N115m IAR&T fraud: Court adjourns hearing to Sept. 27

Professor Ogunbodede

Professor Ogunbodede

Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, on Friday, adjourned till Sept. 27 further hearing in the trial of accused persons in the alleged N115 million fraud at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training(IAR&T).

Ayo-Emmanuel adjourned the case after listening to the prayers of Isa Salawu and Yetunde Adegboye, counsel to the second and the third accused.

The counsel separately prayed on behalf of Bola Alabi, counsel to the first accused, who told the court of his intention to discontinue the handling of the matter on behalf of his client.

Alabi, who appeared as counsel to Prof. Benjamin Ogunbodede, the first accused, said he was discontinuing as the counsel in the case shortly after the court opposed his application to stay further proceedings.

The counsel had requested stoppage of further proceedings until a response was got from the Chief Justice of the Federal High Court and the Chief Justice of Nigeria on the petition he wrote them in respect of the case.

Alabi said that the petition essentially bordered on the need for the Chief Judge to issue a directive transferring the case to another court and judge because of the perceived bias of the present judge in the matter.

But the judge in two separate rulings opposed the application for stay of further proceedings pending the reply of the Chief Judge and the application for change of counsel following Alabi’s discontinuation.

The counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, had argued that mere oral application was not the practice in changing counsel. He added that the statute used by the EFCC permits a speedy or daily trial of accused in court.

Ogunbodede, the ex-Director of IAR&T had been standing trial since 2014 over alleged N115million fraud.

Others are Zaccheus Tejumola and Clement Adenose with 10 others.

The fourth to the 13th accused have, however, pleaded guilty and were sentenced on June 17.

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