The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has been ordered to pay the sum of N200,000 to the convener of Revolution Now, Mr. Omoyele Sowore and his co-defendant, Mr. Olawale Bakare.
Sowore and Bakare are standing trial over charges of treasonable felony, fraud, cyber-stalking and insulting President Muhammadu Buhari.
Justice Ojukwu of a Federal High Court in Abuja gave the order for the payment by Malami, on Wednesday, during the hearing of the case against Sowore and Bakare.
The cost was said to be the penalty for the attempt by the prosecution lawyer, Aliyu Halilu, to delay trial.
Said the judge: “The honourable court views the delay as uncalled for and the application for adjournment as frivolous in view of the reasons for the adjournment sought.
“Each party is entitled to five adjournments. The prosecution has almost exhausted her five adjournments even before the commencement of trial. There are consequences for every infraction.
“Premised on the provision of section 396(6) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the prosecution has earned the award of cost against them. Prosecution shall pay a cost of N200,000 to the defence as a consequence of frivolous adjournments.”
Earlier, prosecution counsel had requested the court to adjourn the case to Thursday.
The reason given was that the charges against the defendants had been amended but not been served on them.
However, Sowore’s lawyer, Olumide Fusika opposed the request, stating that instead, the case should be struck for lack of diligent prosecution.
He argued that the prosecution counsel had not even complied with the order of the court requesting to provide the defence with statements of the witnesses they intended to call.
In obvious solidarity with Sowore and Bakare, present at the court were Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; Former senator, Shehu Sani, and Chidi Odinkalu.
