February 02, (THEWILL) – The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) was on Wednesday fined ₦200,000, by Justice Binta Nyako for delaying the trail of four co-defendants of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu on treasonable felony charges.
Justice Nyako in her ruling ordered that each of the defendants be paid ₦50,000 by Malami for the inconveniences they have experienced, due to the absence of the lead counsel to the Federal Government, Shuaib Magaji Labaran.
The judge who was not pleased with the development, noted that the defendants must be paid before the adjourned date of March 17.
The Federal Government was not represented at Wednesday’s proceeding.
As justice Nyako was about adjourning the case, 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.
According to Aluko, two witnesses were in court but did not speak due to the absence of the lead counsel and sought an adjournment.
Aluko’s apology did not go down well with Nyako, who asked the Federal Government to be more serious with the case.
The judge also extended similar counselling to the defence lawyers to stop using frivolous applications to delay the trial which was started in 2015.
Meanwhile, Justice Nyako has fixed March 17 for the resumption of the trial.
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