The Federal High Court, Abuja, has again adjourned the trial of former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam.
Suswam is being tried alongside his Finance Commissioner, Okpanachi Okolobia, for allegedly defrauding Benue State Government to the tune of N3.1bn while in office.
The case had been on since November 10, 2015 when they were first arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a nine-count of financial impropriety and money laundering.
The case has since gone through a series of adjournments that had made the trial last for five years.
The case again suffered the same fate on Wednesday at the resumption of the trial before Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja.
The court adjourned the case until October 15, 2020.
President Muhammadu Buhari had recently said that the slow pace of court trials in Nigeria was one of the areas that must be urgently reformed for the sustenance of law and order.
He then proposed a limit of 12 months for the prosecution and trial of criminal cases.
He said, “My question then is why can’t we have a time limit for criminal cases? Why can’t we have a rule that will say a criminal trial all the way to the Supreme Court must not exceed 12 months?”
