CITIZENS COMPASS —A Federal high court sitting in Lagos has ordered that a reproduction warrant should be issued for Azeez Fashola popularly known as Naira Marley, to enable his trial in the alleged case of fraud filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The presiding Judge, Nicholas Oweibo, issued the order sequel to the submission of counsel to the musician, Barrister Olalekan Ojo SAN, when the case was mentioned and the defendant was discovered not to be in court on Friday.
Ojo informed the court that Naira Marley was unavoidably absent because he was detained after he voluntarily surrendered himself to the police for interrogation in connection with the death of another late musician, Ifeoluwa Aloba popularly known as Mobadh.
The lawyer then urged the court to issue a reproduction warrant for the defendant to be produced in court on the next adjourned day.
Counsel to EFCC Bilikisu Buhari confirmed that indeed, the defendant is in Police custody and did not oppose the request made by the defence counsel.
Consequently, Justice Oweibo, while adjourning the trial to 30th of October, 2023 ordered that a reproduction warrant should be issued for Naira Marley to be produced in court if he is still in police custody then.
Naira Marley is standing trial before the court on cybercrime-related offences.
In the charge filed before the court by the EFCC, it was alleged that Azeez Adeshina Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Raze (still at large), on or about the 11th day of December 2018, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst themselves to use Access card 42658840359191132 issued to persons other than him in a bid to obtain gain and thereby committee
an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(b) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015 and punishable under Section 33(2) of the Same Act.
It was also alleged that Azeez Adeshina Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Raze (still at large), on or about the 10th day of May 2019, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud possessed, counterfeit card 4921819410257431 issued to one Timea Fedorne Tatar and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 33(9) of Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act.
