Justice Jude Okeke of an Abuja High Court in Maitama, on Monday, threatened to strike out the charges preferred against a judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, and others, if the prosecution failed again to present its next witnesses at subsequent court sittings.
The federal government is prosecuting Justice Ademola, his wife, Olabowale, and a SAN, Joe Agi, on charges bordering on giving and receiving of gratification and alleged illegal possession of firearms found with the judge.
The prosecution led by Mr. Segun Jegede had called five witnesses, but was unable to continue its case by calling its sixth witness as scheduled on Monday.
Jegede had told Justice Okeke that he was unable to proceed because of the absence of his next prosecution witness whom he said had been taken into hiding after escaping an assassination attempt at about 2am on Monday.
Jegede said, “This is not the first time. We now have a situation whereby prosecution witnesses are now systematically threatened.”
Jegede sought an adjournment to enable him to make an arrangement to bring to court his witness, a former Director, Pension Accounts Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Shaibu Teidi, whose life he said was threatened earlier on Monday.
The judge was initially angry that the witness was not in court, but later ordered the IG of Police, Mohammed Idris, to provide protection for the witnesses in the case, to allow for smooth trial.
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