the Federal High Court Act.