A HIGH Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama was informed on Thursday that former Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, has initiated discussions with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) over a possible plea bargain in the N2.4 billion fraud case pending against her.
News Point Nigeria reports that the development emerged when the matter came up for hearing before Justice Hamza Muazu, with the prosecution disclosing that the former minister formally applied for negotiations under the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
Oduah and her former aide, Gloria Odita, were arraigned on December 10, 2025, on a five-count charge bordering on alleged misappropriation and obtaining public funds under false pretences amounting to about N2,459,030,733.50.
The charge, marked CR/606/2025, was filed on October 14, 2025, by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
When the case was called, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), told the court that although the matter was scheduled for commencement of trial, the prosecution received an application from Oduah seeking discussions toward a plea bargain arrangement.
Oyedepo explained that the application was brought pursuant to Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which provides for plea bargaining in criminal proceedings.
He subsequently applied for an adjournment to enable both parties to explore possible terms and report back to the court on the outcome of discussions or proceed with definite trial arrangements.
Counsel to the defendants, Tobechukwu Michael (SAN) for Oduah and Wale Balogun (SAN) for Odita, confirmed the prosecution’s position and did not oppose the request for adjournment.
In view of the submissions by counsel on both sides, Justice Muazu adjourned the matter until March 5 for further proceedings.
According to the charge, Oduah and Odita allegedly committed the offences between January and February 2014 while Oduah was serving as Minister of Aviation.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired to obtain N2,459,030,733.50 from the Federal Ministry of Aviation through two companies — Broad Waters Resources Nigeria Limited and Global Offshore Marine Limited — under the guise of providing “technical supervision” and “security integrated and logistic support services.”
In the first count, the defendants were accused of agreeing to obtain the sum through false pretences, contrary to Sections 8(a) and 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
One of the counts alleged that on January 13, 2014, the defendants fraudulently obtained N839,780,738.90 through Broad Waters Resources Nigeria Limited’s account domiciled with First Bank Plc, falsely claiming it represented payment for “cost of technical supervision.”
Another count alleged that on February 12, 2014, they obtained N1,629,250,000 through Global Offshore Marine Limited’s account, purportedly for “security integrated support services,” which the prosecution claimed was false.
The charge further accused Oduah, while serving as minister and having oversight over contracts awarded to I-SEC Security Nigeria Ltd, of dishonestly authorising the transfer of the funds, thereby breaching official trust contrary to Sections 311 and 315 of the Penal Code.
Under Nigerian law, a plea bargain allows a defendant to negotiate with the prosecution, typically resulting in a reduced sentence or amended charges in exchange for a guilty plea and, in some cases, restitution.
With the next hearing scheduled for March 5, attention will be focused on whether plea negotiations yield an agreement or whether the court will proceed to trial in what could become a lengthy legal battle.
For now, the N2.4 billion fraud case against the former aviation minister has entered a new and potentially decisive phase.