EFCC vows to appeal court order unfreezing Fayose’s accounts

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday vowed to appeal an order by a Federal High Court asking it to defreeze the bank accounts of Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti.

The court sitting in Ado-Ekiti and presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo had earlier in the day ordered Zenith Bank to immediately unfreeze Mr. Fayose’s two bank accounts.

The judge said the EFCC did not adhere to laid down regulations in ordering the bank to freeze the accounts.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the accounts were frozen on June 21 over suspicion that they were receptacles of crime proceeds.

The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said the commission had taken steps to appeal against the order.

Mr. Uwujaren said, “The EFCC has been drawn to the order by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti, state asking it to defreeze the accounts of Governor Ayo Fayose in Zenith Bank.

“While the commission awaits the certified copy of the ruling, it is important to point out that this order contradicts another order by Justice M. B Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

“The first order gave the commission the nod to freeze the accounts pending the conclusion of investigation.
“This order from a court of coordinate jurisdiction was not set aside by Justice Taiwo.

“In spite of this, the commission has taken immediate steps to appeal against the order by Justice Taiwo”, he said.

Supreme court orders lower court to deliver judgement on Jegede’s appeal

The supreme court has restored the jurisdiction to the court of appeal, Abuja, to determine all appeals arising from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), leadership dispute in Ondo state.

 

Eyitayo Jegede had challenged the decision of the federal high court to substitute him with Jimoh Ibrahim as the PDP governorship candidate.

 

The court of appeal on November 18 adjourned indefinitely following an application filed at the apex court for stay of proceedings.

 

Beluolisa Nwofor, counsel to Biyi Poroye, factional chairman of the PDP in Ondo state had challenged the Ibrahim Saulawa panel set up to hear the matter.

 

The Jummai Sankey panel of the court of appeal had returned the case file back to Zainab Bulkachuwa, president of the court of appeal, following a petition by Poroye accusing her and her colleagues of corruption.

 

However, Nwofor withdrew his application at the apex court on Tuesday.

 

This prompted the five-man panel of justices led by Walter Onnoghen, acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), to order the continuation of the matter at the court of appeal.

Court Dismisses Saraki’s Appeal Against CCT

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has again affirmed the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal to try the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki on charges bordering on assets declaration breaches before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Delivering judgment in the appeal filed by Saraki, the Justice Abdul Aboki-led panel of the appeal court on Thursday affirmed the CCT’s jurisdiction after dismissing the appeal filed by Saraki challenging his trial before the tribunal.

All the four other members of the panel unanimously agreed with the lead judgment delivered by Justice Aboki? who resolved all the eight issues formulated for determination against Saraki.

In affirming the earlier ruling of the Danladi Umar-led CCT that affirmed the tribunal’s jurisdiction, Justice Aboki held among others that contrary to Saraki’s contention, the Attorney-General of the Federation had the power to institute charges against him before the CCT.

The appeal court also held that under the Constitution, the Code of Conduct wa?s not under any obligation to invite the appellant to enable him to make written admission of breaches in his asset declaration forms before charges could be initiated against him.

It held that the tribunal had rightly departed from its earlier decision exonerating a former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu? on account that he was not invited by the CCB to confront him with the allegations levelled against him.

The court also held that the fact that the charges were initiated 13? years after the offences were allegedly committed was immaterial.

Justice Aboki described the contention as sentimental which the court had been enjoined not to delve into.

This was the second time the appeal court would be delivering judgment on the same subject matter of jurisdiction of the CCT to try the Senate President.

The Court of Appeal had last year ruled against Saraki on the jurisdiction of the CCT and asked him to proceed to face the 16 counts preferred against him.

The judgment of the appeal court was validated by the Supreme Court in February.

Credit:

http://punchng.com/breaking-appeal-court-dismisses-sarakis-cct-trial/

Divide Nigeria Into 6 Republics; MASSOB, BIM Appeal To UN

Movememt for Actuali­sation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Biafra Independence Movement (BIM) have­called on the United Na­tions and other world leaders to divide Nige­ria into six geo-political zones to solve problems facing the nation.

The group said granting the six geo-political zones in Nigeria self rule would be the only solution to the many problems in the country.

In a release signed by the Director of Informa­tion of the pro-Biafra group, Mr. Chris Mocha, the two groups appealed to the UN and other super powers to consider the lives of people that are killed on a daily basis in Nigeria arising from the insurgency in the North East and Fulani herds­men said to be allegedly affiliated to ISIS and Boko Haram.

Mocha said the pro­posed nations inlcude South East, (Biafra), South South (Niger Del­ta), North East, North West, South West, (Oduduwa) and North- Central.

He stressed that no amount of preaching on nationalism can change Nigeria as it is today.

Mocha said when the proposed zones are grant­ed independence, assets of the citizens of the dif­ferent countries will be protected by internation­al laws, just as bilateral agreements will guide the future relationship of the new republics.

The group, however, in­sisted that several mem­bers of BIM/MASSOB were killed last week dur­ing the Biafra anniversary at Nkpor and Onitsha.

“While all the mem­bers of BIM/ MASSOB in Anambra central senato­rial district including Nk­por town in Idemili North Local Government Area celebrated at Ifite Dunu, our counterparts in Anambra North including Onitsha converged at the zonal secretariat, project site at Nteje in Oyi coun­cil area of Anambra State.

Credit: Sun

Herdsmen In Cross River Appeal For Grazing Land

The Hausa-Fulani community in Cross River State has appealed to Governor Ben Ayade to allocate a portion of land to herdsmen in the state in order to enable them graze their cattle.

Mr Sani Baba-Gombe, Leader of the association in the state, made the appeal on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar.

According to Baba-Gombe, the land if allocated will put an end to the crisis between herdsmen and farmers in the state.

He said that the land would help the herdsmen to stop encroaching into people’s farmlands in search of food for their animals.

He said that one of the main challenges facing herdsmen in the state was a grazing land, hence the need for the state government to come to their aid.

Baba-Gombe said, “We use to instruct our people to always ask for permission before entering into any land to graze.

“If I were to be a farmer, I won’t be pleased if any cattle come along to destroy my crops.

“If a grazing land is provided, the animals would not stray into farms and this would further prevent any future crisis between herdsmen and farmers in the state.

“All we are appealing for is a grazing land that is different from the farmlands; this would help us to stop encroaching into people’s farmlands in search of food for our cattle.

“We have also sensitised our people to always have a good understanding with their host communities.”

He further said that herdsmen in the state were tired of moving their cattle from one place to the other in search of food for them, hence the appeal for a reserved land for them.

Credit: Punch

Supreme Court Dismisses Aisha Al-Hassan’s Appeal

The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Aisha Al-Hassan.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, the Apex Court held that the appeal lacked merit and substance.

The Apex Court upheld the Appellate Court’s verdict which had earlier dismissed the petition on the grounds that the APC and its governorship candidate cannot question the nomination of Governor Darius Ishaku as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Al-Hassan had filed the appeal questioning the nomination of Darius Ishaku as the candidate of the PDP.

According to her, the PDP did not conduct primary elections to nominate its candidate as required by the law.

The Supreme Court says it will give reasons for the judgment on February 22, 2016.

Credit: ChannelsTV

Supreme Court Dismisses Saraki’s Appeal Against CCT

The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, against the judgment of the Appeal Court on his trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal on charges of false asset declaration.

A seven-man bench, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, gave the judgment that the CCT was properly constituted to exercise jurisdiction over Saraki’s trial and has jurisdiction to try criminal matters.

The apex court had adjourned till February 5, 2016 to determine the appeal seeking to quash charges against the Senate President, after it entertained arguments from both Dr. Saraki and the Federal Government in December 2015.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on October 30, 2015, affirmed the jurisdiction of the CCT to try him and the competence of the charges of false asset declaration preferred against him by the Federal Government.

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Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal Filed Against Delta, Yobe, Oyo Governors

The Supreme Court in Nigeria has dismissed appeal filed against the election of the Governors of Delta, Yobe and Oyo States.

Giving the ruling on Tuesday, the Court held that the appeal filed by Emerhor Otega of the All Progressives Congress and great Ogboru of the Labour Party against Governor Okowa of Delta State lacked merit.

Similarly the Court dismissed appeal filed by Rashidi Ladoja of the Accord Party against Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State as abuse of court process.

All the judgments were unanimous and the court has fixed February 15 to give reasons for the judgement.

Credit: ChannelsTv

CCT Trial: Saraki Files Appeal At Supreme Court

The Nigerian Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has appealed the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which on October 30 affirmed the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal to try him on 13 counts of false assets declaration.

Senator Saraki also filed an application for stay of proceedings urging the Supreme Court to halt the proceedings of the Code of conduct Tribunal to try him for the alleged offences pending when his appeal would be determined.

The Senate President raised seven grounds of appeal in his notice of appeal filed on Tuesday and attached to the application for stay of proceedings.

Dr Saraki urged the Supreme Court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, the entire proceedings of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and the charges preferred against him before the Tribunal.

He claimed that the Appeal Court erred in law when it affirmed the competence of the proceedings of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, which sat on the appellant’s case with only two members as against the three provided for in the provisions of Paragraph 15 (1) of the Fifth Schedule to the Nigerian Constitution.

The Senate President also faulted the majority decision of the Appeal Court where it held that there was lacuna regarding the quorum of the Tribunal.

Credit: ChannelsTV

No Need To Appeal Rivers’ Ruling- LP Tells PDP

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2015 governorship election in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill, has said that there is no need to appeal last Saturday’s judgment of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that overturned the election of Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Prince Princewill, in a signed statement, through Mr. Wabiye Idoniboyeobu, the Director Media and Publicity, Tonye Princewill Campaign Organization, said the cancellation of the election did not come as a surprise to “many neutral observers who came out on the Election Day to try and cast their vote.”

“Even PDP supporters I’m sure, in their heart of hearts, knew that this day would come. Like I said to my supporters on the Election Day, justice will prevail and the truth of this day will come out. If the APC legal team could not prove that there was no election in Rivers state, nobody could. It was that obvious.

“I’d like to thank all the judges for upholding the law, the parties for conducting their briefs with civility and the people of Rivers State for surviving this period. If I was the PDP, I would not even bother to appeal this judgment. I’d rather head back to the court of public opinion. Ultimately that is where this matter will end. Why delay?” he asked.

He promised to brief his supporters and well-wishers in the days ahead on the role to play in future. “I told you from day one not to worry. Your votes will count. I meant it.”

He urged all Rivers people to stay law abiding and peaceful, saying this is not the time for celebration or mourning, but a time for sober reflection.

Credit: DailyTrust

IDPS Appeal To Buhari On Improved Welfare

The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Durumi Camp, Abuja, on Tuesday appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to provide basic social amenities at IDPs camps nationwide.

The Secretary of the IDPs Camps, Mr Bala Yusuf, made the call on the sideline of a visit by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution and some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Abuja.

Yusuf lamented that the IDPs camps in Abuja had no basic facilities while their members went through difficulties to access healthcare services.

He particularly lamented over the condition of one of their members, Malam Abdullahi Usman, who was involved in an accident while operating a commercial tricycle to earn a living.

Yusuf said that Usman was still being detained by the National Hospital, Abuja, over non-payment of N 350,000 bill.

He regretted that the IDPs had not been able to raise the money while the condition of Usman was deteriorating, and appealed to the National Hospital management to release their member.

According to him, the hospital treated the patient and gave them a bill of N387,455, out of which the IDP members paid only N85,000.

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Appeal Court Adjourns Judgment On Saraki’s Case Indefinitely

The appeal by Senate President, Bukola Saraki against the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), to try him over alleged false declaration of assets, was on Monday, adjourned indefinitely by the Appeal Court, sitting in Abuja.

Recall that Saraki is challenging the legal propriety of the 13-count criminal charge the Federal Government preferred against him before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.

He had also gone before the appellate court to query the constitutionality of the warrant of arrest earlier issued against him by chairman of the CCT, Justice Danladi Umar.

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APC To Appeal Tribunal’s Ruling On Akpabio’s Election

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has said it would appeal against the judgment given on its election petition in respect of the Akwa Ibom South senatorial district for which upheld the victory of the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The party described the judgment delivered in the petition filed by the party and its candidates at the state National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in respect of the Akwa Ibom South senatorial election as a miscarriage of justice.

It said the tribunal failed to deliver justice in the case but rather allowed itself to be swayed by the PDP.

Addressing journalists in Abuja at the Weekend, the state Chairman of the APC, Dr. Amadu  Attai, accused the trial judge of acting in a manner as to suggest that he was compromised to give favourable judgment to the PDP candidate.

While protesting the outcome of the petition, Attai said the party was taking aback at how the tribunal brazenly over-looked the flaws in the conduct of the election in the senatorial district.

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Independence Day Bombing Convict to Appeal Life Sentence

Edmund Ebiware, convicted for foreknowledge of the October 1, 2010 Abuja bomb blast that killed 12 people, has been given a nod to appeal his sentence. He got the go ahead on Monday, his lawyers from Festus Keyamo Chambers said.

Ebiware was sentenced to life in prison in 2013 after an Abuja court found him guilty of a three-count charge including having foreknowledge of plans to carry out the bombing without alerting the authorities.

Former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Henry Okah, was convicted for the bombing in a South African court in March 2013.

Read More: Premium Times

Father of Kano Child Bride Appeals to Court to Spare Daughter’s Death Sentence

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The father of a 14-year-old child bride accused of murdering her husband said Thursday he was appealing to a Nigerian court to spare his daughter the death sentence.

Wasilat Tasi’u is on trial for the murder of her 35-year-old husband, Umar Sani, who died after eating food that Tasi’u allegedly laced with rat poison.

“We are appealing to the judge to consider Wasilat’s plea,” her father, Isyaku Tasi’u, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

On Wednesday witnesses told the High Court in Gezawa, a town 60 miles outside Nigeria’s second largest city of Kano, that Tasi’u killed her husband two weeks after their wedding in April. Three others allegedly died after eating the poisoned meal.

The prosecution, led by Lamido Soron-Dinki, senior state council from the Kano State Ministry of Justice, is seeking the death penalty.

The case calls into question the legality of trying a 14-year-old for murder under criminal law and the rights of child brides, who are common in the poverty-stricken, predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria region.

“She was married to a man that she didn’t love. She protested but her parents forced her to marry him,” Zubeida Nagee, a women’s rights activist in Kano, told AP. Nagee and other activists have written a letter of protest to the Kano state deputy governor.

Nagee said Tasi’u was a victim of systematic abuse endured by millions of girls in the region. Activists say the blend of traditional customs, Islamic law and Nigeria’s constitutional law poses a challenge when advocating for the rights of young girls in Nigeria.

Justice Mohammed Yahaya adjourned the court until December 22. Tasi’u is in state juvenile custody.

Credit: Yahoo News