Absence of Defence Witness Stalls Nyame's N1.64bn Fraud Trial

The trial of Jolly Nyame, a former governor of Taraba State, who is being prosecuted for a N1.64 billion fraud could not go on, March 8, 2017 as expected as his defence team did not produce its witnesses in court.

Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Gudu, had on February 14, 2017 dismissed his no-case submission as lacking in merit, and ordered him to begin his defence today.

The trial judge had held that: "Having had a close look at the evidence and exhibits, I hold that this case requires him to provide information and give explanation with regards to evidence presented by the prosecution, and so he is ordered to enter into his defence in the interest of justice."

At the resumed sitting, Olalekan Ojo, counsel for Nyame, told the court that he had challenges in bringing three witnesses, which the defence had earlier told the court that it intends to call, to testify in defence of Nyame.

"We had conducted conferences with one of the witnesses, but unfortunately, the witness was unable to be here," he said.

He informed the court that the first defence witness was a police officer from Gombe State, and “we have decided that it will be necessary to have a subpoena served on him in order to compel his presence in court."

He thereafter, pleaded with the court for an adjournment, as "failure to bring our witnesses to court was not anticipated".

Justice Banjoko, who had earlier ruled that the trial would be on a day-to-day basis, was however, compelled to adjourn to April 24, 2017.