Judge’s Absence Stalls Ruling on Fayose’s No-Case Submission in ₦6.9 Billion Fraud Trial
The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday, postponed ruling on the no-case submission filed by former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, in his ongoing ₦6.9 billion fraud trial.
The delay was due to the unexpected absence of the presiding judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, who was reportedly called away on an urgent official matter.
Fayose is being tried alongside his company, Spotless Investment Limited, on an 11-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and misappropriation of public funds. The charges were filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The former governor was initially arraigned in 2018 and re-arraigned in 2019. At the previous hearing on May 19, 2025, Fayose’s lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), urged the court to uphold a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case.
He also pointed out that a key player in the transactions, Abiodun Agbele, had not been charged alongside the defendant.
Counsel to Spotless Investment, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), also supported the no-case submission.
However, EFCC’s lead counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the submission, maintaining that the defendants had failed to explain several suspicious financial transactions.
Jacobs cited testimony from former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, and EFCC investigator Abubakar Madaki, who alleged that Fayose used proxies to acquire luxury properties using laundered funds.
