Respite is still far for the Senate committee chairman on power, Senator Nicholas Ugbane, his counterpart in the House of Representative, Ndudi Elumelu, and others who are standing trial over N6.2 billion fraud as an Abuja High Court sitting in Gudu, yesterday fixed June 4, to commence hearing of their bail application.

The court presided over by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, had last Friday remanded them in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) till yesterday. But on commencement of proceedings yesterday, the court rather ordered that they be remanded in Kuje prison till June 4.

The EFCC had complained to the court that its facilities were not adequate to act as a detention centre noting that its amenities were already over stretched and thus unable to accommodate more detainees. This prompted the court to order the remand of the accused in prison custody.

Efforts by the defence counsel to move an oral bail application last Friday, was opposed by the prosecuting counsel, Chief Godwin Obla. He argued that with the filing of a written application, the defendants should wait for the hearing of their application to mature. He said the commission is in the process of filing additional charges against the accused persons.

This threat of additional charges may have prompted the court to adjourn the case, to allow things to take shape before further action.

It is recalled that the accused persons first arraigned last week had pleaded not guilty to a one hundred and fifty-seven count charge preferred against them by the EFCC.

Some of the charges against the accused persons include;

"That you Engr. Samuel Ibi Gekpe, Dr.Abdulahi Aliyu, Senator Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane,Simon Kirdi Nanle, Engr, Lawrence Kayode Orekoya, Abdulsamad Garba Jahun, Barrister Kayode Oyedeji, Hon. Igwe Paulinus, Hon.Ndudi Elumelu and Hon. Jibo Mohammed sometime in December 2008, in Abuja within the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, while being public servants with the intent to defraud, conspired among yourselves to do an illegal act, to wit: criminal breach of trust by public servant(s) and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 97(1) of the penal code act cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.

"That you Engr. Samuel Ibi Gekpe, Dr.Abdulahi Aliyu, Senator Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane,Simon Kirdi Nanle, Engr, Lawrence Kayode Orekoya, Abdulsamad Garba Jahun, Barrister Kayode Oyedeji, Hon. Igwe Paulinus, Hon.Ndudi Elumelu and Hon. Jibo Mohammed sometime in December 2008, in Abuja within the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory while being public servants/officers and in such capacity entrusted with dominion over money belonging to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account number 0103742014, committed criminal breach of trust by fraudulently facilitating the withdrawal of N32 million purporting same to be a contract sum in favour of one Aviva Global Concept in violation of the mode in which such trust is to be discharged; and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.

"That you Engr. Samuel Ibi Gekpe, Dr.Abdulahi Aliyu, Senator Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane, Simon Kirdi Nanle, Engr. Lawrence Kayode Orekoya, Abdulsamad Garba Jahun, Barrister Kayode Oyedeji, Hon. Igwe Paulinus, Hon.Ndudi Elumelu and Hon. Jibo Mohammed sometime in December 2008, in Abuja within the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the (FCT) while being public servants/officers and in such capacity entrusted with dominion over money belonging to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) domiciled in the (CBN) account number 0103742014, committed criminal breach of trust by fraudulently facilitating the withdrawal of N24 million, purporting same to be a contract sum on favour of one Stanley Stephen and Co. LTD in violation of the mode in which such trust is to be discharged; and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.