The Supreme Court on Monday, fixed January 17, 2022 to hear an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court in the case instituted by the Rivers government, seeking to stop the Federal Government from ceding 17 oil wells in the state to Imo. The court will also hear the application challenging the competence of the main suit. The seven-member panel led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, fixed the date after counsel to the Attorney- General of the Federation and Imo, Mr Remi Olatubora, SAN and Mr Olushola Oke, SAN, told the court that they had two motions. The motions, they said,…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has dismissed the no-case submission by the Managing Director of First Nation Airways Limited, Kayode Odukoya and ordered him to open his defence on January 17, 2022. He is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for an alleged N1.7 billion fraud and had filed a no-case submission. Odukoya is standing trial alongside First Nation Airways Limited and Bellview Airlines Limited on a seven-count charge bordering on forgery, use of false document, perjury, stealing and obtaining credit by fraud contrary to sections 85(1), 86(1), 278(1)&(b),…
The absence of the the defendant in Lagos on Friday, stalled the cross-examination of the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, in a case of N761 million alleged fraud. The defendant, Abubakar Peters, contracted Coronavirus and is in an isolation centre, according to his counsel, Mr E.O. Isiramen. Peters is standing trial along with his company, Nadabo Energy Ltd. for oil subsidy fraud. Bawa is a prosecution witness in the case before an Ikeja high court. At the start of proceedings, Isiramen informed the court that the defendant tested positive for coronavirus. “He is ill…
The federal government in collaboration with the World Bank-assisted mineral sector support for economic diversification (MinDiver) project has begun a national training programme on Jewelry making for 40 Nigerian youths. Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, Minister of Mines and Steel Development (MMSD) made this known at the Gemstone and Jewelry workshop on Monday in Abuja. Adegbite said the participants were drawn from across the country to undergo eight months training, adding that they would be given the mandate to train other Nigerians across the 36 states and FCT. “As a follow-up, the government is taking the crucial step, as demonstrated by this…
Sen. Iyorcha Ayu has been elected the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as Taofeek Arapaja also emerged the National Deputy Chairman (South). Ayu, who was the consensus candidate at the party national convention in Abuja, got 3,426 affirmative votes out of 3,511 accredited voters. However, Arapaja secured a total of 2,004 votes to defeat his only rival, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former governor of Osun, who polled 705 votes, while invalid votes were 165. Also, Umar Damagum scored a total of 2,222 votes to defeat his sole rival, Mrs Inna Ciroma, for the position of Deputy National Chairman…
When the news hit the airwaves that the federal government had budgeted N6.3 billion to build an airport at Wachakal, in Yobe State, 130 kilometres from Damaturu, the state capital, not a few people were taken by surprise. This is because there is already an international cargo airport, which can serve as a normal airport as well, being built in the state capital. In 2017, the then governor, Ibrahim Geidam, had awarded the contract for its building at the cost of N11.3 billion with the promise that the contractors would complete it by the end of his tenure, which ended…
The Nigerian government has again extended the deadline for the National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data linkage. This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Ikechukwu Adinde and Head of Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Kayode Adegoke on Saturday. Recall that the deadline for the linkage was earlier set to elapse on Sunday, October 31 2021, but the government has moved it further by two months. “The decision to extend the deadline was made further to appeals by the Mobile Network Operators and other industry stakeholders, soliciting…
The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum and Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal on Saturday, said it is not easy keeping the major opposition party united. He made the observation at the ongoing PDP national convention in Abuja, saying that it is tough to keep PDP together as a big party, with members from across the country and with various interest and desires. “Diverse as we are, it is however clear to me that we are at our best when we remember that we must remain focused and disciplined for the sake of our country and for…
By Ahmed Attahir, Gusau The Zamfara State Taskforce on the activities of banditry has arrested over 1,000 suspects various alleged offenses, including some with 200 jericans of petrol. The Taskforce also said it only allowed 30 petrol stations to operate at different locations across the local government areas in the state. The Chairman of the Taskforce, Abubakar Dauran who disclosed this in an interview with ASHENEWS in Gusau on Saturday said those arrested with drugs and other prohibited items, were handed over to security agencies for further investigations. “The committee has arrested over 1000 suspects. Some of them were arrested…
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has disclosed that Nigerian government will join the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog in order to address the challenges of money laundering and terrorism financing. He made this known at the Extraordinary Ministerial Committee Meeting of the Intergovernmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), which he participated virtually. The FATF monitors 39 member countries to ensure fully and effective implementation of FATF Standards thereby holding nations that do not comply accountable. According to Malami in a statement…