"The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Lateefat Okunnu discharged the warrant after the two defendants and their counsel appeared in court"
An Ikeja High Court on Wednesday discharged the bench
warrant issued against two oil marketers, Opeyemi Ajuyah and Olarenwaju
Olalusi.
The warrant was issued for their
arrest on Oct. 8 for failure to attend trial without concrete reasons.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that Justice Lateefat Okunnu discharged the warrant after the two
defendants and their counsel appeared in court.
The marketers are standing trial over
an alleged N1.1 billion fuel subsidy fraud alongside Abdullahi Alao, son of
prominent businessman, Alhaji Abdullazeez Arisekola-Alao.
They were charged to court by
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The marketers are facing an
eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences,
forgery, uttering and use of false documents.
During Wednesday's proceeding,
counsel to the defendants-- Dr Joseph Nwobike (SAN) and Mr Oludare Falana --
apologised for their absence in court the previous day.
They told the court that their
clients were not aware that the date had been set aside for the proceedings.
The lawyers, therefore, prayed the
court to discharge the arrest warrant issued against the two defendants.
Counsel to the EFCC, Mr Ben Ubi, did
not oppose to the oral application to vacate the warrant.
The judge said that Alao's counsel,
Mr Aderemi Oguntoye, ought to have informed the other defendants that the date
had been fixed for hearing of his application.
Okunnu, therefore, granted the
requests of the counsel for the discharge of the warrant.
``I hereby discharge the bench
warrant issued against the defendants".
She adjourned to Oct. 21 for hearing
of all pending applications
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