CCT: Saraki’s lawyers walk out, trial continues Nov. 19

Twenty-six lawyers representing Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is standing a 13-count trial for false declaration of assets, walked out on the judges of the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja, on Thursday.



The walkout thwarted the scheduled continuation of the trial by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), who said at the beginning of the hearing on Thursday that his witnesses were before the tribunal ready to testify.

Three Senior Advocates of Nigeria – Messrs Saka Issau, Ahmed Raji and Mahmud Magaji – who appeared for Saraki, led 23 juniors out of the courtroom after registering their protest against the ruling of the tribunal which directed that trial must commence on Thursday despite their appeal to the Supreme Court against the jurisdiction of the tribunal.

Speaking during the proceedings, an aggrieved Magaji, who announced that he would withdraw from the case, described the ruling as “judicial rascality,” on the grounds of the tribunal’s alleged refusal to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court on the appeal Saraki had filed in the case.

The development forced the Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal to adjourn the trial till November 19, 2015 to enable Saraki to engage new lawyers that would defend him in the case.