CITY NEWS Court revokes bail, orders UniAbuja hospital staff arrest of fraud suspect protest over unpaid salaries
Justice Abubakar Talba of FCT High Court, Gudu, has revoked the bail earlier given Adams Kama, 31, a defendant in a N6.4 million fraud case and ordered his arrest.
Talba gave the order after the prosecutor, Mr Simon Lough, made an oral application for the revocation of the bail.
Lough said the defendant and his counsel had failed to appear in court more than twice, without showing cause.
The matter was slated for continuation of cross examination of the last prosecution witness, but had suffered adjournments at the instance of the defence.
Kama is facing four-count charge bordering on forgery and fraud to the tune of N6.4 million, punishable under sections 364, 312, 97 and 287 of the penal code.
According to the prosecutor, the case was first filed in court on June 15, 2006.
He said the defendant committed the forgery by fraudulently registering a business name, Tegriti Proactii Nig Ltd, similar to the company’s name he was employed.
He said the defendant went further to open an account with defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc, Abuja branch, which he used to lodge the cheques coming to his employer’s company.
According to Lough, between December 2004 and January 2006, the defendant had made a total lodgment of N6.4 million, into the account he opened - account number 0005265550.
He said the defendant was employed by Tegritis Proactii Ltd in 2001, as an assistant project supervisor, before he resigned in February, 2004, claiming he wanted to start his own business.
He said it was later discovered by the MD of the company, one Mr John Onwah, that the defendant had actually collected some cheques which he cleared through the bank.
“The account was opened in a business name similar to his employer’s,’’ Lough said.
Justice Talba adjourned the case until December 4. (NAN)
Activities at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, were disrupted yesterday as contract staff protested over the nonpayment of six months salaries.
The aggrieved workers, comprising of security guards, porters and cleaners under ICON Nigeria Ltd attached to the hospital, blocked the main gate leading into the hospital demanding for their unpaid salaries.
They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Pay us our money”, “Are we not Nigerians”, “Some of us are widows”, “Our children are out of school”, “Buhari and minister of health must hear this”.
One of the protesters, Joy Ukele, said all their complaints to the management of the hospital over unpaid six months salaries have yielded no result.
The protesters barricaded the main entrance of the hospital, preventing people from coming in and going out.
Our reporter observed that the protest also resulted to gridlock along the Gwagwalada-Dobi-Izom road on which the hospital sits.
The spokesman of the group, Mr. Leonard Mbanile, said they will resist any attempt to stop them from the protest until their salary arrears were paid.
“Our salary is N15,000 only for six months so they should pay us because our children are dying of hunger,” he said.
The protesting workers vowed to continue with the protest after they gave the hospital management one-day ultimatum to clear their outstanding allowances.
Addressing the protesters on behalf of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Chairman of the hospitals’ medical advisory committee, Mr. Nicholas Bamlong, admitted that the hospital management is owing them but appealed to them to be patient.
He said the management will pay them as soon as possible.