Onnoghen finally shows up at CCT trial to enter guilty/not guilty plea

Onnoghen is facing six charges of non and fraudulent declaration of assets relating to his failure to declare a series of bank accounts, denominated in local and foreign currencies, as required by law.

President Muhammadu Buhari controversially suspended the top judge and inaugurated Justice Ibrahim Tanko as the acting CJN last month based on an order of the CCT, a move that attracted outrage from opposition parties and the international community.

Since the case commenced at the CCT on January 14, 2019, Onnoghen refused to show up for hearings, leading Justice Danladi Umar to insist at the last hearing that he must appear to enter a guilty or not guilty plea.

Even though Onnoghen has filed an application before the tribunal challenging its jurisdiction to try the case, Umar said it will not be entertained until after he has entered a plea.

According to a report by Daily Trust, Onnoghen arrived in a convoy of about six vehicles around 9:40am, 20 minutes before the commencement of trial before the three-member panel.

The arrest order by the tribunal was reportedly not carried out because the top judge reached an agreement with security agencies to show up in court.

Details later.