A prosecution witness in the trial of Justice Adeniyi Ademola, ASP Tanimu Jeremiah, has told the FCT High Court that only the President could approve for use the type of gun found in Ademola’ s residence.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola, a Federal High Court Judge, his wife, Olabowale and Joe Agi (SAN) are standing trial before Justice Jude Okeke on allegations bordering on fraud and possession of illegal arms.
The witness said the firearm was Avar magnum with capacity of eight rounds with cartridge of 12 inches each.
“The law is clear about issuance of licence for this type of firearm for private use. Only the President reserves the right to approve application for licence for such firearm. This was not so with this present situation,” he said.
Another witness, Awoyemi Adisa, an accountant with the Federal High Court tendered some documents on salaries and emolument of the first defendant (Ademola). .
Adisa informed the court that the consolidated annual salary for a federal judge was about N6.3 million.
He also told the court that the judges were given N5.3 furniture allowance in every four years, adding that the document covered 2009 and December 2016 financial year.
According to him, others welfare packages for judges included N305, 000 as medical allowance and a slot for an overseas trip once in a year.
Adisa said a total of 6, 300 US dollars was paid for the defendant’s overseas trip and for his medical allowance in 2016.
He also said a total of N180, 474 was remitted to him as leave allowance for the out-gone year.
Adisa further told the court that a judge was entitled to a car advance worth N7.2 million repayable within 5 years.
Giving evidence also, Miss Christie Ende, the Deputy Registrar of the Federal High Court, tendered the certified true copies of some of the cases handled by Ademola.
These included the case of Federal Government against Dr Sani Shaibu and Teidi Friday Ukpong against the Chief of Naval Staff.
Also the case between Jenkins Duvie Giane Gwede and the Delta State House of Assembly was admitted as evidence.
She said the third defendant (Agi) had appeared as counsel in the listed cases decided by Ademola.
Another witness, Stephen Opara, an official of the Department of State Service (DSS) who interviewed and took Mrs Ademola’s statement also tendered the video in court.
Ademola was one of the seven judges prosecuted after the sting operations carried out by the DSS on October, 2016
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