Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, was absent from the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja, causing the forgery trial against him to be delayed. Fani-Kayode is facing 12 counts of alleged use of false documents, fabricated evidence, and procuring the execution of documents before an Ikeja Special Offences Court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Fani-Kayode for allegedly tendering a forged medical report before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Lagos, where he is being prosecuted for alleged N4.9bn fraud.
At the hearing, Fani-Kayode's lawyer, Wale Balogun, informed the court that his client was not present due to health reasons and a "running battle he has with both the DSS and the police." Balogun said that since the last hearing, Fani-Kayode had been reporting daily to the DSS, and the Nigeria Police had invited him for questioning regarding some comments he made online. Fani-Kayode has reportedly not been able to have peace of mind since then, which has affected his health.
Balogun applied for the court to vacate the hearing scheduled for that day and two other days to enable Fani-Kayode to resolve his issues. He shared some documents with the prosecution to support his application.
The EFCC prosecuting counsel, Bilikisu Buhari, responded by saying that the defence counsel had shared two documents with them, a medical report and another from the Nigeria Police and that they leave the decision to the court's discretion.
Fani-Kayode was arraigned on December 17, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. The case was adjourned until May 24 and 25 to continue the trial.
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