July 30, (THEWILL) – The trial of a former General Manager of the Bayelsa State Broadcasting Corporation, John Idumange, was on Thursday stalled by the absence of the defence counsel at a State High Court in Yenagoa.
Idumange is standing trial for a fake “whistleblowing” allegation that some officials of the state government diverted the N3 billion agriculture loan of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) allocated to Bayelsa.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Bayelsa, Biriyai Sambo (SAN), had filed a suit against Idumange for misdemeanour and seditious publications against government officials.
Idumange, also a former Special Adviser on Research and Documentation and later Social Media to the immediate past Governor of the state, Seriake Dickson, had also petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged fraud.
He was subsequently arrested on March 10.
But a Magistrates’ Court in Yenagoa had on March 11 ordered Idumange’s detention for 30 days pending police investigation
Some officials of the Bayelsa government had reported to the police that Idumange had made seditious publications that maligned their persons in his claims.
Again the State High Court, Sagbama Division, granted him bail.
The case, which was earlier assigned to Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro. was later reassigned to Justice Uzaka.
However, when the case came up for hearing on Thursday, the prosecuting counsel, led by the State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Iyobosa Apulu, argued that an earlier bench warrant issued on the Defendant ought to be issued on his surety as well.
She urged the court to also issue another bench warrant against Idumange’s Surety to produce him in court.
Iyobosa said, “We do not know the whereabouts of the Defendant, who was previously on bail before the case was transferred to this court, but his surety can be traced and that is why we want the bench warrant be issued against the Surety to prevail on him to produce the Defendant in court.”
But Justice Uzaka adjourned the matter to September 10 for continuation and ruling on the prosecution’s application for a bench warrant on the Defendant’s Surety.
Justice Uzaka had on July 19, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Idumange after his counsel, Ebikebuna Aluzu informed the court that the Defendant was involved in a car accident while on his way to court, and was hospitalised.
