EXTRA: Badeh in ‘same’ attire for seven days

Alex Badeh, former chief of defence staff, arrived at the federal high court, Abuja, on Monday, clad in the same style of attire he wore on March 7.

Badeh looked exactly as he did on his previous appearances in court, fuelling speculations that he was repeating exactly the same dress. Although TheCable confirmed he was clad in separate clothing this time, the attire remained the same style he had appeared in over the past seven days.

The slight difference was that he looked dishevelled and without his signature dark shades, showing that the telling effects of prison life might be setting in.

He also looked a bit trim, a betrayal of his former rotund stature.

Okon Abang, justice of the federal high court, Abuja, initially stood down the trial owing to his absence.

This was after Rotimi Jacobs, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), told the court that the defendant was absent, hence a need to suspend the trial for a while.

“My lord this matter is for trial this morning,” he said. “The prison people are yet to arrive with the defendant. I humbly ask that the court stand down the case until they produce the first defendant.”

As Akin Olujimi, counsel to Badeh, did not object to the prayer, the court stood down the case until the arrival of the defendant.

Badeh arrived at 9:15am, 15 minutes after the case was called.

The former chief of defence staff has been in prison since March 7. But, on March 10, Abang granted him bail in the sum of N2bn.

He is accused of criminal breach of trust and corruption to the tune of N3.9bn.