Attorney-General
Court restrains ALGON faction, others from interfering in association’s affairs
An Abuja Federal High Court has restrained the chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Alabi Akolade David-led faction of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) from parading its as the leaders of the association. The court also ordered the faction from taking all further action, steps, proceedings and assembly, relating to the conduct of of ALGON’s General Assembly slated for March 24, 2021, or any other day during the pendency of the suit. Other parties restrained by the court order include the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami, Inspector General of Police and one Mrs Binta Abdullahi Bello from interfering in the affairs of ALGON. The order followed the adoption of a motion ex-parte deposed to by Mohammed Inulin Abubakar on b...
AGF: I didn’t file any suit against Atiku Abubakar’s citizenship
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), has said that he never filed any suit challenging the citizenship of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar. The AGF, through his media aide, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, said Malami “has never filed any case before any court challenging the citizenship of the former Vice President.” The AGF was reacting to a report of AGF’s position in a suit filed against Atiku by the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa before the Federal High Court, Abuja. He said: ”The Honorable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has never filled any case before any court in the country challenging the citizenship of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. “The matter ...
Court urged to restrain Nigerian government on £4.2 million James Ibori loot
The Federal Government has been sued over its planned use of the £4.2million linked to former Delta State Governor James Ibori. The President, League of Ndokwa Professionals (LNP), Chief Tony Amechi and Legal Adviser, Evans Ufeli, on behalf of the people of Delta State, are challenging the Federal Government’s plan to deploy the funds to projects outside Delta. The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the Minister for Finance are the defendants. In their originating motion, the plaintiffs seek a declaration that the first and second defendants’ decision to deploy the yet to be repatriated sum of £4.2million belonging to Delta State government (when repatriated) for Federal Government’s projects is unconstitutional and repugnant to natural justic...
Ayo Fayose: Ex-President Obasanjo sent Bode George to jail because of PDP national chairmanship position
Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state on Sunday revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo masterminded the incarceration of Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over tussle for the party’s national chairmanship position. Chief George had in an interview with a national daily accused Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Lagos state governor and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo who was the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Tinubu’s government as the men behind his incarceration during the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) crisis. Although he was sentenced to two years imprisonment, alongside five others, by an Ikeja High Court on October 27, 2009, without an option of a fine, he appealed the judgment after serving his term a...
Nigerian government tenders foreign currency in ‘money laundering’ trial of ex-NAF chief
The Federal Government, on Thursday, tendered before the Federal High Court, Abuja, different currencies of dollars stashed in three bags as evidence in the money laundering charge against Air Commodore Umar Mohammed (rtd.) Counsel to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Magaji Labaran, tendered the bags of money before Justice Inyang Ekwo while leading the only witness in the case, Stephen Olatubosun, in evidence. Newsmen report that Mohammed (1st defendant) and his company, Easy Jet Integrated Service Ltd (2nd defendant), are being charged with three counts bordering on money laundering, illegal possession of firearms and possession of classified documents without lawful authority. The retired air officer and his company are alleged to have received the sum of one million, thirt...
Justice Onnoghen: How ex-President Obasanjo saved me from conspiracy by some judges
File Photo Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, has rated ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo as a better listener than President Muhammadu Buhari. Speaking in Abuja at the book launch of Ogwu Onoja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the former CJN said Obasanjo did not act based on falsehood. Buhari had in 2019 removed Onnoghen — weeks to the presidential election — over alleged failure to declare his assets and operating foreign accounts. He was thereafter convicted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and barred from holding public office for 10 years. At the event, Onnoghen said he was removed from office without being given the chance to defend himself, adding that he was never confronted with the allegations against him. Onnoghen recounted how a similar incid...
Court dismisses appeal filed by Imo government on seizure of Senator Okorocha’s properties
Rochas Foundation A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, Wednesday, dismissed the appeal filed by the Attorney General of Imo State and forty others challenging the ruling of an Owerri Federal High Court, which granted Senator Rochas Okorocha the leave to amend processes filed before the Court. Presiding Judge in the Suit with Suit No:CA/ABJ/CV/942/2020, Justice Dattijo Yahaya, dismissed the appeal, following a notice of discontinuance dated and filed on March 16 by the Attorney General of Imo State, Cyprain Akaolisa, on behalf of the appellants. Counsel to Senator Rochas Okorocha, Oba Maduabuchi, opposed the withdrawal of the appeal on the ground that the appellants want to deceive the Court by pretending to discontinue the appeal and go back to Imo State and complete what the...
Ondo governor assigns portfolios to new commissioners
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has assigned portfolios to the four new commissioners sworn in on Monday. Richard Olatunde, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, in a statement made available to newsmen in Akure on Monday, said the governor urged the commissioners to commence their duties immediately. “The commissioners and their portfolios are as follows: Mr Charles Titiloye, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice; and Mr Wale Akinterinwa, Commissioner for Finance. “Others are, Mr Donald Ojogo, Commissioner for Information and Orientation; and Raimi Aminu, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure,” he said. Olatunde said the governor wished them well in the discharge of their duties. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are lo...
CDD: Monitoring and evaluation vital in tracking fight against corruption
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) says monitoring and evaluation is vital in tracking the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Speaking at a three-day monitoring and evaluation capacity-building workshop for Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs) on Monday in Calabar, Idayat Hassan, CDD director, said monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a process that helps track the progress in the fight against corruption in the country. The workshop was organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in partnership with the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-corruption Reform (TUGAR). It also had support from the MacArthur Foundation. Represented by Emmanuel Akomaye, the centre’s project consultant on anti-corruption, Hassan said the CDD believes that it is important to bring all...
#EndSARS: Ekiti compensates first batch of police brutality survivors
The Ekiti State government will on Monday present monetary compensation to the first batch of police brutality survivors as recommended by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Allegations of Human Rights Violations Against the Defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad and Others. The panel was set up in the state following a directive issued by the Presidency to state governments to review allegations of human rights violations against members of the public by officials of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad. This was after youths took to the street with the #EndSARS campaign to protest against police brutality as allegedly committed by operatives of the defunct SARS. The panel set up in Ekiti is led by Retired Justice Cornelius Akintayo and comprises representatives of youth groups, civil socie...
Activist asks court to compel Kano, others to refund VAT generated from alcohol
An Abuja-based activist, Sesugh Akume, has filed a suit before a Federal High Court in the nation’s capital, asking it to compel states that outlawed the sale of alcohol to refund the sums received through Value Added Tax imposed on alcoholic beverages. About 12 states practise Sharia law in Nigeria. They are Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Zamfara and Niger. Based on Sharia law, some of the states prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages and usually hold public events where bottles of alcoholic drinks are destroyed while gambling is also illegal. However, all the states receive VAT collected from alcoholic beverages sold in other states that permit the sale of the product. In an originating motion brought pursuant to Section 1(3), 4(5), 162(3), (4...
Rumble in Edo as governor runs government without cabinet
Precisely 129 days into his second tenure as governor of Edo State after his election on September 20, 2020 and inauguration on November 12, 2020, Godwin Obaseki, has not formed his cabinet. This has generated some flaks from different quarters, including the opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), constitutional lawyers, political analysts, public commentators, residents among others. While others feel that Obaseki has not committed any crime or breached any law, others believe that he is running a one-man administration and must go ahead to form his cabinet. They argued that going by Section 192 of the 1999 Constitution, the governor is obliged to form a cabinet, saying this is a circumvention, which the state House of Assembly should take action on. Obaseki had said that his ...