Court fines ICPC’s lawyer for not producing witnesses in Maimuna Aliyu’s trial

Aliyu was arraigned by the ICPC on a three-counts charge with the first count accusing her of selling off three plots of land in Jahi District, Abuja, on behalf of the bank at the cost of N57 million without remitting same to the bank. At the resumed hearing yesterday, the prosecution counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha told the court he was unable to bring any of the 11 listed witnesses to court and prayed the court for an adjournment. Ruling on the request for adjournment, the trial judge, Justice Mairo Nasir said the court was disappointed with the failure of the prosecution to bring any of its witnesses to court for the trial to begin in earnest. She therefore ordered Akponimisingha to personally pay the sum of N50,000 into the coffers of the government and produce evidence of payment on May 11, the next adjourned date. Maimuna Aliyu is the mother of Maryam Sanda who was accused by the police of killing her husband, Bilyamin Bello.]]>