Naira Marley Alleged Court Case Adjourned For 3 Months
Music star, Naira Marley, was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2019 for alleged internet fraud.
However, in a new development on Monday, the continuation of the trial was adjourned till October 5, 2021 by Justice I. Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge, thereby leading to his trial.
Since the commencement of the trial, the prosecution had called two witnesses, Nuru Buhari Dalhatu and Augustine Anosike, both forensic experts with the EFCC, who revealed to the court how the defendant frequently visited sites where stolen credit cards were sold to interested fraudsters as well as other shocking evidence recovered from the defendant’s mobile device.
At the resumption of proceedings, counsel to the EFCC, Bilkisu Buhari, informed the judge that the matter was slated for cross-examination of the second prosecution witness, Anosike.
She prayed the court to invite the witness for the continuation of the hearing.
However, the defence counsel Akinwale Kola-Taiwo, prayed the court for a short date for the continuation of trial on the grounds that “the matter is for mention today and not continuation as disclosed by the prosecution.”
Granting his prayer, Justice Oweibo adjourned the case till October 5, 6, and 7 for the continuation of trial.
The long adjournment is in view of the court’s annual vacation, which begins on July 26 and ends on September 17 (53 days).
Naira Marley is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He is known as the president of his controversial fan base, “Marlians”.
On 10 May 2019, the EFCC arrested Naira Marley and his friends Zlatan, Tiamiu Kayode, Adewunmi Moses, Micheal “Taqueesh” Adenuga, and Abubakar Musa. The arrest was made a day after he released the video for the controversial single “Am I A Yahoo Boy”.
Five days later, the EFCC released Zlatan and three others but kept Marley in their custody due to overwhelming evidence against him. On 16 May 2019, the EFCC charged him with 11 counts of fraud before a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.