- Naira Marley’s trial adjourned
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has remanded former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, in prison custody.
Maina was arraigned on Friday and pleaded not guilty to the 12-count charge bordering on money laundering, operating fictitious bank accounts and fraud brought against him.
At the resumed hearing of the case, the defence counsel, Ahmed Raji, asked the court to allow the defendant more time and facility to prepare for his defence.
Prosecution counsel, M.S Abubakar, in his submission told the court that they were ready for the commencement of the trial, as the defendant was in court.
The prosecution urged the court not to consider the application filed by the defence for bail, describing it as incompetent.
Delivering his ruling after he had listened to the arguments of both prosecution and defence counsels on bail application, the presiding judge, Justice Abang Okon, ordered Maina to be remanded at the correctional service and be allowed to see his lawyers.
Abang also fixed November 19, 2019 to consider the competence of the bail application filed prior to Maina’s arraignment
He, therefore, adjourned the matter to October 30 for commencement of trial.
He added that the trial would be day to day and no frivolous application for adjournment would be entertained.
After a four-year manhunt, Maina was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services at a hotel in Abuja after allegedly sneaking into the country from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile in another matter, a Federal High Court in Lagos abruptly adjourned the alleged card fraud trial of musician Azeez Fashola popularly known as Naira Marley, following a heated exchange between lawyers over shortage of seats.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo was forced to adjourn proceedings in the tiny courtroom for 41 days when counsel exchanged words, including “irrelevant”, “bitter” and “condemned”.
The few seats in the courtroom are inadequate and most lawyers, litigants and journalists don’t often get even standing space when proceedings are on.
The judge declined to make any order regarding the dispute but appealed to the lawyers to bear with the government over inadequate courtroom space.
He fixed December 11 and 12 for continuation of trial.
The argument was between Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel Mr Rotimi Oyedepo on the one hand, Marley’s counsel Mr Olalekan Ojo SAN and two other lawyers on the other hand.
The incident occurred shortly after Ojo began cross examination of the EFCC’s first witness, Mr Nuru Buhari, who concluded his evidence on Wednesday.
About one hour into the proceedings, Oyedepo, who had been outside, gained access to the packed courtroom with some difficulty, but could find no where to sit.
Ojo and his juniors sat in the front row, while other lawyers, waiting for their cases to be called, occupied other seats alongside some litigants, including a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Maurice Iwu.
Rotimi pleaded with the lawyers sitting on the same row as his EFCC team to temporarily give up their seats to him and another EFCC official, until the case was done for the day.
Only one of them did.
Rotimi announced his appearance to the judge and invited him to intervene, saying it was unfair that the defence team was all seated while a member of the prosecution team was on his feet.
The judge referred the request to Ojo, as being a Silk, Ojo could better “appeal to your colleagues”.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also declined. According to him, he could not “in good conscience” or as a matter of right ask lawyers, “some of whom are better than me, older than me at the Bar, to vacate their seats. My Silk rank is just a privilege.”
One suggested that Oyedepo was “not even up to 12 years at the Bar”, another, a lawyer with “30 years at the Bar”…”strongly condemned” the request.
The judge asked everyone to sheathe their swords, durecting Ojo to proceed with the cross examination.
Oyedepo apologised and tried to explain his comments.
The case was adjourned.