Prosecution pays N200,000 fine in Sowore’s trial
NEWS DIGEST – The prosecution in the trial of Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare reported to a Federal High Court on Thursday that it has paid the N200, 000 cost awarded against it the previous day by the court on grounds of delay.
At the commencement of proceedings on Thursday, lead prosecution, Aminu Alilu, confirmed that the payment was made to the defendants on Wednesday.
Alilu also applied that the amended two counts charge newly filed against the defendants on February 10, 2020, be substituted with the old charges filed on September 20, 2019.
He said: “As a law-abiding officer of the Attorney-General of the Federation, we have complied with my lord’s order regarding the cost and supply of some materials to the defence.
“We have the evidence of payment before my lord and it can be confirmed by the defence.
“Having said that, we will be applying for the substitution of an earlier charge filed on September 20, 2019, but dated September 19, 2019, to be substituted with two counts amended information dated February 10, 2020, and filed on February 11, 2020.”
Read Also:
Responding, defence lawyer, Abdul Mahmud, confirmed that the N200, 000 cost was paid to the defence through the bank account of a senior member of the team, Mr Olayinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, on Wednesday.
The defendants were later arraigned on the amended two-count charge filed by the prosecution.
The prosecution accused them, in the new charge, of planning a protest tagged #RevolutionNow aimed at toppling the administration of the President Muhammadu Buhari.
The amendment of the charge reduced the original seven counts to two.
The prosecution has discarded the earlier alleged offences of money laundering and cyber-stalking Buhari by abusing him.
Court fixes March 11 for Sowore, Bakare’s trial
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday fixed March 11 to 13 for the trial of Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, on amended charges of treasonable felony, which was again stalled.
The defendants were rearraigned on Thursday but could not proceed to trial as scheduled on the basis that the prosecution had yet to serve the defence copies of the electronic video CDs it intended to rely on.
