Abuja, NIGERIA – The Federal High Court in Maitama has adjourned the N3.1 billion corruption trial of former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam until July 16, 2026, for the adoption of final written addresses.
Justice Peter Lifu fixed the new date as the long-running 11-year-old legal battle approaches its final stage. Okay News reports that Suswam, alongside his former Commissioner of Finance, Omadachi Okolobia, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an amended 11-count charge bordering on money laundering, diversion of public funds, and criminal breach of trust.
The anti-graft agency alleged that the duo misappropriated the multibillion-naira proceeds realized from the sale of Benue State government shares in the Benue Cement Company. While the EFCC called nine witnesses to prove its case before closing its presentation, Suswam served as the sole witness in his own defense to deny the allegations.
The high-profile case has a complex judicial history, having been reassigned to multiple judges since the initial arraignment in November 2015. Following the elevation of previous judges to the Court of Appeal, the trial commenced afresh under Justice Lifu, who previously dismissed the defendants’ no-case submissions after ruling that the prosecution established a prima facie case against them.
