The federal government has paid the sum of N200, 000 to Messrs Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare as the cost for delaying their trial on Wednesday.
The lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Aminu Alilu, said on Thursday that payment was made to the defendants on Wednesday, February 12.
“As a law-abiding officer of the attorney general of the federation, we have complied with my lord’s order regarding the cost and supply of some materials to the defence.
“We have the evidence of payment before my lord and it can be confirmed by the defence.
“Having said that, we will be applying for the substitution of an earlier charge filed on September 20, 2019, but dated September 19, 2019, to be substituted with two counts amended information dated February 10, 2020, and filed on February 11, 2020,” he said.
The development came as Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, fixed the trial of the duo for March 11-13.
The defendants were re-arraigned on amended charges of treasonable felony and conspiracy but could not proceed to trial as scheduled on the basis that the prosecution had yet to serve the defence copies of the electronic video CDs it intended to rely on.
According to Punch, charges of money laundering and cyber-stalking President Muhammadu Buhari by abusing him contained in the old charges were removed in the newly filed charges.
Both Sowore and Bakare again pleaded not guilty to the two counts of conspiracy and treasonable felony.
The judge noted that she had long issued the order for the service of the materials on the defendants.
However, she consented to the prosecution’s request for two weeks to compile the materials and have them served to the defence.
The prosecuting counsel from the office of the office of the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Mr. Aminu Alilu, while responding to the request for the VCDs by defence counsel, Mr. Abdul Mahmud, said the attorney general who recently took over the case from the Department of State Services was not aware of the court’s order for the service of the materials on the defence.
He assured the court that the prosecution was ready for the case and would present its witnesses within four days.
