A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has handed down a verdict of six years imprisonment to George Turnah, a former Special Adviser to Dan Abia, the erstwhile Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Two other individuals, Ebis Orubebe and Uzorgor Chidebere, have also been sentenced in the same case.
Presiding Judge, Justice A. T. Mohammed, delivered the verdict, finding the three defendants guilty of charges related to obtaining money under false pretense, money laundering, conversion of funds, and forgery. These charges were brought against them by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The case had its origins in May 2017 when the defendants were initially arraigned, and they were re-arraigned on January 25, 2021, facing 23 counts related to financial impropriety, including obtaining money by false pretense, money laundering, and abuse of office. The total sum involved in the charges amounted to N2,894,500,000.
In response to the verdict, the EFCC released a statement through its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirming the convictions. According to the statement, the defendants were found guilty of various offenses, including unlawfully taking possession of a substantial sum of money that had purportedly been allocated for job creation for youths and women groups.
The court sentenced the defendants to two years imprisonment each, starting from the date of their arrest. Additionally, George Turnah, the first defendant, was ordered to pay a fine of N1,000,000, while the second and third defendants, Ebis Orubebe and Uzorgor Chidebere, respectively, were each required to pay a fine of N500,000 into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Furthermore, the court ordered the forfeiture of significant sums of money to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The first, sixth, and tenth defendants were to return N180,000,000. Other sums to be forfeited include N5,000,000 traced to the first convict, N100,000,000 traced to the sixth and tenth convicts, and N50,000,000 traced to Optimal Standard. These funds are to be returned to the NDDC.
Additionally, the ninth, fourth, second, and third defendants are required to forfeit N46,760,843.61, N494,371.86, N13,000,000, and N23,500,000, respectively, to the NDDC.
George Turnah, the former Special Adviser to the Managing Director of the NDDC, had political ties to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
