The Ministry of Justice, which is prosecuting a fraudulent withdrawal of N2.2million from a defunct Skye Bank account, has once again absented itself from the Lagos State Magistrate Court in Ikeja for the continuation of the seven-year-old trial.
Mrs. Alu Patience and Mrs. Abiola Gbadamosi, two prosecuting counsel of the Ministry, took over the case from the Lagos State Police Command that instituted it in 2012. Although David had changed his name on his Facebook Profile, his unique profile Identity showed that Abayomi David were two of the names he initially registered the account with.
The second charge read: “That you Mohammed Soliu Ayunba , Ernest Etiosa Makiri , Adewale Adeniyi , Abayomi David between the months of February to September 2012 at Skye Bank, NAHCO branch Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, in the Ikeja Magisterial District did steal the sum of two million, two hundred thousand Naira property of Nigeria Customs Service and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.
Ernest, a former staff member of the bank who allegedly aided David in perfecting the withdrawal of the said amount from an account of the NCS in Skye Bank, declined to give any comment when he was approached. On his part, Adeniyi, a former staff of the defunct Skye Bank, claimed that he was only indicted by the bank because he has information that potentially reveals the negligence of duty on the part of management.
He said: “The case was before the Magistrate L.Y. Balogun of Court 19, Ogba Magistrate Court in Ikeja, and when Abayomi jumped bail in early 2016, the Magistrate issued a bench warrant against him and stepped his name aside so that the case can continue. I suspect that the prosecutors who are from the Ministry of Justice/Directorate of Public Prosecution are highly working in the interest of Abayomi David in order for the case not to see the light of the day.