Ajoke Adepoju, the judge of the FCT High Court, Wuse, presiding over the trial of suspects charged with the First Bank Mpape branch failed robbery, was on Friday absent.
Police had announced that the mastermind of the robbery was Larry Ehizo, 30, a staff of First Bank.
Court Registrar told counsel to parties that Justice Adepoju traveled and will be available on March 20.
Ehizo, Princewill Obinna, Elijah David, Timothy Joe and Ernest Ewin, are facing five counts bordering on armed robbery and possession of locally made pistols.
The defendants all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court at the last sitting remanded them in prison after prosecution counsel, James Idachaba, narrated how they attacked First Bank with locally made pistols, cutlasses and axes on December 28, 2019.
He stated that the defendants invaded the bank with intent to steal money from the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM).
The counsel accused of threatening to use violence on the staff and customers in order to obtain cash from the bank.
Idachaba added that the defendants forcefully collected mobile phones, value not yet known from one Ann Awele, a staff of the said bank.
He said that the defendants were nabbed by police officers while in possession of the locally made pistols without required licence.
The prosecution counsel further revealed that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), FCT Abuja, conducted search at Obinna’s house in Katampe 1, Mpape, Abuja, and found incriminating evidence.
