Court Fines Land Racketeer For Delaying Trial

Justice Y. Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Jabi on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 ordered one Ibrahim Kamba, a suspected land racketeer, to pay the sum of N15,000 as fine to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for delaying trial.
Kamba was arraigned on March 23, 2017 on one-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence.
He was alleged to have been involved in a land scam to the tune of N7million.
The case, which was initially slated for March 27, 2017 for commencement of trial, has suffered several adjournments due to the continued absence of the defendant in court.
Having obliged the defendant with several adjournments, the court, at the last sitting (June 14, 2017) warned that it would no longer tolerate any action from either of the parties aimed at frustrating speedy trial of the case.
At the resumed trial today, though Kamba was present in court, his counsel, Azeez Hassan from the chambers of Hassan Liman, SAN, sought for further adjournment to afford his client more time to recover from an undisclosed illness.
Counsel to EFCC, Vou Dalyop, however kicked, urging the court to impose sanction on the defendant for what she described as “a calculated attempt by the accused to evade justice”.
According to her, the EFCC had always been bringing its witnesses to court at great costs. She, therefore, urged the court to award a sum of N100,000 against the defendant as fine.
Apparently miffed by the conduct of the defendant, Justice Halilu awarded cost against the defendant and adjourned to October 9, 2017 for trial to commence.