Justice Oluremi Oguntoyibo of a Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday withdrew from trying a case involving a human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, charged with dealing in a seized property.
Oguntoyibo said she was withdrawing from the case for “personal reasons.”
The judge said she would return the case file to the Chief Judge of the court for re-assignment to a new judge.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Adegboruwa on May 12, 2016, for allegedly dealing in a seized property.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that of the nine witnesses listed to testify, EFCC has so far called two.
The human rights lawyer was charged under Section 32 (1) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004.
It states:“Any person who without due authorisation by the Commission, deals with, sells or otherwise disposes of any property which is the subject of an attachment, commits an offence and is liable on conviction, to imprisonment for a term of five years without the option of fine.”
The commission said that Adegboruwa and Jonathan Udeagbala, who is still large, committed the alleged offences on Aug. 13, 2013 in Lagos.
The accused was alleged to have conspired to lease the property at House 105, NICON Town Estate, Lekki.
EFCC said the property was a “subject of interim orders of attachment made by Justice Christopher Balogun of the Lagos State High Court” on June 18, 2012.
It was also alleged that Adegboruwa leased the property to Shelf Drilling Nigeria Ltd for the sum of N61 million.
The lawyer, however, denied the charge. (NAN)
UNS/DA