Timothy Elerewe and Adegbuyi
Ayodele, former chairman and secretary respectively of the Nigerian Union
of Journalists Correspondent Chapel, Abuja, were on Tuesday July 9, 2013
remanded in Kuje prison by Justice Suleiman Belgore of the High Court of the Federal
Capital Territory, Abuja following their
arraignment on a 5-count charge that borders on conspiracy and criminal breach
of trust preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission..
The duo are alleged to have
in 2006 informed their members of a 33.32 hectares of land purportedly
allocated to the NUJ Chapel by the Nasarawa State Government. In a bid to
secure the land, one hundred and eleven members were alleged to have each paid the sum of three hundred and fifty
thousand naira (N350,000) per plot, totalling N14, 146,000 (fourteen million,
one hundred and forty six thousand naira only).
Since then, members of the
Chapel alleged that they neither got the land nor had their money refunded to
them.
One of the counts read; “That
you Timothy Elewere (being former chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists Correspondent
Chapel, FCT and Adegbuyi Ayodele (being former Secretary, Nigerian Union of Journalists
Correspondent Chapel FCT) between January and December 2008 in Abuja within the
Abujaa Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did
dishonestly convert the sum of N6,491,000.00 (six million, four hundred and
ninety one thousand naira only) being property of Nigerian Union of Journalists
Correspondent Chapel, FCT to your own use and you thereby committed an offence
contrary to section 311 and punishable under section 312 of the Penal Code”.
The accused persons pleaded
not guilty to the charge.
Based on the plea of the accused
persons, the prosecuting counsel asked the court to fix a date for trial and
also prayed the court to remand the accused in prison custody pending the
determination of the case.
However, counsel to the
first accused person, Esther Uzoma made an oral application for bail and
pleaded with the court to admit the accused persons to bail.
However, Justice Belgore
insisted on a formal application for bail and adjourned proceedings to July 25,
2013, while remanding the accused person
in Kuje Prison.
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