Ex-Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji to face trial Dec 11

The Federal High Court, Lagos, has fixed December 11, 2109 for the re-arraignment of a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji.

The ex-Speaker is facing a 54-count criminal charge of money laundering in a joint trial involving his aide, Oyebode Atoyebi.

Justice Mohammed Liman yesterday fixed December 11, 2019 for their re-arraignment after the defence counsel, Mr Tunde Akinrinmisi, prayed for an adjournment.

The prosecuting counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Oyedepo, consenting to the adjournment, however, said, “this is a case in which the prosecution has given evidence and closed its case but Justice Ibrahim Buba discharged the defendants on a no-case submission, which travelled from here up to the Supreme Court. But here we are six years after.”

The EFCC accused Ikuforiji and Atoyebi of laundering N600 million belonging to the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Following a no-case submission by their lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun, a senior advocate, Justice Ibrahim Buba, in a September 2014 ruling, discharged them on the entire 54 counts pressed against them by the EFCC.

Dissatisfied, the EFCC appealed to the Court of Appeal, which, in a November 2016 ruling, overruled Justice Buba and ordered Ikuforiji and Atoyebi to return to the High Court to be retried before another judge.

Unhappy with the appellate court’s pronouncement, Ikuforiji and Atoyebi appealed to the Supreme Court, which, in June 2018, upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal and ordered the ex-Speaker and his aide to return to the High Court to be retried.