COVID-19 Stalls Trial Of Benue Dep Speaker, Clerk

By Ella Makondo

A Makurdi High Court presided over by Justice S.O Itodo has adjourned to October 14, 2020, an alleged fraud case of N5.2 million filed against the Deputy Speaker of Benue State House of Assembly, Christopher Adaji, and the Clerk of the House, Torese Agena.

The case filed by the Economic Financial and Crimes Commission, EFCC, Benue Zonal office on June 17, 2020 was adjourned based on a report that one of the suspects, Christopher Adaji had tested positive for COVID-19 pandemic.

In a press statement issued  by the EFCC Makurdi Zonal office, Head of media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, stated that at the resumed sitting of the matter on Monday,  counsel to the EFCC, George Chia-Yakua told the court that two of the prosecution witnesses were in court adding that he was ready to proceed with the matter.

The statement stated that , Barnabas Iorheghem ,  holding brief for Sebastine Hon, SAN, counsel to the deputy speaker,  informed the court that his client was  not ready to proceed with the case.

“Our lead counsel, S. T Hon, SAN called to inform me that the pandemic had affected his client (who is the deputy speaker and second defendant in this case) as he was tested positive for  COVID–19, as a result of which the Clerk of the House (who is the first defendant) had been quarantined for 14 days”.

The statement further state that, Counsel to Agena,( first respondent), S.E Irabor confirmed the report by Iorheghem,  adding that, “being a principal officer of the house working closely with the deputy speaker,  the Clerk was asked to be quarantined.”

According to the statement, Counsel to EFCC, Chia-Yakua did not object to the application for adjournment by the defence.

Justice Itodo  thereafter, granted the application and adjourned the matter to October 14, 2020 for trial.

It would be recalled  that the EFCC had on June 17 arraigned the two principal officer on two count charges bordering on abuse of office and criminal misappropriation of public funds totalling N5,040,950.

 While the deputy speaker, Adaji, was accused of collecting the sum of N4,840,950  in 2019, as money for legislative tour which he did not accomplish but converted to personal use, the Clerk, Agena, was alleged  to have abused his office  in 2019 by taking a bribe of N200,000.

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