24th April, 2013
There is no respite yet for the Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji and his Personal Assistant, Alade Atoyebi, standing trial before a Federal High Court in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, for money laundering related offences, as the Presiding judge, Justice Okechukwu Okeke, on Wednesday adjourned the matter indefinitely.
When the matter was mentioned Wednesday, a new counsel engaged by the EFCC, David Idenu, announced his appearance, while Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, leading two other senior counsel, Abiodun Omidare and Tunde Akinrimisi, announced their appearance for the accused speaker and his aide.
Justice Okeke, while adjourning the matter indefinitely, said the former EFCC prosecutor was blackmailing the court by constantly asking for adjournments.
The accused persons were alleged to have conspired between April 2010 and July 2011, to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments amounting to N273.3 million from the Lagos State House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.
Ikuforiji was alleged to have misappropriated about N500 million of the House’s funds, an offence which contravened Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011.
—Akin Kuponiyi