Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the FCT High Court sitting in Gudu, Abuja, on Thursday expressed dismay with Nantok Joshua, counsel to former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye in a N1.16 billion fraud, insisting that the public must be told the truth of what is going on before her court in a trial that has dragged on for almost 10 years.

Dariye is being prosecuted by the EFCC for allegedly siphoning Plateau State’s ecological funds to the tune of N1.16 billion.

The judge was angered by the request for further adjournment to enable the defence produce a ruling purportedly delivered by a Kaduna State High Court, which it intended to tender and build on with its next witnesses.

The ruling, according to Joshua, deals with the ecological funds, which is the crux of the case, couldn’t be tendered because the Registrar of the Kaduna State High Court was unavailable to provide it with a copy.

Justice Banjoko, who was apparently uncomfortable with the counsel’s handling of the case, further noted: “even if I am not in court, I should be asked why?”

She admonished counsels to be accountable for their actions saying, “Judges, more often than not, are being blamed for the incessant delays in cases,” noting that the purported ruling waiting to be collected from a court of coordinate jurisdiction, was only persuasive and not binding on her court.

Counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, had earlier kicked against the request for a further adjournment, insisting that the case slated for hearing must go on.

The case has been adjourned to Wednesday, October 26 2016, for continuation of hearing.

(Independent)

•Photo shows Ex-Governor Dariye.

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