BEVERLY HILLS, July 07, (THEWILL) – Justice Babatunde Quadri of the Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected the request by a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, for that his trial to be returned to Justice Adeniyi Ademola, who had been trying the case.
Dismissing Lamido’s application in a ruling delivered on Friday, Justice Quadri held that it would better serve the interest of justice and public peace not to return the case to Justice Ademola.
THEWILL recalls that while Justice Ademola was on suspension as a result of his trial before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, re-assigned Lamido’s case to Justice Quadri.
Ademola, his wife, Olubowale, and Lamido’s lead counsel, Mr. Joe Agi SAN, who were jointly prosecuted by the Federal Government, have however been exonerated of all the 18 counts preferred against them.
But after the suspended judges were recalled by the National Judicial Council, NJC, Agi, requested the Chief Judge to return the case to Justice Ademola.
He had anchored his request to the Chief Judge on the grounds that it would be agonising for his client, Lamido and the other defendants to be subjected to the trial afresh when the prosecution, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, had already called 18 witnesses before Justice Ademola’s court.
But the EFCC had opposed the request, contending that with the joint trial which Justice Ademola and Agi underwent, the judge would likely be biased if the case was returned to him (Justice Ademola).
Upon considering both Agi’s and EFCC’s counter-requests, the Chief Judge insisted that the case should remain in Justice Quadri’s court.
Notwithstanding the Chief Judge’s directive, Agi filed a motion on April 26, 2017, seeking Justice Quadri’s order directing the return of the case to Justice Ademola.
