George Kadiri, the surety for James Nolan—a British national linked to the $9.6 billion Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) fraud case—has been arrested and arraigned after failing to produce the fugitive defendant in court.
Kadiri, a retired civil servant and traditional chief in Gwagwalada, Abuja, appeared before Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, following a bench warrant issued for his arrest after repeated absences in court.
The matter stems from a previous ruling by Justice Ahmed Mohammed (now of the Court of Appeal), who on September 28, 2022, revoked the N100 million bail granted to Nolan, a director at P&ID, after he jumped bail and refused to appear for trial.
The court also ordered Nolan’s arrest by local and international law enforcement, including Interpol.
Following Nolan’s disappearance, the judge ordered Kadiri to appear and explain why his bail bond should not be forfeited. Kadiri, through his lawyer O.J. Aboge, filed a motion on November 4, 2022, seeking additional time to show cause.
However, upon reassignment of the case to Justice Lifu, Kadiri again failed to attend court, prompting the issuance of his arrest warrant.
At Thursday’s sitting, EFCC prosecutor Bala Sanga informed the court that Kadiri had been arrested in line with the court’s directive.
He also urged the court to proceed with forfeiting the N100 million bail bond.
Kadiri’s lawyer requested time to argue against the forfeiture, noting that the current matter is related to a similar case before Justice Egwuatu. He also appealed for Kadiri’s release on bail.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Paul Erokoro, offered to stand as surety, stating: “Chief Kadiri is a respected traditional ruler in Gwagwalada and will not abscond. This is my first time taking someone on bail.”
The EFCC did not oppose the bail request or the plea for adjournment.
Justice Lifu granted the application and released Kadiri on bail to Chief Paul Erokoro, SAN, pending the determination of the bail bond forfeiture. The matter was adjourned to November 5 for further proceedings.