By Abdulwahab Abdullah & Jane Echewodo

lagos—Justice Lateefa Okunnu of a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja yesterday issued a bench warrant against the witnesses in the trial of a former Managing Director of the defunct Finbank Plc, Mr. Okey Nwosu, who was charged with N10.9 billion fraud.

The witnesses includes Mr Yakubu of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Miss Judith Agwu, who were the company Secretary of First City Monument Bank.

The witnesses had failed to produce the documents which the first defendant claimed were relevant to his case.

Standing trial alongside Nwosu are Dayo Famoroti, Danjuma Ocholi and Agnes Ebubedike who are the three former directors of the defunct Finbank .

The defendants had been arraigned since 2013, but the Court of Appeal had on November 21, 2013 quashed the charges slammed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and set them free.

The commission had appealed to the Supreme Court, which last year upheld the appeal and ordered Nwosu and others to return to the high court for their trial.

At the earlier proceedings yesterday before Justice Okunnu the first defence counsel, Mr. N. K. Oragwu, informed the court that the witnesses that suppose to tender the documents have not done so, though subpoena had been served on them.

Oragwu also urged the court to compel the witnesses.

“My Lord, on the last adjourned date, we had a lot of witnesses and one of them was from F. C. M. B, who my lord ordered that before the next adjourned date, they must produce the document but till date am not aware of any document and they are not in court.

“My application is that I want the court order compelling the witness of truth.

“The subpoena is an order of the court whether the witness is for the defendant or the prosecution, we are asking for a further date.” Oragwu prayed.

However, the prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), opposed the plea for an adjournment, stating that there’s no evidence before the court to show that the defence had taken sufficient steps in bringing the witnesses to court.