Lukman Olabiyi
Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court, Lagos has fixed December 11 for the re-arraignment of a former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and his aide, Oyebode Atoyebi.
Ikuforiji and Atoyebi are facing amended 54 counts of money laundering.
Justice Liman fixed December 11, 2019, for their re-arraignment after the defence counsel, Mr Tunde Akinrinmisi, prayed for an adjournment.
The prosecuting counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while conceding to the adjournment, lamented that “this is a case that the prosecution has given evidence and closed its case but Justice Ibrahim Buba discharged the defendants on no-case submission, which travelled from here up to the Supreme Court. Here we are five years after.”
The EFCC accused Ikuforiji and Atoyebi of laundering N600m belonging to the Lagos State House of Assembly.
However, following a no-case submission by their lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Justice Ibrahim Buba, in a September 2014 ruling, discharged them on the entire 56 counts pressed against them by the EFCC.
Not pleased, the EFCC appealed to the Court of Appeal, which in November 2016, overruled Justice Buba and ordered Ikuforiji and Atoyebi to return to the high court to be retried before another judge.
Dissatisfied with the appellate court’s pronouncement, Ikuforiji and Atoyebi appealed to the Supreme Court; but in June 2018, the apex court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal and ordered the ex-speaker and his aide to return to the high court to be retried.