A mild drama ensued at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Wednesday, when Abubakar Umar, a witness resurfaced at the ongoing trial of former Benue governor, Gabriel Suswam.
Blueprint reports that the court had declared the witness as hostile because of his perceived uncooperative attitude towards the prosecution.
The prosecution was also quoted by Paul Erokoro at the resumed sitting as referring to Umar as hostile witness, alleging that Mr Rotimi Jacobs cannot be aprobating and reprobating at the same time.
The said remarks was consequent upon an application by the prosecution, Mr Jacobs, who urge the court to declare Umar the fourth prosecution witness, hostile after the (Witness) contradicted himself while testifying in the case on May 5, 2016.
Jacobs had told the court on Nov. 22, 2017, that he took the decision to declare Umar a hostile witness given the contradiction between the witness’ written statement and his testimony before the court earlier on May 5, 2016.
In the meantime, the trial judge Justice Ahmed Mohammed has adjourned the trial till May 25, 2021 for the defence to cross-examine PW4.
Suswam and a former Commissioner for Finance in his administration, Omadachi Oklobia, are being prosecuted for alleged N3.1 billion money laundering charge before Justice Mohammed’s court.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the EFCC counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, concluded the cross examining Umar.
Jacobs, rather than lead Umar, a prosecution witness in evidence, had to cross-examine him by virtue of the fact that he had been declared a hostile witness by the anti-graft agency.
Following the conclusion of the cross examination of the witness, the prosecuting counsel asked to recall the witness to give evidence with regards to the amended charge in respect of the matter.
The application was granted following the withdrawal of an earlier objection from Mr Joseph Daudu, SAN, and Mr Paul Erokoro, SAN, counsel to Suswam and Oklobia.
The witness, on recall, told the court that he had no relationship with Benue government and that he had never done business with the government before.
Daudu then told the court that he needed time before he could proceed with cross examination of the witness.
Daudu said, “The witness has been in the witness box for the past three years. To save time, we need to go back and sheave the grain from the chaff so that we can cross examine him in one day.”
