Court Orders EFCC To Produce Danladi, Ex-Deputy And Acting Governor For Trial

Danladi, who is the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state is facing trial on allegations of money laundering and conspiracy.

The order is coming following the inability of the EFCC to serve the APC candidate summons as held on October 23.

The presiding judge, Justice Stephen Pam, on Wednesday also issued another order to produce the third defendant as the court proceedings were stalled today.

The first and second defendants in the case are former Minister for Labour and Productivity, Senator Joel Ikenya, and former Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, Mark Useni.

Danladi, who was also a former Deputy Governor of Taraba, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and violation of financial regulations preferred against him and the two others are accused of collecting the sum of N450 million from former president Jonathan to prosecute the 2015 election in the state.

Counsel to the EFCC, Israel Akande, asked Justice Pam to give the anti-graft agency more time to serve summons to the APC governorship candidate to appear before the court for the continuation of the case.

But counsels to the first and second defendants, Effiong Ibrahim and Festus Idegbefor argued that the three defendants were on facing the same charges.

They added that the inability of the EFCC to produce the third defendant was same as holding their clients to ransom.

They, thereafter, prayed the court to discharge the first and second defendants pending when the EFCC was ready.

After listening to the arguments of both parties, the trial judge adjourned the case till January 15, 2019, for further hearing.

Outside the court premises, a group known as Amalgamated Youths protested the inability of the EFCC to produce the third defendant.

The protesters accused the agency of shielding Danladi because he was contesting the election on the platform of the ruling party.

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