arraigned a former Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises,
BPE, Benjamin Ezra Dikki, before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal
Capital Territory High Court, Abuja on four counts of alleged corruption
and abuse of office.
Dikki who was docked alongside his Company, Kebna Studios &
Communications Limited, allegedly received about a billion Naira as
gratification from Bestworth Insurance Brokers for his role in
facilitating the approval of outstanding insurance premiums and claims
of deceased and incapacitated staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria
(PHCN).
Count one of the charge reads; “that you Benjamin Ezra Dikki, while
being the Director General of Bureau of Public Enterprise and also the
Managing Director of Kebna Studios & Communications Limited, and Kebna
Studios & Communications Limited, on or about 30th day of January, 2015,
in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did
corruptly accepts as reward the sum of N250, 000,000.00 (Two Hundred
and Fifty Million Naira) only through Kebna Studios & Communications
Limited’s Skye Bank Account No.1771649525 from Bestworth Insurance
Brokers Limited for your role in facilitating the approval of
outstanding insurance premiums and claims of deceased and incapacitated
staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria( PHCN), and thereby committed
and offence contrary to Section 17(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences ACT, 2000 and punishable under Section (17)(c) of
the same Act”.
The defendants pleaded ‘not guilty”, when the charges were read to
them. In view of their plea, prosecution counsel Benjamin Menji asked
the Court for a date to commence trial and to remand the defendant at a
Nigerian Correctional Service facility. “We shall be asking for a date
to enable us assemble our witnesses and to prove the entire counts
against the defendants and we shall urge the court to remand the first
defendant in a Correctional facility pending commencement of his trial,”
he said.
Counsel for the first defendant, Abdul Muhammed urged the court to grant
his client bail citing Section 158, 162 and 163 of the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act, ACJA.
But Menji opposed the oral bail application, arguing that the defendant
should file their applications formally to enable the prosecution
respond accordingly. “We shall strongly be opposing the oral
application, the reason being that we have facts that we want to place
before this Honorable Court. And the only way to do that is by way of
affidavit, why bail should not be granted. For this reason, they should
come formally and we will bring all we have and place before this Court,
so that the court can be able to look at it and sieve from what we are
bringing.”
Justice Halilu remanded the defendant in Suleja Correctional Centre and
adjourned till March 3, for consideration of bail application.