Justice Yalim S. Bogoro of a Federal High Court, sitting in Minna, Niger State, has adjourned the trial of a former governor of the state, Babangida Aliyu, to April 15, 2019.
Aliyu, fondly referred to as “Chief Servant” is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for allegedly laundering Ecological Fund to the tune of N2 billion, released by the Federal Government to Niger State in 2014.
Prosecuting counsel, J.S. Okutepa, SAN, on March 6, 2019 brought before the Court an application seeking for adjournment, noting that he needed time to sit with the investigation officers, who at the moment were on election duties.
He said: “We applied for exhibit, which is huge because we just came into the matter, and I was told that the application for the exhibit tendered had to be approved by his lordship, who is no longer here but comes to sit in this matter.
“It is this morning that they told me that the application has been approved. The exhibit is not something that I will just sit down, hear it and say I am ready to go on with it without reading it because what is worth doing [at all] is worth doing well.
“Some of my witnesses are not around because they are concerned about electoral matters. So those are the reasons why we apply for a new date.”
Counsel for the first defendant, Olajide Ayodele, SAN, raised no objections to the application.
Counsel for the second defendant, Mamman Osuman, SAN, also raised no objections.
Justice Bogoro, thereafter, adjourned for “continuation of hearing”.