Senator Stella Oduah

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a lawsuit against former Anambra North Senator, Stella Oduah, at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division.

The anti-corruption agency, on behalf of the Federal Government, on June 26, 2023, slammed the former Minister of Aviation, with an eight-count charge of document fabrication and conspiracy to commit a felony, among other crimes.

Ochugwu Ogbeh W.A. and Ibrahim Mohammed of the Legal and Prosecution Department of the EFCC filed the suit in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

In the suit, the Federal Government of Nigeria was named as the Complainant and Oduah as the only Defendant.

She was also accused of forwarding the credential to INEC in 2018, “among which are an affidavit and police report that you lost your National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Certificate the representation you know to be false which led to your re-election as a Senator for the second term Representing Anambra North Senatorial District and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 157 of the Penal Code Act and punishable under Section 158 (1) of the same Act.”

In May 2022, the NYSC disclosed that Oduah did not complete the mandatory one-year NYSC programme.

This was disclosed in a letter marked NYSC/DHQ/PPRU/783/Vol III, which was in response to an inquiry made by a group known as the Concerned Anambra North PDP Stakeholders.

The group had written to the NYSC, alleging that some officials of the agency colluded with Oduah to bury the truth.

In a letter by the Director-General of the programme, and signed on his behalf by the Director of Press and Public Relations, the scheme said Oduah commenced her NYSC programme in 1982 but absconded.

The NYSC also denied colluding with the former aviation minister to hide the truth.