A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has summoned a member of the House of Representatives, Sani Umar Dangaladima, representing the Kaura-Namoda Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, to appear in court over trial of AbdulRasheed Maina, a former chairman defunct Pension Reformed Task Team.
Okon Abang, the trial judge summoned Dangaladima on Tuesday due to the absence of Faisal Maina at the court trial.
Dangaladima had stood as surety for Faisal’s bail and had since refused to attend the trial after he was arrested alongside his father.
At the resumed hearing of Faisal’s trial on Tuesday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s prosecution counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, said both the defendant and his surety had not attended court since June 24, 2020.
At the resumed trial in Absentia of Maina and his son, Faisal, his surety, nor his lawyer was present at the court.
Consequently, Abubakar applied for the revocation of his bail and his arrest citing section 184 of the Administraton of Criminal Justice Act.
EFCC also applied for the court to order his trial in absentia as provided by 352(4) of ACJA.
“My third application is for the issuance of summons on the surety, and for him to show cause why he should not forfeit the bail bond,” Abubakar added.
Abang summoned Dangaladima to appear before the court and explain why he should not forfeit the N60m bail bond which he signed for Faisal’s bail.
Abang had on Tuesday revoked the bail granted Faisal Maina, the son of Abdulrasheed Maina, and ordered his arrest for jumping bail in his trial on money laundering charges.
The trial judge also ordered that his trial on money laundering charges would proceed in absentia pending when the security agencies would be able to arrest and produce him in court. The judge granted the prayers and adjourned till Wednesday.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94