Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos
has adjourned the N1.4 billion fraud trial of the President of the
Nigerian Bar Association NBA, Paul Usoro, SAN, to April 17, 2019.
Usoro was charged along with Nsikan Nkan, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for
Finance; Mfon Udomah, Accountant-General of Akwa Ibom State; Uwemedimo
Nwoko, Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State and Margaret Ukpe (who are all
at large) on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering.
At today’s sitting, March 18, 2019, the first defendant, Usoro, in an
application, sought an order of the court directing the prosecution to
serve on him a “summarized witness statement of evidence of those listed
to give evidence in the matter.”
Usoro’s co-defendants, through their counsel, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, want the
court to set aside the warrant of arrest issued against them.
In another application brought by Dr. Charles Mekwunye, counsel to the
governor of Akwa Ibom State, the applicant challenged the jurisdiction of
the court to proceed with the hearing of the charges.
Consequently, Justice Aikawa adjourned for hearing of the pending
applications.
It will be recalled that Usoro was first arraigned before Justice M.S.
Hassan, who later opted out of the matter.
The defendant had alleged that Justice Hassan would be biased, having been
a former employee of the EFCC.
Usoro was, thereafter, re-arraigned before Justice Aikawa on March 1, 2019.