Court adjourns debt case against ex-Aviation Minister until Nov 8

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday, adjourned until Nov. 8, hearing in a suit by Sterling Bank against a former Aviation Minister, Sen. Stella Oduah, over alleged indebtedness.

The bank alleged that Oduah and her company, Sea Petroleum and Gas Company Ltd. were indebted to it in the sums of $16.4 million and N100.5 million.

The suit, which was earlier adjourned for hearing of all pending applications, was on Thursday further fixed for Nov. 8, due to the absence of the trial judge, Justice Ayokunle Faji.

A new date was, therefore, given to counsel for hearing.

The suit was initially pending before Justice Abdulaziz Anka of the same court, but was eventually reassigned to Justice Faji to begin afresh.

In March, Justice Anka had issued an order restraining Oduah and her companies from making any withdrawal from its account and those of three other companies domiciled with 21 banks in the country.

The other companies are Sea Shipping Agency Ltd., Rotary Engineering Services Ltd., and Tour Afrique Company Ltd.

The court had also issued an order directing the said commercial banks harbouring the assets of Oduah and the four companies to sequestrate their indebtedness as at November 2016.

The court had also ordered that the money be kept in an interest yielding account in the name of the chief Registrar of the Federal Court pending the determination of the suit.

In an affidavit in support of the suit deposed to by a staff of Sterling Bank, Mr Segun Akinsany, the bank averred that on Oct. 8, 2012, it granted a lease/Cabotage Vessel Finance Facility (CVFF) to Sea Petroleum and Gas Company.

He said that the facility was in the said sums to finance one unit 5,000 MT tanker vessel.

He claimed that the loan was secured by an unconditional personal guarantee of the companies’ director, Princess Stella Oduah.

Akinsanya also said that same was supported by a statement of her net worth, legal mortgage of two properties worth N135 billion, and a power of Attorney of the tanker vessel in favour of Sterling Bank.

He declared that also in support was a fully executed standing payment order and tripartite remittance agreement between it and Oduah.

It was further averred that on June 27, 2013, Sea Petroleum Company requested and was granted additional facilities in the sum of about 450,000 dollars for post delivery expenses.

He said that also granted was about 993, 000 dollars to meet the requisite conditions in securing the release of the tanker.

Also, he said that upon the persistent failure of the defendants to liquidate their indebtedness, Sterling Bank instructed its counsel to recover the debt.

He said that in spite of several reminders and demands, the defendants had failed and refused to liquidate their indebtedness which had culminated to 16.4 million dollars, and about N100.5 million as at November 2016.

He said that there was imminent risk of the defendants dissipating the assets of the companies, and had urged the court to issue a restraining order.

Meanwhile, Oduah and her companies in its processes had urged the court to discharge the order made against them.

They had also filed a preliminary objection to the suit, urging the court to strike it out for lack of jurisdiction.