Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos has granted bail to Nigerian-Canadian businessman, Edrian Ididia Osagie, who is held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the sum of N85 million with one surety in like sum.
According to his lawyers, the applicant, a Canadian resident, was held by the EFCC following his arrival in Nigeria for a function based on a petition written against him by his business partners, although they were on the verge of resolving the conflict amicably as friends and business partners. “He was locked up for over two months without being charged to court, consequent upon which we filed the application for his bail. This was graciously granted by the trial court, he met the bail conditions, but the EFCC still didn’t release him,” they claimed, adding that they rather laid siege at the court and rearrested him for a trial at the State High Court.
He was alleged to have defrauded one David Mark Umeh, to the tune of N84 million. Speaking with the newsmen, his counsel, Victor Chinedu of Graylaw Partners, declared his client’s arrest and arraignment as unjust and abuse of power.