Irked by the lateness of an accused, Alu Dismas, a Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday revoked his N5m bail and remanded him in prison.
Dismas is the second accused in the ongoing trial of a former Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Calistus Obi, charged with N136m fraud.
Dismas is a former personal assistant to the ex-DG of the Nigerian Maritime Administrative and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had slammed eight counts on Dismas and Obi, who was a former Executive Director, and later, a former acting D-G of the agency.
They had pleaded not guilty to the charges and were admitted to bail in the sum of N5m each, with sureties in like sum.
The EFCC had closed the case for the prosecution on January 31, 2017, while the defence filed a no-case submission.
The court, however, dismissed the no-case submission on February 21, 2017, and ordered the defence to open its case.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that when the case was called on Monday at 9.00 a.m., the first accused, Obi, was present, while Dismas had yet to arrive in court.
The case was stood down until 10.35 a.m when the second accused eventually entered into the courtroom.
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, who expressed displeasure with the lateness, consequently revoked his bail.
She observed that it was not the first time the accused would be absent for his trial, saying the court could not wait for an accused.
“I hereby revoke his bail; he should be taken back into prison custody,” she ruled.
Following the decision of the court, the second accused became emotional in the dock.
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