Henrietta Okojie, an employee of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in the Account and Finance Department, has been arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja over her alleged involvement in a ₦1.85 billion fraud case. The arraignment was conducted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite.
During the proceedings, ICPC’s lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, informed the court that Okojie was present to take her plea and requested the vacation of a previous bench warrant issued against her. Justice Nwite granted this request. Okojie pleaded not guilty to the four-count charge brought against her.
Following her plea, Akponimisingha applied for a trial date, while Okojie’s lawyer, Ishiaku Garba, mentioned that a bail application had been filed and served to the prosecution. Akponimisingha acknowledged receiving the application and requested time to respond, citing a recent public holiday as a reason for the delay.
Justice Nwite granted the prosecution time to respond to the bail application and ordered Okojie to be remanded in the Suleja Correctional Centre until the bail application hearing scheduled for June 20. The trial itself was fixed for July 10.
The case against Okojie is part of broader allegations involving misappropriation of public funds intended for electrification projects in rural communities. The total sum involved in the fraud, as alleged by the ICPC, amounts to ₦1.85 billion, shared among several accused officials including Okojie, Usman Ahmed Kwakwa, and others.
This legal action underscores ongoing efforts by anti-corruption agencies to address financial malfeasance within government agencies, particularly those tasked with critical infrastructure development such as rural electrification.