After eight years of criminal proceedings, repeated retrials before five different judges and years in custody, James Dottie has finally been discharged and acquitted by an Ikeja High Court.
Dottie’s counsel, Tope Temokun, disclosed the development on Thursday, September 24, 2026, while recounting the lengthy legal battle over allegations of conspiracy and stealing of aircraft parts at the Escravos base of an aviation support company.
The case, which commenced in 2018, was repeatedly stalled by changes in the presiding judges, forcing the proceedings to begin afresh several times.
Temokun said the trial had progressed almost to conclusion before the third judge when the judge retired, forcing the parties to start the case again.
Before the fourth judge, the parties eventually concluded the trial, filed and adopted their final written addresses and were awaiting judgment when the judge retired.
The development once again meant that Dottie had to face a fresh trial before a fifth judge.
According to Temokun, the prolonged proceedings became increasingly difficult for his client, particularly after he was unable to perfect his bail and remained in custody as the case dragged on.
Recounting how the ordeal began, the lawyer said Dottie had travelled from Asaba to Lagos after receiving an invitation from the SFU in Ikoyi, leaving behind a seriously ill wife.
He said Dottie’s family initially rallied around him, with particular support coming from his brother, Engineer Mike, whom Temokun described as being more than a father to Dottie because of his commitment to the case.
However, the lawyer said the passage of eight years gradually exhausted those around Dottie, with family members and supporters eventually moving on.
“At some point it was basically James on one side and myself and my Chambers on the other,” Temokun said, adding that he continued with the case and personally shouldered much of the financial burden of keeping the legal battle going.
The lawyer said judgment had originally been scheduled for the previous week, but the court adjourned it and insisted that he should appear personally.
Temokun explained that, for personal reasons, he had planned not to appear in court throughout September and had therefore sent his junior lawyers to represent him.
However, the judge reportedly told him that after labouring on the matter for eight years, he should be present to witness the outcome.
Although the development led his junior lawyers to wonder whether the judge’s comment was an indication that the defence had prevailed, Temokun said he cautioned them against reading any particular meaning into it.
He noted that a judge could recognise the efforts of counsel on a case without necessarily indicating what the eventual judgment would be.
Temokun eventually appeared in court on Thursday and witnessed the moment Dottie was discharged and acquitted.
The lawyer said the judgment meant considerably more than Dottie’s release from custody because the criminal case had also become connected to a separate employment dispute involving his former employer.
According to him, Dottie had been dismissed by the company following the criminal allegations, prompting him to challenge the dismissal before the National Industrial Court.
Temokun said the National Industrial Court subsequently entered judgment in Dottie’s favour and awarded him more than N21 million.
He said the company appealed the judgment, with one of its principal arguments being that the criminal allegations against Dottie were still pending and that his dismissal was lawful, with the company expecting the criminal proceedings to establish his culpability.
With the criminal trial now concluded in Dottie’s favour through a discharge and acquittal, Temokun said the allegation that had followed his client for eight years had finally come to an end.
The lawyer said the development leaves the company with its obligations arising from the earlier employment judgment.
Dottie’s emotional reaction following his release also underscored the length of the ordeal.
Temokun said that immediately after leaving Correctional Service custody, Dottie looked around and asked about Netufo Tomide, who had been involved with the legal team during the early years of the case.
According to the lawyer, Tomide regularly travelled between Akure and Lagos to assist with the case and sometimes drove Temokun’s vehicle during journeys that ended around midnight.
Temokun said he was touched that despite the passage of eight years, Dottie still remembered Tomide and wanted to see him.
The lawyer also expressed appreciation to members of the Tope Temokun Chambers team who worked on the matter over the years, particularly Prince Oluwayomi Adedotun Dotun Adegoroye, who led the Chambers’ Akure Division, and Moshood Shittu, who led the Lagos-Ogun Division.
He also acknowledged the contribution of Adisa Oluwole Adisa Abe and other lawyers who participated in the case, describing the outcome as a product of teamwork.
Temokun said another moment during the judgment gave him particular satisfaction.
According to him, about eight lawyers from his Chambers were listed on the final written address, and the judge mentioned them individually as counsel who had participated in the matter.
He said the gesture was significant because, just as the judge had insisted that he personally attend court to witness the culmination of eight years of work, the younger lawyers who contributed to the case were also recognised.
Temokun said Dottie later reminded him that when the case began in 2018, his name and the allegations against him were published widely.
The lawyer said Dottie was particularly concerned about the effect of the allegations on his family name in Delta State and wanted the public to know how the matter eventually ended.
After eight years of proceedings, repeated retrials and appearances before five judges, Dottie is now a free man.
Temokun said his client would spend Thursday night outside the walls of the correctional facility before travelling to Asaba on Friday to reunite with his family, particularly his wife, whose health had remained a major concern throughout the years.
For Temokun, who remained with the case through its numerous setbacks, the judgment also marked the lifting of a significant burden after years of legal struggle.
The lawyer described Dottie’s acquittal as a major relief and the culmination of eight years of legal work on a case that repeatedly had to start again.