The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo on Monday granted another adjournment in the trial of Abuja lawyers Victor Giwa and Ibitade Bukola, who are facing charges of alleged forgery and impersonation, despite opposition from the prosecution, which described the request as a deliberate delay tactic.
The adjournment marks the seventh time the first defendant, Giwa, has sought to stall proceedings and the fourth time he has changed legal representation since the trial began.
The defendants are accused of forging official documents and impersonating Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Awa Kalu, with the alleged intent to mislead the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation into withdrawing a prior criminal charge against Giwa.
At the resumed hearing, T. Y. Silas appeared for the Inspector-General of Police, while Ogbu Aboje represented the second defendant. Levi E. Nwoye held a watching brief for the complainant. The first defendant was represented by Farook Akabi of the law firm of Ahmed Raji, SAN.
Prosecuting counsel Theophilus Silas informed the court that the matter was scheduled for the hearing of the prosecution’s motion and urged the court to allow him to proceed. Akabi, however, stated that the law firm had only been briefed the previous day and that Raji intended to handle the case personally but had another engagement. He requested an adjournment, citing short notice and the need to properly prepare the defence.
Silas opposed the application, describing it as a calculated attempt to frustrate the trial. “This is the seventh date the first defendant is seeking adjournment to prevent this motion from being heard,” he said. “It is also the fourth time he is changing counsel strictly to delay this trial.”
The prosecution argued that all processes had been exchanged, with the last filing made on 1 December 2025, and cited provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the Constitution to contend that Giwa had exhausted statutory limits for adjournments.
Silas also referenced Supreme Court decisions emphasizing that litigation should not be allowed to continue endlessly.
Counsel for the second defendant, Ogbu Aboje, acknowledged the briefing of Ahmed Raji, SAN, but noted that the second defendant did not oppose a short adjournment. He also requested that a pending motion by the first defendant, seeking to relist an earlier motion, be heard in the interest of justice.
In delivering his ruling, the trial judge expressed concern over Giwa’s conduct, noting that he had represented himself and appeared with three different SANs and over 30 different counsel during the proceedings.
“Each time the first defendant appears, he adopts a storyline to prevent the matter from proceeding,” the judge said, adding that the court works with evidence, not theatrics.
Despite acknowledging the pattern of delays, the court adjourned the matter in the interest of justice to 4 February for continuation of the hearing.
Source; PM News