FG fails to arraign Justice Ademola on N248m ‘corruption’ charge

‎The federal government on Monday failed to arraign Adeniyi Ademola, a serving judge, and his wife, Olubowale, before an Abuja high court.

Their arraignment was scheduled for Monday, and the case was on the cause list of the court.

Ademola and his wife, who is the Lagos state head of service, were to be brought before Justice Jude Okeke on a 15-count charge of corruption to the tune of N248m, but they did not show up because they had not been served with a summons.

Making his submission, Segun Jedege, counsel to the federal government, explained that the bailiff of the court could not serve the judge with the summons last week because he was in Lagos.

However, he added that JC Ajinkeonye, counsel to the defandants, had indicated that he would receive the summons on behalf of his client.

Speaking, Ajinkeonye assured the court that his client would be present for arraignment on the next adjourned date.

After listening to their submissions, Okeke, the judge, adjourned the case to December 13 and granted the request of the prosecuting counsel that Ademola be served through his lawyer.

The Ademolas are also alleged to have received $520, 000 as gratification from some law firms between 2013 and 2016.

Ademola is one of the seven judges who were arrested on October 8 by the Department of State Services (DSS) on allegations of corruption. Sylvester Ngwuta, a supreme court judge, who was also arrested, was arraigned before a federal high court in November.

Ademola had said at the time that he was arrested by the DSS because he granted Sambo Dasuki bail and freed Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB).

“A DSS officially finally informed me that the search of my arrest were based on these three allegations; petition of Hon. Jenkins Duvie dated 4th of April 2016 to the National Judicial Council (NJC); granting bail to Col. Sambo Dasuki and the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu; and using my office to secure my wife’s appointment as the head of civil service state through Senator Bola Tinubu,” he said.

“What is more intriguing in this whole episode, is that I see it as a vendetta/revenge from the Hon. attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, whilst I was in Kano between 2004 and 2007 as a federal high court judge was involved in a professional misconduct necessitating his arrest and detention by my order.

He subsequently withdrew from Dasuki’s case.

The government has lined up at least four witnesses that will testify against the Ademolas.