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Category: Governance

  • Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s case to Oct 30 as he heads to Supreme Court

    On Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja adjourned the alleged money laundering case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to October. 30.

    This follows Bello’s appeal at the Supreme Court seeking to set aside the arrest warrant issued by the trial court on April 17.

    At the proceedings, Wednesday, Counsel to Bello, A.M. Adoyi, drew the court’s attention to the fact that the issue of arraignment of the defendant was the subject matter of an appeal already entered by him at the Supreme Court.

    He said he would like to draw the court’s attention to the appeal by virtue of the affidavit of record filed on September 23.

    “The appeal number is SC/CR/847/2024 and SC/CR/848/2024. That means the most appropriate thing to do is to await the decision of the Supreme Court in the aforesaid appeal before taking any step for arraignment so as not to render the appellant’s appeal null or to pull the rug out of the feet of the Supreme Court,” the Defendant’s lawyer said.

    Counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, however, told the court that the Defendant’s Counsel were turning the court into a place for entertainment.

    He said, “Secondly, an appeal the defendant filed at the court of appeal disputing the mode of service of the charge and proof of evidence on their counsel was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on the 28th of August this year.

    “The Court of Appeal said the mode of service was good and proper service. The appellant shall not take any further step until he submits himself. But they took another step.”

    It will be recalled that the former governor submitted himself to the EFCC last Wednesday, accompanied by the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, but the EFCC reportedly refused to interrogate or detain him.

    It was later reported that EFCC operatives allegedly laid siege on the Kogi Government Lodge in Abuja to arrest the Governor at night.

    Responding, Pinheiro said, “They have three applications on this – two before your lordship and one before the Supreme Court. I will now urge your lordship to demonstrate audacity of coercive power on him.”

    Adoyi, Bello’s lawyer, however, argued that the life issue of the matter slated for today (Wednesday), which is the arraignment, “is subject to an appeal by the defendant at the Supreme Court.

    “In the interest of justice, we should await the decision of the Supreme Court on the issue.”

    Reacting, Justice Nwite said, with the submission made by the counsel, he would have to decide the issues raised in one way or the other.

    Therefore, he adjourned the matter to 30th of October for ruling and arraignment

  • Tinubu Asks Senate To Confirm Kekere-Ekun As Substantive CJN

    Tinubu Asks Senate To Confirm Kekere-Ekun As Substantive CJN

    President Bola Tinubu has formally requested the Nigerian Senate to confirm Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
    This request was communicated through a letter, which was read aloud by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio during a session on Tuesday.
    Justice Kekere-Ekun has been serving as the Acting Chief Justice since August, following the retirement of her predecessor, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola. President Tinubu had earlier sworn her into the acting role.
    In his letter, the President referenced Section 231(1) of the Nigerian Constitution.
    Tinubu stated, “Pursuant to 231(1) of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria of 1999 as amended which gives the power to the president powers to appoint the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) on the recommendation of the National Judicial Commission (NJC) and subject to confirmation of the Nigerian senate,” the number one citizen said.
    “I have the honour to forward the nomination of Honourable Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun CON for confirmation as CJN.
    “While it is my hope that this request will receive the expeditious consideration and confirmation of the senate, please, accept distinguished senate president the assurances of my highest consideration and personal regards.”
    Following the presentation, Senate President Akpabio referred the matter to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration, with deliberations set to take place on Wednesday.

  • Fifth year in DSS detention won’t kill me – Nnamdi Kanu

    The Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu says an additional year in detention by the Nigerian Government will not kill him.
    The pro-Biafra agitator disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking to journalists upon the resumption of his trial in the Federal High Court in Abuja.
    He expressed dismay that the Court has refused to abide by the determination of the Supreme Court on his request for bail.
    He accused the court of cherry picking what was contained in the Supreme Court Judgement.
    The IPOB leader insisted that there cannot be any trial when key sections of the Nigerian Constitution have been allegedly violated by the Court.
    “I am surprised that a high court refused to abide by the determination of the Supreme judgment. The cherrying picking of what was contained in the judgment is what I am against. It should be implemented holistically. I am not against any trial after all I am innocent. They have nothing against me, but there can not be any trial when the key section of the Constitution and a key section of the Supreme Court judgment have been violated by a court of law.
    “This is my Fourth year in solemn confinement in detention. The fifth year won’t kill me” he said.
    Recall that since June 2021, Kanu has been arrested by the Nigerian Government and has been under the custody of the Department of State Security Service despite the wide range of calls for his release.
  • Northern APC: Court dismisses suit seeking Ganduje’s removal as APC chairman

    Northern APC: Court dismisses suit seeking Ganduje’s removal as APC chairman

    The Federal High Court, Abuja, Monday, dismissed a suit seeking the removal of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    In the ruling, Justice Inyang Ekwo held that the the Plaintiff, APC North Central Group is not a juristic person having not been registered in law and therefore has no legal power and capacity to file the suit.

    Dismissing the suit, the court maintained that there was no cause of action against the defendants since the plaintiff has no power under any known law to Institute any case in any Nigerian court.

    The Judge also held the the plaintiff failed to explore the internal mechanism for peaceful resolution of issues before rushing to the court.

    Besides, Justice Ekwo held that appointment of officers for APC by its National Executive Committee is an internal affairs of the party which no court can dabble into.

    The Northern Central APC Group had dragged Ganduje, APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the court praying for nullification of appointment of Ganduje by APC on the ground of gross violations of the party’s Constitution.

    Specifically, the North Central APC group claimed that the appointment of Ganduje breached Article 13 of APC Constitution because it was not done through democratic process enshrined in the party’s law.

    The plaintiff, the North Central APC Forum led by Saleh Zazzaga, had filed the suit to query the propriety of Ganduje’s appointment as the National Chairman of the APC when he is not from the North Central geo-political zone, whose turn was to fill the position.

    In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, the plaintiff listed Ganduje, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the 1st to the 3rd defendants respectively.

    The plaintiff in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, asked the court to, among others, restrain Ganduje from further parading himself as the chairman of the APC.

    It also prayed the court to issue an order directing INEC not to accord recognition to all actions taken by the APC, including congresses, primaries and nominations, since Ganduje became APC Chairman on August 3, 2023.

    The plaintiff contended among others, that Ganduje is occupying the office of the APC chairman illegally, not being from a state in the North Central geo-political zone.

    It argued that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC breached the party’s constitution when it appointed Ganduje, from Kano State in the North West geo- political zone to replace Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State in the North Central geo-political zone.

    It also argued that Ganduje’s appointment to replace Abdullahi was contrary to Article 13.5(1) f of the APC constitution and ultra-vires the powers of the NEC of the party, among other prayers.

  • Kogi Women Protest Alleged EFCC Harassment o Yahaya Bello, Call for Presidential Intervention

    In what some observers have termed as a drama sketch being acted at the pleasure of the powers that be, a large crowd of women took to the streets on Saturday to protest what they called the harassment of former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
    The protesters appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, urging him to rein in the EFCC. They maintained that Bello had accomplished more for the state than any other governor since its inception.
    Led by various community leaders and political supporters, the women gathered in Lokoja, the state capital, denouncing what they called a politically motivated “witch-hunt” by the EFCC.
    The group urged the President to act swiftly by ensuring the EFCC allows the judiciary to handle the matter. They claimed that the agency’s actions earlier in the week were part of a targeted attempt to damage Bello’s reputation, warning that they would not stand idly by and watch his safety be jeopardized.
    “We stand with our leader, Yahaya Bello in this trying time. We believe he has been targeted unfairly and we demand justice. We won’t watch him lose his life,” one of the protesters, identified as Hajiya Halima Abass, said.
    “The EFCC should focus on genuine cases of corruption, not political vendetta,” another protester, who simply identified herself as Mrs. Boluwaji, added.
    The various women group leaders, who spoke in their local dialects – Igala, Ebira, Yoruba and others – urged the EFCC to be professional in its “handling of the case against the state leader, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.”
    They chanted songs, saying that Kogi people were fearless people and reiterated that they would not stand by and continue watching what they called a show of shame, especially after the former governor had made himself available to EFCC.
    They wondered why the EFCC refused to interrogate or detain him while he was in their office but rather went shooting at night at the Kogi Government Lodge to arrest a man who had voluntarily walked up to them earlier in the day.
    “We Kogi people of Ebira descent cherish what our son, Yahaya Bello, did for us as governor. That is why we’re out on the streets to ask EFCC to leave him alone.
    “We are not giving him out to anyone to crucify. He will come back to us hale and hearty,” one of the women leaders from Ebiraland, who simply identified herself as Hajiya Fatima, said.
    “We, the Igala people from Kogi East, we are here because of our leader, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. He has never done anything bad to us. To those people that are looking to take him, please leave him alone. We have never seen the kind of his government before. He did well for the state,” another women leader who identified herself as Deborah said.

  • #EndBadGovernance: Court grants bail to Baze Uni senior lecturer

    The Sokoto state High Court has granted bail to Dr. Abubakar Alkali, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering at Baze University.

     

    Dr. Alkali had been detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) for the past three weeks on allegations of supporting the #EndBadGovernance protests.

     

    A lawyer familiar with the case shared the news with SaharaReporters, praising the intervention of legal bodies.

     

    His words: “Dr. Alkali, the Baze University lecturer, has just been granted bail by Sokoto State High Court.

     

    “We also want to commend the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the NBA Citizens’ Liberties Committee, and the Sokoto Branch of the NBA for their unwavering support and intervention in this matter.”

     

    The detention of Dr. Alkali, initially brought to public attention by his lawyer Deji Adeyanju, had sparked significant concern.

     

    On September 14, 2024, Adeyanju posted on Facebook, revealing the lecturer’s abduction by the DSS and his subsequent detention in Sokoto State.

     

    “Dr. Abubakar Alkali, senior lecturer at Baze University, was abducted by the DSS three weeks ago and taken to Sokoto State for supporting the #EndBadGovernance protest. He has been in custody since then,” Adeyanju’s post read.

     

  • Federal High Court adjourns whistleblower’s bail hearing until September 17

    Federal High Court adjourns whistleblower’s bail hearing until September 17

    The Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed Isaac Bristol’s bail hearing to September 17.

     

    Bristol, who appeared in court on Wednesday morning with his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, was set to have his bail application heard by Justice Emeka Nwite. However, the judge did not proceed with the hearing.

     

    Adeyanju confirmed the postponement in a statement shared via WhatsApp after the court session.

     

    “The court granted bail to the protesters, but moved Bristol’s bail application to the 27th of this month,” Adeyanju said, though later clarification indicated the hearing will take place on September 17.

     

    Bristol, also known as ‘Pidom,’ was charged by police in August on nine counts, including terrorism, money laundering, cybercrime, and evidence tampering.

     

    The charges relate to his whistleblowing activities, where he operated the X (formerly Twitter) account ‘@PIDOMNigeria,’ which exposed alleged misconduct in Nigeria.

     

    The adjourned hearing will determine whether Bristol will be granted bail or remain in custody as his case proceeds through the judicial system.

     

  • #EndBadGovernance: Court grants N10m bail on each 10 Protesters 

    #EndBadGovernance: Court grants N10m bail on each 10 Protesters 

    1. Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja, Wednesday, granted N 10 million bail each on the ten #endbadgovernance# protesters who were charged with attempt to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu between July 1 and August 4, 2024.

     

    Pending the perfection of their respective bail conditions, the Judge ordered that they be remmanded in prison custody.

     

    According to the court, the defendants are produce one surety each in the same amount while the sureties must be resident in Abuja.

     

    The sureties must have property in Abuja and must deposit documents of the properties to the court in addition to swearing to affidavit of means.

     

    Also both the defendants and the sureties must deposit their international passports and three recent passport photographs with the court.

     

    Justice Nwite while rejecting the objections of the Inspector General of Police against the bail request however ordered the defendants not to participate in any public rally throughout their trial.

     

    Meanwhile, September 27 has been fixed for commencement of their trial.

     

    The accused persons were said to have committed the treason offence during their one week nationwide protests when they allegedly levied war against Nigeria.

     

    The offences were said to be contrary to sections 96, 410 and 413 of the Penal Code.

     

    Inspector General of Police (IGP) who brought the charges against them alleged that the accused persons broke into the Abacha Army Barracks and openly called on the military to take over the constitutional government of President Tinubu.

     

    He also alleged that they attempted to force their way into into the seat of power during which they allegedly burned down police station and injured police officers.

     

    They were also said to have incited the Nigerian public against the government and destroyed several public properties comprising Police station, High Court complex and National Communication Commission (NCC) facilities.

     

    The accused persons are Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo Simon, Angel Love Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello Nurudeen Khamis and Abduldalam Zubair.

  • The Challenge of Insecurity: Security chiefs give updates

    The Challenge of Insecurity: Security chiefs give updates

    Yesterday in Abuja, Security chiefs gave updates on the security situation in the country.
    The event chaired by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, was held at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Abuja.
    Present at the event are the representative of the Chief of Army Staff, representative of Chief of Naval Staff, representative of the Chief of Air Staff, the representative of the Inspector-General of Police, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, and Controller-General of Nigeria Correctional Service.
    Also in attendance are principal staff officers from Defence and Services headquarters.
    The CDS, service chiefs, and the Minister of State for Defence were, last week, in Sokoto State, on the directive of President Bola Tinubu, to access troops operation, following the resurgence of banditry in the state that led to the death of a traditional ruler.
  • NLC to conduct medical checks on Ajaero after DSS detention

    NLC to conduct medical checks on Ajaero after DSS detention

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced plans to conduct comprehensive medical checks on its President, Joe Ajaero, following his release from detention by the Department of State Services (DSS).
    Ajaero was arrested and detained at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja while en-route to the United Kingdom to attend a conference on workers’ rights and social justice.
    In a statement, NLC Deputy President Prince Adewale Adeyanju expressed gratitude to Nigerians, civil society organizations, affiliates, and the international community for their support during Ajaero’s “illegal arrest and detention.” The statement emphasized the importance of collective action in defense of justice and workers’ rights.
    Ajaero’s release came after intense pressure from the NLC and compliance with the demands of the National Administrative Council (NAC). The NLC remains vigilant and will conduct medical checks to ensure Ajaero’s health has not been compromised.
    The NLC condemned the arrest and detention as a “reckless abuse of power” and reaffirmed its commitment to standing against oppression, intimidation, and lawlessness. The organization views the attack on its leadership as an assault on the fundamental rights of all Nigerian workers and citizens.
    The NLC demands the release of citizens detained for participating in the #EndBadGovernance protest, an end to the clampdown on popular voices, and the reversal of hikes in petrol and electricity tariffs. The organization also calls for the immediate implementation of the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act.
    The NLC has suspended its National Executive Council meeting to assess the situation and determine next steps in its collective struggle. The organization urges Nigerians, affiliates, and the international community to remain steadfast and vigilant in the struggle for justice and workers’ rights.