A judge of the Federal High Court, Joyce Abdul Malik, on Tuesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to produce in court an Abuja-based estate agent, Rebecca Omokamo, who locked herself up in her house for 23 days to avoid her trial.
She is to be produced in court to continue her trial in an alleged land fraud, forgery, and money laundering.
Judge Abdulmalik made this order for the agency to produce the defendant in court after she failed to show up for the continuation of her criminal trial.
Her counsel, Christopher Oshomeghie, SAN, at the resumed trial Tuesday, had informed the court that men of the EFCC had laid siege on the home of his client for 23 days running, and so she has not been outdoors for all that period as she fears for her life.
The Senior lawyer informed the court that was the reason for her absence.
In a short ruling the trial judge ordered the EFCC to keep the defendant in their custody till Thursday July 23 for the continuation of trial. The other defendants in the suit are Homadil Realty Limited, Idakwogi Richard John, and Rychado Homes Limited.
Only the third defendant, Richard John, the CEO of Rychado Homes Limited was available in court at the resumed hearing.
Proceedings began with counsel for the prosecution Benedict Ubi informing the court that the first defendant (Rebecca Omokamo) was in ‘self-imposed house arrest sequel to the order of the court for an interim forfeiture of a disputed land.’
The prosecutor said the defendant is obstructing officers of the EFCC from carrying out the order of the court. Mr Ubi also accused Mrs Omokamo of breaching the terms of her administrative bail by traveling repeatedly out of jurisdiction.
In a counter-argument, counsel for the defendant noted that menacing, gun-wielding officers from the EFCC took over the property of his clients in a 23-day siege. He says she is in a very poor state of health for having to be indoor for that long.
The prosecutor interjected by clarifying that the defendant has the keys and that it was she who locked herself in her apartment and not the EFCC officers on enforcement duty.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered the anti-corruption agency to produce the defendant in court after her counsel confirmed that she had the keys to the apartment and not the men of the EFCC.
Earlier, in a related civil suit Instituted by the EFCC, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik in a strong worded rebuke cautioned Senior Advocate, Christopher Oshomeghie for ‘pondering for the court.’ The trial judge took this position after he drew her attention to the continued siege on his client’s Guzape property by men of the EFCC.
He had sought clarity on her previous order for status quo antebellum to be maintained by the contending parties and the seeming high handed action by the EFCC officers who have since laid siege on the property shutting his client in for almost a month.
The judge stance on this was “When I make an order I go to sleep,” she thereby emphasized that the lawyer can not think for the court.
Earlier during the civil lawsuit, Mr Ubi had informed the court of a pending application for the final forfeiture of the disputed property. There was also a pending application by a party seeking to join the suit.
The court ruled that the application for joinder supercedes any other, and that will be accorded priority by the court at the moment.
The trial judge adjourned the civil lawsuit till 15 October for hearing of all pending applications.
Leave a Reply