Fraud: Lamido’s Trial Stalled Again Over Defence’s Absence
Olaoluwa Folalu
The trial of a former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, and his cohorts before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja again could not continue on Monday due to the absence of the counsels to the defendants.
Lamido is being prosecuted alongside his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, and two others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 27-count charge bordering on abuse of office and money laundering.
At the resumed hearing on Monday, the prosecution counsel, Chile Okoroma, presented to the court a letter dated May 6, 2016 from Joe Agbi, SAN , one of the defence counsels, stating the unavailability of the other counsels due to some inexplicable reasons.
According to Okoroma, ‘‘The defence did not deem it fit to send just one junior lawyer to represent them, even if the development would eventually lead to an adjournment.’’
While expressing his reluctance to have the case further adjourned, Justice Ademola said: “We cleared court schedule for this date, and the counsels had agreed to this date before it was chosen.’’
At the last adjourned date, on April 12, 2016, the trial had been stalled when counsel to Lamido, O.E. Effiong, SAN, applied for several stand downs, and eventual adjournment for the second defendant, who claimed to be sick, to get medical attention.
Consequently, the case was adjourned to May 31, 2016; June 1 and June 2, 2016 for continuation of trial.