Admin l Thursday, May 05, 2022
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Trial of alleged kingpin of the cult group, Badoo, Abayomi Kamaldeen Alaka for N675 million fraud at the Special Offences Court, Ikeja could not go on today as scheduled, following the absence of counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nkereuwem Anana.
Alaka was arraigned along with Morufu Yahaya, Omitogun Ajayi, and Ajisegiri Abiodun for obtaining the sum of N675 million under false pretence.
According to EFCC, sometime in May, 2018 in Lagos, the defendants, obtained the sum of 675 million from Dr. and Dr. Mrs. Lateef Oladimeji Bello for the purpose of conducting prayers for spiritual cleansing of their son and the family, contrary to Section 410 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria No. 11 of 2011.
At the resumption of trial today, a senior counsel from EFCC, Mrs Joy told the court that the Commission has expressed regrets that the prosecutor who is handling the trial has been transferred to another jurisdictions.
She further pleaded with the court to grant them adjournment to enable the commission reassigned another counsel to take over the case file.
Meanwhile, the defence counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, SAN, who did not oppose the adjournment however expressed dismay that the Commission did not make arrangements to ensure that today’s trial was not forestalled.
He added that the Commission did not communicate with the defence teams about the update and decided to waste their time in coming to court.
“I’m surprised that the agency will transfer counsel without adequate replacement. It is not also good that they did not communicate to us that the matter is not going on today. If they had told me I’ll not be in this court today,” Ojo said.
But counsel to the commission objected to Ojo’s position saying on the last adjourned date Mr. Anana was not in court but a junior counsel from the commission stood in for him,” she said.
Reacting to the development, the trial judge said the records before the court is clear on what happened on the last adjournment date, stressing that Mr. Anana, though came late for the matter but was present in court.
“My record is very clear on what happened on the last adjournment date. Mr. Anana was present in court. He was late and the court had to wait for him so it was not correct that he was not present in court,” the court held.
Subsequently, the presiding judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo adjourned further hearing till June 21 for continuation of trial.
