High Court
36 states sue federal government, demand funding of state courts
The 36 states governors, through their respective Attorneys General and Commissioners for Justice, have dragged the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, before the Supreme Court over the failure of the Federal Government to fund the courts in the country with recurrent expenditure since May 5, 2009. It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, had in May 2020, signed Executive Order 10, which gave financial autonomy to the legislature and judiciary at the state level. The state governors argued that the Federal Government should also fund state courts if the president must make such order. The plaintiffs in the suit against the AGF, through their counsel, Mr Augustine Alegeh, SAN, are contending that the respondent refused to fun...
EFCC docks polytechnic lecturer for N27 million fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today docked for fraud Pius Ugochukwu Ezeokafor, a former Director of Physical Planning, and now Senior Lecturer in the Department of Architecture, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State. Ezeokafor, who is an architect faces a three count charge of obtaining money by false pretence and gratification to the tune of N27 million. He is facing trial before Justice O. A Ezeoke of the State High Court sitting in Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. One of the charges read,”that you, Arc. Pius Ugochukwu Ezeokafor sometime between the year 2011 and 2012 at Oko, Aguata Local Government Area within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Anambra State, did commit felony to wit: with intent to defraud, obtained by false pretense ...
Police drag Kogi commissioner to court for ‘rape, battery’
Senior Police sources at the Force Intelligence Bureau, Force headquarters, under which the Police Gender Unit operates, on Tuesday affirmed that the Nigerian Police Force has charged the Kogi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Abdulmumuni Danga, to court for allegedly raping and assaulting a lady, among other charges, over a Facebook post. The lady, one Elizabeth Onyeniyi had petitioned the Police Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) on her ordeal in the hands of the Kogi Commissioner and other accomplices alleging that she was not only raped, but beaten mercilessly and threatened, prompting the FIB to invite Mr. Danga to appear before the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Gender Unit, for questioning on the 2nd of June 2020, after which the Commissioner was released. It was gathered that di...
Kano chief judge appoints Abdullahi Ado-Bayero as acting chief registrar
The Kano State Chief Judge, Justice Nura Sagir, has approved the appointment of Abdullahi Ado-Bayero, as the acting Chief Registrar of Kano High Court. Mr Baba Jibo-Ibrahim, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Kano State Judiciary, made the disclosure in a statement issued to newsmen on Monday in Kano. It said Ado-Bayero will act the Chief Registrar pending the ratification of the appointment by the state Judicial Service Commission. “Justice Sagir approved the redeployment of Ado-Bayero, from Shari’a Court of Appeal to the High Court of Justice Kano as the acting Chief Registrar pending the ratification of the appointment by the Judicial Service Commission Kano.” According to the statement, the approval was sequel to the elevation of the Chief Registrar, High Court of Justice, Kano, Jamil...
Brazil court fires Rio governor over corruption
Brazil’s High Court of Justice removed Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel from office Friday, as police raided his official residence in a probe into accusations he stole emergency funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The raids also targeted the far-right governor’s wife and inner circle. Among those arrested was Pastor Everaldo, an evangelical preacher and leader of Witzel’s Christian Social Party. Helicopters circled over the stately governor’s residence, Laranjeiras Palace, starting at dawn as federal police executed a sweeping series of search and seizure orders and arrest warrants. The court ruling suspends Witzel, 52, from office for at least 180 days as authorities investigate claims he took a reported 274.2 million reals ($50 million) in kickbacks. “This criminal organizatio...
Edo guber: APC petitions CJ over suit seeking to disqualify Pastor Ize-Iyamu
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has filed a petition against Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing him of accelerating hearing of a suit that is seeking to disqualify its governorship candidate in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. The ruling party, in the petition it forwarded to the Chief Judge of the High Court, Justice John Tsoho, requested the immediate withdrawal of the suit from Justice Taiwo to enable another judge to take over and hear the matter. In the petition dated August 20, which was signed by the National Secretary of the APC Caretaker Committee, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, the party, alleged that Justice Taiwo unnecessarily expedited hearing on the suit by granting abridgement of time to the plaintiffs when motion for such relief had not bee...
Kidnap kingpin Evans’ co-defendants lose bid to quash charges
The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Friday dismissed the no-case submissions filed by co-defendants to alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans. The court, in a ruling by Justice Hakeem Oshodi, held that the prosecution had made out a prima facie case against the defendants which required that they put in a defence. The defendants are facing trial over the kidnap of the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Limited, Donatus Dunu, in 2017. The prosecution said they collected €223,000 in ransom before freeing the businessman after 88 days in captivity. The six defendants are Evans, Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba. Due to his inability to pay legal fees, Evans had been having difficulty retaining a lawyer...
IGP asks court to dismiss deposed emir Sanusi’s suit
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit filed by the deposed Kano emir, Muhammadu Sanusi, over his banishment. Adamu in his preliminary objection, is arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the fundamental rights enforcement suit. Sanusi was deposed following a resolution of the Kano State Executive Council on March 9, on allegations of insubordination. Following his sack, he was taken to Awe in Nasarawa State and detained in an apartment in the town until March 13 when he obtained an interim order of the court for his release from house arrest. The deposed emir in the substantive suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/357/2020 through his lead lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, contested that his banishment and subsequent house arrest v...
Rivers APC crisis: Appeal Court rules in suit against Igo Aguma
The Appeal Court on Thursday stayed proceedings in the appeal filed before it by Abott Ogbobula, the former Rivers State Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ogbobula is challenging the judgment of the High Court of Rivers State which affirmed Igo Aguma’s appointment as the party’s Caretaker Committee Chairman in Rivers state. A three-member panel of the appellate Court chaired by Justice Steven Adah in a ruling held that the Court can’t continue in the hearing of the case, as the first respondent has proved to the Court that an appeal has been entered. Ada said: “An affidavit is evidence of proof. The affidavit is showing that an appeal is before the Supreme Court. “The notice of appeal and other processes have been brought to our notice in respect of the ruling of t...
Oyo judiciary releases names of vacation judges
As the Oyo State judiciary commences its annual vacation, on Wednesday, based on the provisions of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2010 and other enabling laws, the placement of area of operations for vacation judges has been released for judges that have shown an intention to work during the vacation so that there won’t be a vacuum for time-bound cases. The Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Ladipo Abimbola, had made the order declaring the period of July 15 to September 10 as the annual vacation of the judiciary in his capacity as the head of the state judiciary in the exercise of the powers conferred on him by paragraph 4(b) of Order 45 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2010 and by virtue of all other powers enabling in that behalf. He had declared that courts will b...
Police arrest father of six for ‘rape’ of 13-year-old girl
The Police in Jos have arrested a 39-year-old businessman, Abdul Abdul, for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl after buying N20 sachet water in her mother’s makeshift store. Abdul, a married man and father of six who resides in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government Area, allegedly committed the crime on June 8, when he went into the shop to buy water. The suspect told newsmen behind bars in Jos, on Monday, that he did not know what came over him when he had ‘sex’ with the minor. “On June 8, it was raining heavily, and I needed a place to take shelter after alighting from the tricycle, so I went into the shop, opposite a house I am building. “I bought a sachet of water from the girl after which we started discussing. “I placed my hand on her shoulder, and she did not resist, so I went ahead t...
AGF Malami: Inmates on death row may get life
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), said on Tuesday that the Federal Government was planning a process of commuting the death penalty of condemned inmates with over 10 years on death row to life imprisonment. Malami who said this in Abuja at a press briefing on the achievements of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Service Reform and Decongestion, also said inmates awaiting trial for upwards of five years might be released. But he said considering the increasing number of incidents of sexual and kidnap cases, inmates who had been convicted for such offences would not be considered for release during the proposed exercise. He stated, “Also, to be revisited is the issue of condemned convicts on death row for over ten (10) years wi...
