The trial of former Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku and his co-defendant, Bello Yero, the former permanent secretary of the Bureau of Local Government Affairs in Taraba State, was postponed on Thursday. This delay occurred because the attorney representing Yero withdrew from the case.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting both men on behalf of the Federal Government. The case is being heard by Justice Sylvanus Oriji at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, Abuja. It is registered under the suit number FCT/HC/CR/792/2024.
Ishaku and Yero are facing 15 counts of charges that include criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and the conversion of public funds amounting to N27 billion.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge brought against them by the anti-corruption commission.
At the resumed hearing in the case today, Samuel Fagade, who held the brief of the lead counsel for the second defendant, Adeola Adedipe SAN, told the court that they had filed a notice of withdrawal as counsel for Bello in the case.
While urging the court to grant the application, Fagade informed that the second defendant had a substitute counsel in court already.
Counsel for the former governor, Chris Umar SAN, told the court that they were not objecting to the withdrawal of the counsel for the second defendant from the case.
The prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs SAN, however, vehemently objected the withdrawal, saying that Fagade was in court on April 28 when the prosecution led its third witness, Taiwo Jones, in evidence.
According to the prosecutor, he was even happy that the counsel for the second defendant brought his application for withdrawal pursuant to Section 349 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
Jacobs said that sub (7) of the section stipulated that a counsel who starts a case was bound to continue to when judgment is delivered, adding that sub (8) of the section stated that in the case the counsel had cause to withdraw his representation, he must file his notice of discontinuance three days before the next adjourned date in the case.
“In this instance, he only filed his notice of withdrawal yesterday. He was in court on April 28 when the PW3 began his evidence-in-chief,” Jacobs said, though he later withdrew his objection.
Upon the withdrawal of the prosecutor’s objection, the court permitted the legal firm of Adeola Adedipe to withdraw from the case.
The judge then asked Yero what he wanted to do in view of the withdrawal of his counsel from the case, to which the second defendant told the court that he did not have any legal representation now.
He, therefore, urged the court to grant his an adjournment of between four and six weeks to enable him to engage another lawyer to represent him.
The counsel for the former governor did not object to the application for adjournment, but the prosecutor objected and informed the court that Yero indeed came to court with another lawyer who actually endorsed his name on the court’s cause list.
According to him, one Amos Minima endorsed his name on the cause list but later cancelled it.
Justice Oriji subsequently adjourned the case to June 15 for continuation of the hearing.