The trial of an alleged serial fraudster, Abayomi Kamaldeen Alaka, who was suspected to be the kingpin of the Cultist Group, Badoo, that terrorised Ikorodu area of Lagos State, has suffered a set back at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, as counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nkereuwem Anana, today, absence from the trial without notifying the court.
Alaka was arraigned alongside Morufu Yahaya, Omitogun Ajayi, and Ajisegiri Abiodun before the court for obtaining the sum of N675 million (Six Hundred and Seventy Five Million Naira) under false pretence.
EFCC alleged that sometimes in May, 2018 at Lagos, the defendants, obtained the sum of Six Hundred and Seventy Five Million Naira from Dr. and Dr. Mrs. Lateef Oladimeji Bello for the purpose of conducting prayers for spiritual cleansing of their son and the family and that the money will be refunded after the prayers which pretence they knew to be false.
The offence is said to be Contrary to Section 410 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria No. 11 of 2011.
At the resumption of trial today, a senior counsel from EFCC, Mrs Joy Amaihian, told the court that the Commission expressed its regrets to inform the court that the prosecutor who is handling the trial has been transferred to another jurisdictions.
She further pleaded with the court to grant them adjournment to enable the commission re-assigned another counsel to take over the case file.
Meanwhile, the defence counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, SAN, who did not opposed the adjournment, however expressed dismay that the Commission did not make arrangements to ensure today’s trial was not forestall.
He added that the Commission did not communicate with the defence team about the update and decided to waste their time in coming to court.
“I’m surprised that the agency will transfer counsel without adequate replacement. It is not also good that they did not communicate to us that the matter is not going on today. If they had told me I’ll not be in this court today,” Ojo said.
But counsel to the commission objected to Ojo’s position saying on the last adjournment date, Mr. Anana was not in court but a junior counsel from the commission stood in for him,” she said.
The trial judge in adjudicating over the issue raised by the prosecution counsel said the record of the court is clear on what happened on the last adjournment date, stressing that Mr Anana, though came late for the matter he was present in court.
“My record is very clear on what happened on the last adjournment date. Mr. Anana was present in court. He was late and the court had to wait for him so it was not correct that he was not present in court,” the court held.
Subsequently, the presiding judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo adjourned further hearing till June 21 for continuation of trial.
It would be recalled that trouble started when the complainants wrote a petition to the EFCC to report being swindled by the defendants under the disguise of spiritual cleansing.
