Senator Shehu Sani may be rearrested and sent back into prison over his ongoing alleged bribe taking trial.
This followed the threat by Justice I.E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, June 29, that he would revoke the bail granted the senator if he failed to appear in court on the next adjourned date.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Sani on two-count criminal charges, bordering on alleged name-dropping and obtaining the sum of $25,000 from Alhaji Sani Dauda of ASD Motors, Kaduna, under a false pretence that he would use the sum to bribe the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, to shield Dauda from EFCC’s investigation and prompt the commission to arrest and prosecute one Abubakar Musa who is having an issue with Dauda.
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At the resumed trial on Monday, defence counsel, A.A. Ibrahim (SAN), informed the court that the defendant was not in court because his neighbour just died of COVID-19, following which, the Kaduna State government placed a movement restriction in the area.
“My Lord, the defendant is unavoidably absent in court today because one of his neighbours died of COVID-19, and the government of Kaduna State placed a restriction of movement in the area, hence making him absent. In the circumstance, we are pleading with the court to give us a date,” he said.
But the prosecuting counsel, Abba Mohammed, who objected to the motion for adjournment informed the court that he had two witnesses in court and that one of them came from the same Kaduna Shehu Sani complained about.
Justice Ekwo, after ordering that the former senator should make himself available in court or have his bail revoked, adjourned the case till July 6,7,8 and 9, 2020 for continuation of trial.
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