Admin l Tuesday, March 28, 2017
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has said that Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Joseph Nwobike has no case to answer.
An EFCC witness, Daniel Danladi today made the clarification while been cross examined by Dr Nwobike’s lawyer , Mr. O Akanni (SAN). Nwobike is being tried by the EFCC for allegedly offering gratification to a public official and perverting the course of justice.
Danladi had hitherto told the court how Nwobike sent money to some judges of Federal High Court in Lagos and Port Harcourt through some court staffs for the purpose of influencing the assignment and outcome of his cases.
Danladi particularly named four judges allegedly involved in the gratification scam as Justice Mohammed Yinusa, Justice H. A. Ngajiwa and Justice Musa Kurya, all of the Federal High Court, Lagos and Justice James Agbadu-Fishim of the National Industrial Court, Lagos.
But during cross examination today, Danladi said Nwobike had no case before three of the four judges he was alleged to have attempted to influence the cause of justice before their court.
Danladi specifically stated that Nwobike had no case before Justice Ngajiwa, Justice Musa Kurya and Justice Agbadu-Fishim.
Responding to questions from Nwobike’s lawyer, Danladi said: ” From my investigation and to the best of my knowledge, the defendant had no case before Justice Ngajiwa. It is not to my knowledge that the defendant had any case before Justice Kurya. I confirm that the defendant had no case before Justice Agbadu-Fishim.”
Danladi also noted that the EFCC had not concluded it’s investigation on the alleged attempted perversion of justice against the defendant before the charges were filed in court.
He stated that most of the judges and suspects involved in the matter were summoned and questioned in September and October 2016 whereas the case filed in April. Danladi explained the National Judicial Commission which at a time were investigating the judges had refused to hand them over to the EFCC for questioning.
He further stated that when the judges were eventually questioned, they gave reasons why they got various sums of money from the defendants.
According to him, while Ngajiwa explained that the N300,000 he got from Nwaobike was for the purchase of law books to update his library, Justice Kurya claimed the N100,000 he received from the defendant was a gift after he was bereaved and for his medical treatment.
Danladi also added that Justice Agbadu-Fishim explained to the commission during questioning that the N150,000 he got from the defendant was a gift. He added that the defendant also corroborated what the judges had said when he was also questioned. The matter was adjourned to May 18, 2017 for continuation of trial.
