House of Reps aspirant, Ericbona Ushie sent to prison over alleged fraud

A Cross-River State born politician, Ericbona Eliom Ushie, has been remanded in prison custody by the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja.

Ushie, who contested the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, primaries for the House of Representatives in Cross River State, is currently facing criminal charges before the court.

He was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for stealing and fraud among other sundry charges before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe.

EFCC is pressing a 13-count charge bordering on obtaining under false pretense, contrary to sections (1a) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other related Offenses Act, (2006) as amended, against the politician.

Ushie was accused of stealing contrary to Section 280 (1) (b) and punishable under Section 287 of Lagos State Criminal Law of 2015.

Count two of the charge reads: “Ericbona Eliom Ushie, sometime in 2023 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud the aggregate sum of N35.397 million property of calibration and non-destructive Services Limited under the pretense that the said Sun was for the purpose of securing award of contract from Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC).”

However, Ushie pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The prosecutor, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari, told the court that the prosecution was going to produce 13 witnesses to testify during the actual trial of the case.

The defence counsel Ms .C. Orji, in her own submission, informed the judge that she had filed application for bail and that she had also served the prosecution which the prosecutor confirmed.

Orji pleaded that her client be granted bail since he was presumed innocent until proven guilty, adding that he was not a flight risk and would not jump bail.

Justice Abike-Fadipe turned down the defence counsel’s request for the defendant to be granted bail on self recognition and declared that Ushie be remanded in prison custody till February 22, when the bail application would be ruled on.