Category: Judiciary

Fraud Allegations: Emefiele, FG may settle out of court – Sources

Aminu Imam

Suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, is reportedly seeking a plea bargain in the criminal suit filed against him by the Federal Government. Recall that the suspended Emefiele is facing a 20-count charge over an alleged conspiracy to carry out procurement fraud, among others. He was charged alongside one Sa’adatu Yaro, an employee of the CBN, and a firm known as April1616 Investment Ltd. The arraignment, which was initially scheduled for August 17, was stalled due to the absence of Sa’adatu Yaro, Emefiele’s co-accused. The…

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Kano: APC accuses State govt. of alleged N10m bribe to judges

Aminu Imam

…“Name lawyers that offered you N10m bribe”, NBA tells tribunal The All Progressives Congress, (APC), has cautioned the Kano State government of the New Nigeria People’s Party, (NNPP), advising them to refrain from causing embarrassment to the Chairperson of the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, Justice Flora Azinge. This warning comes in light of allegations involving a purported N10 million bribe offered to her legal team. The statement conveying this message was released yesterday by the spokesperson for the Gawuna-Gari campaign council, Muhammad Garba. Simultaneously, the Kano State…

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Summons: NLC accuses justice ministry of ‘litigious terrorism’

Aminu Imam

…Threatens nationwide strike August 14 The Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), says it will embark on a nationwide strike from August 14, if the contemptuous court summons is not withdrawn by the Federal Ministry of Justice. On Thursday, NLC president, Joe Ajaero said this in a communique issued at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, jointly signed with the General Secretary of NLC, Emmanuel Ugboaja. Recall that Organised Labour had protested nationwide against President Bola Tinubu’s government’s anti-poor policies, especially the subsidy removal that had brought untold hardship…

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‘Supreme Court won’t overturn Tinubu’s presidency’ – Report predicts

Aminu Imam

Analysts at the Economist Intelligence Unit, (EIU), in their recent country report on Nigeria, has predicted that the victory of President Bola Tinubu would not be overturned at the Supreme Court. According to the EIU, “Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, won the February presidential election with only 36.6 percent of the vote. The result is being contested in court, but EIU does not expect it to be overturned”. Founded in 1946, EIU forecasts economic trends, political forces and industry developments in every country…

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Court orders Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari govts. to account for $5bn Abacha loot

Aminu Imam

Justice Kolawole Omotosho, of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has ordered the governments of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari to give an account of the $5 billion Abacha loot so far recovered. In a judgment delivered last week, in a Freedom of Information suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), the court ordered the government of President Bola Tinubu to “disclose the exact amount of money stolen by General Sani Abacha from Nigeria, and the total amount of…

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Federal High Court grants DCP Abba Kyari bail

Aminu Imam

DCP Abba Kyari has been granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges that may involve money laundering. In addition to being accused of money laundering, Kyari is also being held without bail on a primary accusation of trafficking cocaine. On of his attorneys, Hamza N. Dantani, said yesterday on his Facebook page that the court had granted Kyari bail on the accusations of money laundering. He wrote: ”Alhamudullhi! Abba Kyari’s Bail Granted by Federal High Court Abuja today (yesterday)”. Recall that Kyari’s trial centres around the…

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Judiciary Staff Union declares nationwide strike over fuel subsidy

Aminu Imam

The withdrawal of the fuel subsidy has prompted the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to launch industrial action. Revall that after President Bola Tinubu stated that the fuel subsidy was gone, the price of petrol at the fuel stations tripled. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) had instructed its retail stations to suddenly increase the cost of the product from N197 to between N488 and N550 per litre. In response, a national strike had been called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). In an issued statement, JUSUN’s General…

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“Supreme Court order on Naira irrelevant, non-binding” – Legal Opinion

Aminu Imam

The Supreme Court’s ruling restraining the Federal Government from implementing the February 10, 2023 deadline phase out of the old N1,000, N500, and N200 notes is irrelevant, non-binding and a distraction, according to a published legal opinion on the matter. “Neither the CBN nor deposit money banks were parties to the suit filed by three state governments (Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara).  “The State governments simply took advantage of the fact that in matters purely between state and the FG, the Supreme Court can serve as the court of first and…

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Court acquits Diezani’s ally of $1.6bn fraud

Aminu Imam

The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, has discharged and acquitted the Chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited, Jide Omokore, who was accused of falsely obtaining over 7 million barrels of crude oil, valued at the sum of US$ 823, 075 from the Federal Government. Omokore, who is an ally of former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was initially arraigned in 2016 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. He was arraigned alongside Victor Briggs, Abiye Membere, and David Mbanefo on 15 counts of fraud. The trio were…

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2023: Court refuses to order INEC to remove Tinubu’s name from eligible presidential candidates’ list

Aminu Imam

The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, has declined to issue an ‘order of mandamus’ to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the name of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, from the list of qualified candidates for the February 25 presidential election. The suit was brought before the court by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), under the aegis of the Incorporated Trustees of Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International. In a judgement that was delivered by Justice Binta Nyako yesterday, the court dismissed…

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