Judiciary

Electoral Act: NASS Seeks Legal Advice, May Challenge Court Ruling
Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Electoral Act: NASS Seeks Legal Advice, May Challenge Court Ruling

The National Assembly is shocked by Friday’s judgment from the Federal High Court, Umuahia, voiding Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act and ordering its deletion forthwith. Consequently, the legislative arm has started assembling a team of legal giants to study the judgment and advise it on the next line of action. No less shocked by the court’s pronouncement are several senior lawyers who, yesterday, questioned the premise on which the judgment was based and the circumstances that birthed it. But that is not the only issue with the act. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday turned in its own assessment of the law, saying that some of its provisions are inimical to the electoral process. The commission said it would seek practice direction on how ...
APC Crisis: Factions Vow Not To Withdraw Cases, Court Vacates Order Stopping Convention
Judiciary, News, Nigeria

APC Crisis: Factions Vow Not To Withdraw Cases, Court Vacates Order Stopping Convention

Factions in some state chapters of the party have said they won’t withdraw their pending cases in court, noting that the President’s directive that suits against the party be withdrawn was only advisory and not by fiat. Some of the court cases however border on the legality of the Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee. This is in spite of the court ruling that vacated an order restraining the party from holding its convention. In Zamfara State, the Publicity Secretary of the faction loyal to Senator Kabiru Mafara, Bello Bakyasuwa, said they had seven pending cases against the party in court. He however maintained that they would not withdraw the cases. Bakyasuwa told Saturday PUNCH in a telephone interview, “We will not withdraw our cases no matter what happens because we are...
Ebonyi: INEC To Take Decision On Gov Umahi’s Fate Next Week
Elections, Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Ebonyi: INEC To Take Decision On Gov Umahi’s Fate Next Week

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would meet next week to deliberate on the Federal High Court’s sack of Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, and come up with an appropriate position on the matter. INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye disclosed this in a late Thursday statement. He said the commission met on Thursday and deliberated on a wide range of issues, including the rising tide of litigations that do not directly involve the Commission, but in which the principal parties joined it. According to him, the Commission was briefed by its Litigation and Prosecution Department, including an update on litigations, showing that in the last three months, the Commission ha...
Man Allegedly Cheats Konga For Eight Years, Steals Goods Worth N22m
Finance, Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Man Allegedly Cheats Konga For Eight Years, Steals Goods Worth N22m

A 39-year-old man, Chijioke Okoro, has been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting at Ikeja, Lagos State, for allegedly stealing N22,046,695 worth of goods from an online store, Konga. Reports say that Okoro tricked the online company between October 2013 and August 2021 in Akilo, in the Ogba area of the state. He was arraigned on two counts bordering on stealing and cheating by tricks. The charges read, “That you, Chijioke Okoro, from October 2013 to August 20, 2021, at No 3b, Cocoa Road, Akilo area of Ogba, Lagos, in the Ikeja Magisterial District, did unlawfully steal goods worth N22,046,695, property of Konga Online Shopping Limited. Read Also: Abba Kyari’s Wife Slumps In Court, NDLEA Remands Husband, Six Others “That you, Chijioke Okoro, on the sa...
Court Dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s Request For DSS DG Oral Evidence On Health Status
Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Court Dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s Request For DSS DG Oral Evidence On Health Status

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, dismissed a motion filed by leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, for the Director-General of the Department of States Services (DSS) to give oral evidence on his state of health. Nnamdi Kanu Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in ruling, held that fundamental rights cases are special cases “sui generis” which mode of commencement are affidavit evidence as prescribed under Order 2, Rule 2 of the Fundamental Human Right Enforcement Procedure Rules, 2009. Justice Taiwo said that though there were various modes of commencement of action, including fundamental right cases, he said Kanu (applicant) chose to commence his “under the Fundamental Right Enforcement Procedure Rules that stipulates affidavit evidence.” He rul...
Abba Kyari’s Wife Slumps In Court, NDLEA Remands Husband, Six Others
Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Abba Kyari’s Wife Slumps In Court, NDLEA Remands Husband, Six Others

A middle woman, adorning a black hijab and identified as the wife of the embattled DCP Abba Kyari, yesterday, collapsed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeing the super cop and six others taken into custody by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after Justice Emeka Nwite fixed March 28 for determination of the bail application filed by their counsel. The judge decided on the date after taking arguments from both the prosecution and defence lawyers in requests urging the defendants’ release. Counsel to first and second defendants had prayed the court to grant their clients bail on fundamental rights grounds to prepare for defence. But the NDLEA legal representative, Joseph N. Sunday, opposed the motion, arguing that Kyari, who hitherto headed the P...
Hushpuppi: AGF’s Office Exonerates Abba Kyari Of Money Laundering Allegation 
Corruption, Crime, Judiciary, Justice, Law Enforcement, Nigeria, Uncategorized

Hushpuppi: AGF’s Office Exonerates Abba Kyari Of Money Laundering Allegation 

A new twist into the $1.1million hushpuppi internet scam involving suspended Commander of the Police Intelligence Response Team, DCP Abba Kyari and fraudster, Ramon Abass aka Hushpuppi and other accomplices emerged at the weekend with the office of the Attorney General issuing new legal advice exonerating Kyari from money laundering allegations. The office of the AGF which in its first legal advice admitted that a prima- facie case of money laundering of 33 payments (proceeds of crime) was established by the DIG Joseph Egbunike led Special Investigation Panel against Kyari has now said, there are no links with Kyari following further investigations. Recall that Kyari and other defendants are currently in court on drugs and money laundering allegations at the Federal High Court A...
PDP Ready To Approach Supreme Court To Reclaim Mandate – Wike Warns Umahi
Judiciary, News, Nigeria

PDP Ready To Approach Supreme Court To Reclaim Mandate – Wike Warns Umahi

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, on Saturday, said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is ready to reclaim its mandate from Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State. Wike said the PDP was ready to approach the Supreme Court to reclaim its mandate from Umahi. He spoke during the inauguration of the Eastern Bypass Road in Port Harcourt, the state capital. According to Wike, “If our party has done this earlier when people were leaving in the National Assembly, we won’t have had the problem we are having today. “That is one of the problems of party leadership. People cannot come out and take the bull by the horns. So, Governor Umahi, be rest assured that PDP will continue this matter down to Supreme Court. We will continue with the matter. “You carry the votes of another par...
Defection Sack: Court Orders Umahi, Deputy To Remain In Office
Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Defection Sack: Court Orders Umahi, Deputy To Remain In Office

Ebonyi Governor David Umahi and his Deputy, Kelechi Igwe, have secured an order from the High Court of Ebonyi State not to vacate their offices in the interim This followed an ex-parte motion by counsel to the duo, Roy Umahi brought pursuant to rule 3(3) of the High Court rules of Ebonyi State in suit no HAB/13/22. The Court on February 28, 2022 ruled that Governor Umahi and his Deputy did not flout any law by defecting to the All Progressive Congress(APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP). The Court presided by Justice Henry Njoku dismissed the matter for lacking in merit and fined the plaintiff, Sunny Ogbuoji, who was the APC candidate and runner up in the 2019 governorship election.. However, an Abuja Federal High Court on 8th March ruling on a similar matter filed by...
IPOB Faults Incessant Amendment Of Charges Against Kanu
Biafra, Judiciary, News, Nigeria

IPOB Faults Incessant Amendment Of Charges Against Kanu

The Indigenous People of Biafra has accused the Federal Government of deliberate attempts to introduce empty charges in order to continuously keep Nnamdi Kanu in detention. The group also said the federal government had constantly been amending its charges so as to prolong the issue of Kanu’s unconditional release from the Department of State Services’ custody. In a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, on Wednesday, IPOB said the Federal Government had carried out six successive amendments to the charges filed against Kanu in its desperation to manufacture offences that might provide suitable grounds to proffer charges where no offence known to the law existed. Nnamdi Kanu It pointed out that the manner in which Kanu was brought into the country was ...