asked a Federal High Court, Abuja, to stop the former Minister of
Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, from testifying in the ongoing
trial of an alleged misapplication of N2.5 billion Federal Government
Digital Switch-Over (DSO) programme.Mohammed had been scheduled to appear as witness by the Independent
Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), who is
prosecuting the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission
(NBC), Ishaq Modibbo Kawu, Omoluwa and Dipo Onifade over an alleged
abuse of office and money laundering.
He will be expected to tell the court his role leading to the approval
of N2.5 billion DSO seed grant to a private company, Pinnacle
Communications Limited, owned by Omoluwa with Onifade as the Chief
Operating Officer.
Counsel to Omoluwa and Onifade, Alex Iziyon (SAN), had approached
Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa, with a motion seeking the court to
stop ICPC from bringing Mohammed as a witness.
His prayers, which were supported by Kawu’s counsel, Adetayo Adeyomo,
also sought to stop the court from admitting a written statement of the
former Minister filed by ICPC as evidence.
Justice Ogunbanjo-Giwa adjourned the matter to Thursday, 4th July, 2019
for continuation of trial as well as ruling on a pending bail
application for the release of the passports of Omoluwa and Onifade.
ICPC had filed an amended 11-count charge against Kawu, Omoluwa and
Onifade, saying that the NBC Director General misled the former Minister
into approving government funds to a private company to carry out the
DSO project.