A disagreement among lawyers has stalled the bail hearing of activist Justice Chidiebere, popularly known as Justice Crack.
The hearing, which took place at the Federal High Court in Abuja, was disrupted after members of his legal team clashed over who should lead his defence.
The dispute led to the withdrawal of an earlier bail application, forcing the court to adjourn the case to Monday, May 18, for a fresh application to be heard.
Speaking after the session, counsel to the activist, Femi Balogun, accused another lawyer on the defence team, Marshall Abubakar, of frustrating the bail process after he was not allowed to lead the case.
Balogun said he acted on instructions from the activist’s family to take charge, insisting he was more senior at the bar.
He also claimed that Marshall, who originally filed the bail application, insisted on leading the defence despite the presence of senior lawyers.
According to him, Marshall later moved to withdraw the bail application after being stopped from leading proceedings, a move Balogun described as unfair and not in the interest of justice.
Following the withdrawal, the court struck out the application and directed the defence to file a fresh bail request.
Balogun added that a new bail application would be filed immediately for hearing on the adjourned date.
He also noted that the prosecution in the case has been taken over by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, although there was no objection from the prosecution during the sitting.
Justice Crack was earlier remanded over allegations linked to a viral video he posted online, with charges bordering on cyber-related offences.
