Court sustains Ikuforiji’s bail, adjourns’s case to September 30

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday sustained the bail conditions granted a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and, thereafter, adjourned trial to September 30.

Ikuforiji and his former Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi, are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 54-count charge on allegations of laundering N338.8 million.

They pleaded not guilty before Justice Mohammed Liman, who allowed them to continue on the bail terms earlier granted them by the previous trial judge.

Report indicated that Justice Mohammed Liman, without coming out of his chambers, ordered the Court Registrar to tell parties in the case that “in view of the directive of the Chief Judge that new trials should not be opened, especially, because of the impending transfer of judges, the case is adjourned till after vacation”.

The registrar, therefore, announced September 30 as the adjourned date when hearing will begin.

EFCC Counsel, Ekene Iheanacho, was said to have protested, arguing that the annual vacation is expected to start in July and the Court could give any date before then, but the Registrar insisted that this was the directive of the judge.