FG vs ONNOGHEN: Prosecution And Defence Teams Parley

…Ex-Kano DPP is the prosecutor

A team of lawyers led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has
arrived the Code Conduct Tribunal in Abuja to defend the Chief
Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, who is scheduled for
arraignment before the tribunal in the Monday’s proceedings.

As of the time of filing this report at about 9.17am on Monday,
the CJN has not been seen on the tribunal’s premises for the
proceedings scheduled to start by 10am.

Some Senior Advocates of Nigeria in his defence team who were
already seated before 9am awaiting the commencement of the
proceedings included, Chief Chris Uche, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo,
Sebastine Hon, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume, Kehinde Ogunwumiju,and A.T
Kehinde.

‎All the senior lawyers are in court with their teeming
juniors.

But the team of lawyers comprising a handful of senior lawyers
and other junior ones has been technically disbanded.

Meanwhile, a former Director of Public Prosecution in Kano
State, Aliyu Umar (SAN), is going to lead the government
prosecution’s ‎team.

Umar arrived the CCT at about 9.10am.

He was one of the senior lawyers appointed by the
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr.
Abubakar Malami (SAN), as part of what was meant to be the
government’s prosecution team in 2016.

Umar led the government’s prosecution team that was to prosecute
the Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu
for alleged forgery of Senate rules.

More details later

Photo credit: Sumner Shagari Sambo