Azeez Folorunso
A mild drama ensued in court today when a complainant raised an objection to the position of the counsel prosecuting his case before a Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja insisting that the plea of the counsel that there was no prosecution witness in court was untrue.
Mr Gafar Ademolake, the nominal complainant who is also a son-in-law to the defendant, Muritala Adebayo, in a swift reaction, raised his hands in court and addressed Justice Mojisola Dada that he did not understand how the prosecution, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was handling the case.
“My lord, I am the nominal complainant in this case but I did not understand what is happening again.
“The prosecutor told me to bring my wife as a witness, which I did.
“My lord, I brought my wife to be a prosecution witness today but the prosecution is saying no and she came to court today with a nine-day-old baby to give evidence,” he said.
Earlier, when the case was called, EFCC counsel, Mr Ramon Abdurasheed, who held brief for Mr Babangida Isah, had informed the court that the matter was for continuation of trial but his witness was not in court.
“The matter is for continuation of trial but our witness is not in court. He went for an official assignment.
“I am asking for an adjournment because the counsel on this case, Babangida Isah, is on leave and I was not aware of calling the nominal complaint wife to be a witness today, my lord,” he said.
The defendant’s counsel, Mr Oluwatosin Ojo, however, opposed the application of the prosecution.
Ojo argued that the court had adjournment the case once at the instance of the prosecution.
“We opposed this application my lord because this is the second time they are coming for an adjournment.
“This has been an instance of persecution but we leave it at the discretion of the court,” he said.
The nominal complainant (PW1) had on 16 April told the court of how his 72-year-old father-in-law, Muritala Adebayo, (alias Oloriebi of Ajah) allegedly defrauded him of three cars and several millions of naira on the pretext of procuring him some pieces of land.
EFCC had on 24 January arraigned the defendant on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretences.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Commission alleged that the defendant, with an intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N4.5 million from Ademolake by falsely informing him that the payment was for three plots of land at Ogombo, Ajah in Lagos State, a presentation he knew to be false.
EFCC added that the defendant collected N5.5 million from the complainant as part-payment for 18 plots of land in Ayogbemi Village in Ibeju-Lekki, which he knew to be false.
It further alleged that the defendant collected two Toyota Camry (2005 model) and one Honda Accord (2006 model), valued at nine million Naira from the complainant as part of payment for the 18 plots of land at Ibeju, a presentation he knew to be false.
According to EFCC, the alleged offences contravene Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The judge adjourned the case till 15 October 2024 for continuation of trial.
Eighteen-Eleven Media