The ongoing trial of the former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha Lamido, Aminu Abubakar, Bartholomew Darlington and three other companies linked to them, has once again been adjourned.
At the resumption of trial before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, prosecution counsel, Chile Okoroma informed the court when it inquired why the defendants were not represented in court, that Joe Agbi SAN had written to him and the court seeking for an adjournment cos it had other matters at the Supreme court.
A perturbed Justice Ademola queried why the defence counsel couldn’t send even a junior lawyer to represent him in court, when all counsels at the last adjournment date, collectively agreed on the dates for continuation of trial.
“We cannot allow this, there is no one here. Not even one person”, Justice Ademola who was disturbed, queried.
The defendants however confirmed the knowledge of the letter, after the prosecution had to succumb to an adjornment, saying he did not come to court with the next witness to be called due to the contents of the letter in question.
With two witnesses more for the prosecution to close its case, the trial judge adjourned the matter to May 31, June 1 and 2, 2016 for continuation of trial.
It will be recalled that, the matter was also adjourned on the last date when one of Lamido’s sons standing trial with him, suddenly fell ill in the court room while the matter was going on.
The accussed persons are standing trial on a 27 counts charge bordering on the abuse of office and money laundering.
Micheal Wetkas, an EFCC operative and prosecution witness 18, had earlier testified before the court that; “We discovered that Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company, which executed over 21 contracts (for the Jigawa State Government) totalling almost N30bn, had paid over N1bn into the accounts of Speeds International Limited and Bamaina Holding Company – both accounts whose sole signatory is Alhaji Sule Lamido,”
