EFCC To Arraign Yahaya Bello Again Today

The troubles may just be starting for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who is about to face another round of legal troubles as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is arraigning him on allegations of mismanaging N80.2 billion in public funds.  The proceedings will take place today at the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite.   The case follows months of evasion by Bello, who was previously ordered to be arrested after missing court appearances.  Earlier in April, Justice Nwite had issued an arrest warrant, but efforts to detain Bello were allegedly obstructed by Kogi’s current governor, Ahmed Ododo.  Reports revealed that Ododo used his official vehicle to shield Bello from EFCC operatives.   After months of avoiding legal proceedings, Bello voluntarily turned himself in to the EFCC last Tuesday.  This led to his appearance before Justice Maryanne Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, where he pleaded not guilty and was subsequently remanded in EFCC custody.   Initially scheduled for January 21, 2025, the case was fast-tracked by the anti-corruption agency, ensuring that Bello and his co-accused, including his nephew Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu, appear in court today.  The charges they face span money laundering, misappropriation of public funds, and breach of trust.  

Alleged terrorism: Fubara’s loyalists trial adjourns to March 19

The Federal High Court Abuja, has adjourned the trial of five loyalists of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara on terrorism charges has been adjourned to March 19. The adjournment was on the instances of Lukman Fagbemi, SAN, that the Inspector General of Police(IGP) filed a counter affidavit that raised more issues against the defendants. The five men charged with terrorism offences by the IGP, are Chime Eguma Ezebalike; Prince Lukman Oladele; Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa; Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod. At resumed proceedings, Fagbemi told the court that he had filed a motion on notice challenging the competence of the terrorism charges and the territorial jurisdiction of the court to entertain the charge. He however, said that the Inspector General of Police responded to his motion through a counter affidavit that raised grievous allegations against his clients. He submitted that the counter affidavit was served on him during the proceedings and that he needed time to study the affidavit and respond to it appropriately. The Inspector General of Police, who was represented at the proceedings by Aliyu Garba, admitted that he served the counter affidavit opposing the application of Fagbemi in the court room. Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon after checking the case file found that the copy of the counter affidavit had not been served on the court. Based on the request of Fagbemi, Justice Olajuwon shifted the trial till March 19 with an order on parties to file and exchange processes before the date to ensure unhindered proceeding. The Inspector General of Police IGP had on January 25 slammed the terrorism charges on them for allegedly invading, vandalizing and burning down Rivers State House of Assembly last year. They were accused of committing the alleged terrorism offences during the wake of political upheaval that rocked Port Harcourt in October last year. In the charges against them marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024, police alleged that apart from burning down the State House of Assembly, some of them were said to have killed a Superintendent of Police, (SP) Bako Agbashim and five police informants at Ahoada community of the state. The police informants said to have been killed by the defendants are Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu and Saturday Edi. They are also accused of using various cult groups, namely- Supreme Viking Confraternity, Degbam, Iceland and Greenland to unleash mayhem on the people of the state and their commercial activities. Specifically, they are alleged to have on October 29, 2023 at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt conspired to commit acts of terrorism by wilful destruction of public properties by invading, attacking, destroying and burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly, an offence punishable under section 26 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022. The defendants have since been at Kuje Prison in Abuja on remand having been denied bail by the court on account of gravity of charges against them.

IPOB: Kanu knows fate on fresh bail application, March 19

Nnamdi Kanu, the self acclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), will on March 19, know fate on his fresh bail application in the terrorism charges against him by the federal government. The trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, fixed the date after taking arguments from his counsel, Alloy Ejimakor, praying for his bail, while counsel to the FG, Adegboyega Awomolo SAN objected to granting of bail. In his argument, Kanu prayed for bail to enable him to have unfettered access to his lawyers for his defense. He also claimed to be suffering from acute hypertension and acute heart disease, among other diseases. Responding, FG objected to the application on the ground that Kanu was once granted bail but jumped and fled the country. Awomolo posited that all the bail conditions set by the court were breached and violated and pleaded with the court to dismiss the request. On another motion before the court, Kanu prayed the court not to allow continuation of his trial until certain conditions were met by the federal government. Among others, he requested that Department of State Security (DSS)operatives be barred from interfering with his lawyers during visitation. He also asked that the court should compel the federal government to wear the clothes of his choice. Reacting, the federal government objected to the request on the ground that he has no right under any law to dictate how his trial should be conducted. Consequently, Awomolo asked the court to dismiss the motion on the ground that it was a gross abuse of the court process that must not be allowed. In the meantime, the matter will continue March 19 for ruling on the bail application.

Court Stops Police, DSS from arresting Kogi SDP spokesperson

Justice Hamza Haruna of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Maitama, has ordered the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Bethrand Unuoha to stop harassing, arrest or in any way intimidating the Spokesperson of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in Kogi state Mr Faruk Adejoh-Audu. Others in the restraining order are the Inspector General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Kogi State Director of DSS, untill the determination of a motion on notice. Asejoh- Audu is the court, seeking the enforcement of his fundamental human rights, claiming that his life has come under serious threat from the defendants. Adejoh-Audu, a veteran journalist, activist, politician and SDP Spokesperson had gone to court after altercations between him and the Kogi State Police Commissioner, Unuoha on election matters after which the later publicly threatened the spokesman to expect some unstated consequences. The SDP Spokesperson had on November 29, 2023, accused the Police Chief of collaborating with thugs to attack the interest of his party in the recently conducted governorship election in Kogi. However, the Police Commissioner held a press conference the next day in Lokoja and gave Adejoh-Audu 24 hours ultimatum to substantiate his allegations or “be ready to face the consequences of his actions.” The SDP Spokesperson took up the challenge in a 17-paragraph reply justifying his allegations and accusing the Police Chief of resorting to self-help by threatening to ” visit unstated consequences” on him. An FCT High Court presided over by Justice Hamza.Muazu after listening to O. U. Salifu lawyer to the SDP Spokesman in an ex-parte application, granted the order restraining the Inspector General of Police, The Director-General of the DSS, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police and the State Director of DSS from arresting or interfering with the liberty of the applicant. The court has adjourned the matter to December 18, 2023, for the hearing of the Motion On Notice.

Lamidi Apapa’s LP faction causes pandemonium in court

LABOUR PARTY CLASH

There was palpable tension on Wednesday at the Court of Appeal premises, venue of the Presidential Election Petition Court as two factions of the Labour Party clashed. NIGERIA ANCHOR had reported earlier how both factions engaged in a war of words over who was the authentic Labour Party (LP) representative in court. Trouble started when Lamidi Apapa, factional chairman of the party, walked into the court premises alongside some of his supporters. Apapa, who is locked in a battle with Julius Abure, suspended chairman of the party, had arrived the court for the case of a petition that Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the party, filed against the victory of President-elect Bola Tinubu. He made an attempt to sit where Labour Party officials were and a shouting match ensued. “Who are you?” a party official asked Apapa, who fired back saying, “You don’t know me? Look at the way you are talking, who are you too?” As the argument continued, Apapa raised his voice, saying, “Get up, you can not sit down here!” Secretary of the Presidential election court, Josephine Ekperobe, quickly moved in to ensue normalcy. Later when the Labour Party matter was called, Obi and the party’s Women Leader, Dudu Manoga, introduced themselves on the record of the court. But when Apapa stood up to introduce himself as the National Chairman, the presiding justice of the court, Justice Haruna Tsammani, requested him to stop the introduction as the court would not recognise the ‘National Chairman’ on record. Abure, who sat next to Obi, did not, however, attempt to introduce himself. Apapa had earlier vowed to take control of the party and to withdraw the petition and motions before the court ahead of the sitting following the ruling of an FCT High Court sustaining Abure’s suspension. The LP has since appealed the ruling. During Wednesday’s sitting, the LP’s lawyers, the lawyers to Bola Tinubu, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are expected to show the extent of their harmonisation of non-contentious issues and motions to be relied upon during the main hearing. Shortly after the proceedings, as journalists were about to conduct an interview with the factional Chairman of the Labour Party, Lamidi Apapa, they were met with stiff resistance from loyalists of Julius Abure, another factional leader of LP. The faction loyal to Abure shouted and dragged Apapa up and down, shouting “You must not talk, you are an impostor, thief, thief, thief…”. It took the intervention security operatives to contain the pandemonium as they battled to liberate Apapa from the irate Abure loyalists. At the time of this report, Apapa had been taken into protective custody by the police. Signs of trouble started when Apapa wanted to announce his appearance in court after the LP National Women Leader, Mrs. Dudu Maluga had announced her name. However, when the Chairman of the PEPC, Justice Haruna Tsammani noticed the faction in the courtroom, he refused to record their appearance again.

Court bars NYSC from further disclaiming Enugu governor-elect’s certificate

PETER MBAH

The Federal High Court, Abuja has restrained the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from further publishing a disclaimer, denying the issuance of a certificate dated Janaury 6, 2003 to the Enugu state Governor-elect, Mr. Peter Mbah. Ruling on an ex-parte application moved by Mr. Emeka Ozoani (SAN), on behalf of Mbah, Justice Inyang Ekwo also barred the NYSC Director, Corps Certification, Mr Ibrahim Muhammad from continuing to issue a disclaimer to the effect that Mbah’s NYSC certificate was not issued by the NYSC. Ozoani brought the motion under Section 13(1) & (2) of the Federal High Court Act Cap F12, Vol. 6, Law of Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Order 26 Rule 6(1) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019.  Justice Ekwo granted prayer one on the motion paper. The judge, however, refused to grant prayer two saying that it was far-reaching but rather ordered the plaintiff to put the defendants on notice. He said that the second prayer was an issue to be adjudicated upon in the substantive suit. Consequently, the trial judge ordered the applicant to serve the defendants with court processes within two days of the order. The motion ex parte was predicated on 10 grounds. He said that after graduating in law from the University of East London in 2000, returned to Nigeria and as a pre-requisite to practice as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, applied and was admitted into the Bar part 1 programme of the Nigerian Law School. Mbah said upon completing the bar part I exam, he had to wait for the bar part 2 programme, and was advised that instead of spending time idling around, he should proceed to the mandatory one year NYSC programme. He said he was called up for NYSC and was deployed initially to Nigerian Ports Authority Apapa for his primary assignment but was rejected by NPA, before securing the law firm of Ude & Associates. “The plaintiff in the course of his service year and after six months of NYSC, applied and was granted approval to defer the NYSC in order to enable him complete the bar final exam. “Thereafter, the plaintiff was re-mobilized to finish the NYSC programme, which he did complete.” Mbah averred that upon completion of the NYSC, he was issued the certificate of National Service No. A.808297 dated January 6 2003. Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until May 22 for a hearing of the motion on notice. The NYSC had on Feb. 1 written a letter signed by Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed, saying that the NYSC certificate belonging to Mbah was not issued by the corps. Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the Enugu state governorship election held on March 18.