A fine of ₦200,000 has been slammed on the Attorney General of the Federation( AGF) by Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court for truncating the trial of four co-defendants of Nnamdi Kanu, who are on treasonable felony charges.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that Nyako specifically ordered the AGF to pay each of the defendants ₦50,000 for the inconveniences they suffered as a result of absence of the lead prosecution counsel to the Federal Government, Shuaib Magaji Labaran.
Justice Nyako, who was miffed by the conduct of the prosecution counsel, ordered that the ₦200,000 must be paid to the defendants before the next adjourned date.
The four defendants are Bright Chimezie, Chidiebere Onwudike, Benjamin Maduagwu and David Nwaurusi.
The defendants had, through their lawyers, complained about the hardships they go through in raising funds for their transportation to Abuja.
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At yesterday’s proceedings, no legal representation came for the Federal Government at the time the matter was called.
However, as the judge was about to take adjournment, one Mrs. Adewumi Aluko, from the Federal Ministry of Justice, came in and apologised that the Federal Government’s lead counsel was out of the country.
Aluko said two witnesses were in court but that she will not want to proceed in the absence of the lead counsel and sought for an adjournment.
Her apology did not go down well with the judge who counselled the Federal Government to be more serious in the trial of the defendants.
The judge also extended similar counselling to the defence lawyers to stop using frivolous applications to delay the trial which started since 2015
Meanwhile, Justice Nyako has fixed March 17 for resumption of the trial.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK