New Twist as Police Serve $5.7m Fraud Charge on Akindele, Withdraw Bribery Suit

Alex Enumah in Abuja

There was a mild twist in the trial of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Duport Midstream Company Limited, Mr Akintoye Akindele, as the police moved to withdraw the N150 million bribery case against him.

The request for withdrawal of the one-count charge came on a day the police handed Akindele a four-count charge bordering on fraud to the tune of $5.7 million.
The Duport Midstream Company Limited boss, in the charge marked CR/595/2023, was accused of offering the sum of N150 million as bribe to a police officer, in order to compromise his investigation on alleged diversion of the sum of $5,636,397.01, belonging to Summit Oil International Ltd.

At the resumed trial on December 5, the police prosecutor stunned the courtroom when he applied to withdraw the bribery charge against Akindele.
Responding, Akindele’s lawyer while not opposing the application for withdrawal of the charge, urged the court to discharge and acquit his client.
However, counsel to Summit Oil International Ltd (the Complainant), B.J. Akomolafe (SAN) vehemently opposed the application of the police to withdraw the charge on the grounds that no reason was given for the strange attempted withdrawal by the police.

Reacting, the trial judge, Justice Modupe Osho-Adebiyi, of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who was not satisfied with the oral application directed the prosecution to file a formal application, providing written reasons for the withdrawal.

She subsequently adjourned to Tuesday, December 12, 2023, for the hearing of written applications for and against the withdrawal of the bribery charge.
Meanwhile, the police on same day it sought to withdraw the bribery charge, also served Akindele with the charge filed in the substantive case of fraud and criminal diversion of funds related to Summit Oil’s $5.7 million, in Case No. FHC/ABJ/OR/570/2023.

In the four-count charge sheet, Akindele was accused of theft, acting in concert to steal, conspiracy to commit felony to wit and dishonest conversion contrary to sections 516, 387, 385 and 388, and punishable under section 390 of the Criminal Code law, Cap C38 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.