By Kolawole Ojebisi
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has adjourned the trial of former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose to October 20.
Fayose was present in court on Monday but the case failed to go on due to the absence of the prosecution counsel.
The court adjourned the case at the instance of the Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Jacobs who informed Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the unavailability of the witness to testify.
The lawyer said that that the witness had informed him that “one of his family members was being quarantined in the Isolation centre.”
The Counsel subsequently asked the court for an adjournment.
Counsel to the former governor, Olalekan Ojo, did not oppose the request for an adjournment.
Justice Aneke then adjourned the case to October 20 for the continuation of the trial.
At the last sitting of the court on March 5, 2020, the EFCC had called its fifth witness in the N2.2bn fraud trial of the former governor.
The witness, a banker, Johnson Abidakun, who worked as Head of Operations at the Ado Ekiti Branch of Zenith Bank told Justice Aneke how the bank moved the sum of N200m from Fayose’s home sometime in April 2016.
Recall that the EFCC arraigned Fayose on 11 counts of money laundering on October 22, 2018, alongside his company, Spotless Investment Ltd.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of N50m, with one surety in like sum.
The anti corruption agency had summoned different persons as prosecution witnesses in the litigation; prominent among the witnesses is Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, former Minister of State for defence.
Obanikoro, who was initially lumped with the defendants, was called by the EFCC to serve as its fifth witness when the case was ‘reopened’ on January 21, 2019.
Recall, too, that Obanikoro, under cross-examination by counsel for the second defendant, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, said he was testifying against Fayose “reluctantly”, adding that they enjoyed a good relationship while they were both members of PDP.
He said: “I am giving this evidence reluctantly. It’s very painful for me to give evidence against him.”
He, however, told the court that despite testifying against Fayose, he would not want their relationship destroyed.
“I am trying to restrain myself from saying things that will further damage our relationship,” he added.
When asked if he knew the source of the money he was giving to Fayose, he answered in the negative, saying, “I did not know the source of this money because the NSA did not tell me.”
