N4.7bn fraud: Outage stalls hearing of Babalakin's application

Power outage on Friday stalled the hearing of an application by the Chairman of Bi-Courtney Ltd., Wale Babalakin, at an Ikeja High Court charged with a N4.7 billion fraud.
Babalakin, in the application filed before Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo, had asked the court to dismiss the N4.7 billion fraud charge preferred against him and four others.
The application could not be heard as scheduled because of power outage.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that courts in the Ikeja Division had been relying solely on two generators to provide power.


One of the generators at the new court complex, where Lawal-Akapo's courtroom is situated, was said to have developed a fault on Thursday, according to an official.
NAN also reports that the situation led the court to adjourn the hearing of Babalakin's application till April 30.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had charged Babalakin and the other defendants to court on a 27-count charge bordering on conspiracy, retention of proceeds of a criminal conduct.
They are also being charged with "corruptly conferring benefits on account of public action.'
Babalakin's co-defendants — Alex Okoh, Stabilini Visioni Ltd., Bi-Courtney Ltd and Renix Nigeria Ltd — had also filed similar applications, challenging the court's jurisdiction to entertain the case.
They had also challenged the competence of the charges, arguing that the EFCC lacked the power to prosecute them at a state high court without a valid fiat.
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