Justice Adebukola Banjoko, Federal High Court Judge sitting on the $620,000 bribery charges case against a former Chairman, House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, Mr. Farouk Lawan has withdrawn from the case.
Justice Banjoko willingly withdrew from the case on Tuesday and ordered the case file to be returned to the Federal Capital Territory Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Bukar, despite the withdrawal of an earlier application filed by Lawan, in which the lawmaker requested that she quit.
The Judge said “In my 17 years on the bench, six years as a magistrate and 11 years as a judge, I have never been confronted with a scandalous challenge of my integrity.”
Mr Lawan personally filed a petition asking the Judge to quit the case on the basis that she is close to the Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas, Mr Femi Otedola, a proposed witness and accuser in the case. The judge denied the allegation that she and her family were close to Mr Otedola.
The Judge ruled that “In the prevailing circumstances, I do find it difficult to continue this case. This case is returned to the honourable Chief Judge for re-assignment.”
Lawan is being prosecuted alongside his secretary in the committee, Boniface Emenalo, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission for allegedly collecting $620,000 in the course of performing the committee’s duty in 2012.
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