The former head of the Rapid Response Team, IRT, of the Inspector General of Police, Abba Kyari has been granted bail after 18 months in prison custody.
Kyari alongside some members of his team was taken into custody in February 2022 after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, alleged tampering with drug exhibits.
The IRT team arrested Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, in January 2022 in connection with 21.25kg of cocaine and subsequently handed the suspects to the NDLEA alongside the cocaine.
The case took a dramatic twist when NDLEA declared Kyari and some members of his IRT wanted for tampering with the evidence.
Both Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne have been released from prison after their conviction.
After several attempts to secure bail, Justice Omotosho of Federal High Court 9, granted Kyari bail on Thursday.
He ruled that for the fact that DCP Abba Kyari and his team refused to escape when Kuje Prison was attacked on July 5, 2022, where about 90 percent of the inmates escaped, “it has proven that Kyari is ready to face any allegations against him.”
Besides the judge said all the “allegations are all bailable” and he is not “a flight risk”.
A member of his defence team, Barr Suleiman Shehu hailed the court decision “as a well-deserved victory.”
The Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Rimingado, said that a forensic analysis determined that the viral video capturing former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, allegedly receiving bundles of dollar notes as a bribe from a man said to be a contractor and stuffing them in his pockets is authentic.
The video, which garnered widespread attention in 2017, has been the subject of intense scrutiny.
Six years after the incident, the Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Rimingado, confirmed that the video wasn’t doctored.
“The authenticity of the videos had been confirmed,” Rimingado said on Wednesday during a one-day public dialogue on the anti-corruption crusade in Kano.
He also acknowledged the immense pressure he faced to establish Ganduje’s innocence or guilt since the video’s release.
Rimingado further revealed that the commission had been investigating the allegations against Ganduje since 2018. However, due to the former Governor’s immunity, proving his guilt or innocence had been an insurmountable challenge.
Governor Ganduje had denied the contents of the video when it first surfaced and maintained his innocence. The Kano State House of Assembly formed a committee to investigate the allegations. Unfortunately, the committee had not submitted its findings before a new assembly was inaugurated on July 4, 2023.
The former governor took legal action by filing a suit in the Kano State High Court, seeking to prevent the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating him regarding the matter.
The former Attorney General of the State, representing Ganduje, requested that the court restrain the EFCC until a separate lawsuit between the former governor and the publisher of the Daily Nigerian, Jafaar Jafaar, is resolved.
The authenticity of the video will undoubtedly have significant implications for Ganduje’s reputation and ongoing investigations. As the legal proceedings continue, the public eagerly awaits further developments in this high-profile case.
He also acknowledged the immense pressure he faced to establish Ganduje’s innocence or guilt since the video’s release.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, a witness for President Bola Tinubu in the ongoing presidential election dispute, has admitted that the $460,000 that the Nigerian leader forfeited to the United States came from a narcotics business and money laundering.
Mr Bamidele, a politician from Ekiti and long-time protege of Mr Tinubu’s, was at the election petitions tribunal on Wednesday in Abuja to give testimony against Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the opposition Labour Party.
Mr Bamidele, while being led in his testimony by senior lawyer Lateef Fagbemi, said Mr Obi joined the opposition Labour Party while he was still holding his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, another opposition party.
Among other documents, Mr Bamidele tendered the membership registration file of the Labour Party as of April 25, 2022, which showed that Mr Obi was not a member because his name could not be found on the list. The party’s registration document for Anambra also did not include Mr Obi’s name as of that period.
Peoples Gazette first reported Mr Obi’s exit from the PDP on May 25. Prior to that day, he had been a frontrunner in the bid for PDP’s presidential ticket. He formally announced his Labour membership two days later on May 27.
However, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal said Mr Obi did not violate electoral law, even though he became the Labour’s presidential candidate on May 30, less than a month after he joined the party. The electoral law specified that an aspirant must have been a member of a political party for at least 30 days to be eligible to be a candidate.
The highlight of Mr Bamidele’s testimony came when he admitted under cross-examination by Mr Obi’s lawyers that Mr Tinubu indeed forfeited over $460,000 in illicit drug proceeds. The case occurred in the United States in the 1990s when Mr Tinubu was living in Chicago. The politician had declined to address the forfeiture for several years, despite its domination of headlines in the run-up to the presidential election on February 25.
Livy Uzoukwu, a senior lawyer handling Mr Obi’s case, asked whether or not Mr Bamidele know that the forfeiture was connected to narcotics dealing, to which he responded yes. He also responded that he understood there was money laundering involved in Mr Tinubu’s matter prior to the final forfeiture.
Mr Bamidele, who recently became the majority leader of the Nigerian Senate, appeared to be the most high-profile associate of Mr Tinubu to confirm the forfeiture and narcotics background of the former Lagos governor, who was sworn in as Nigeria’s president on May 29, following his controversial declaration as winner of the February presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
With just one witness, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his Vice, Kashim Shetima and the All Progressives Congress APC on Wednesday closed their respective defence in a petition by the Labour Party LP and its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Gregory Obi seeking nullification of the February 25 presidential election.
Contrary to Tinubu’s decision to call 39 witnesses, he terminated his defence alongside two other respondents after the evidence-in-chief of the Senate Majority Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele.
In his evidence-in-Chief, Senator Bamidele insisted that the $460, 000 forfeiture order against the President by an American Court was in respect of a civil matter that cannot take the place of criminal charges.
Bamidele, who is the immediate past Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and a registered member of the American Bar Association, said there was no conviction and sentence against Tinubu as required by law for it to be turned to criminal charges.
As of this morning, armed assailants suspected to be IPOB members abducted several residents on the Opi/Nsukka/Ugwuogo road in Enugu State, while enforcing the Sit-At-Home Order. Incidents of indiscriminate gunfire were reported at New Market, Shoprite, and Independent Layout.
Advisory >High security vigilance is advised within Enugu Metropolis, avoid non-essential trips to the Southeastern parts of the country until security situation improves.
Amidst the controversies caused by the allegations of result forgery levied against an Anambra student, Ejikeme Mmesoma by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Nigerians on social media have discovered an application that can be used to “upgrade” UTME scores.
The application named “JAMB-Funfake” was discovered on both the Apple store and Google Play store by some Nigerians in a bid to get to the root of the controversies surrounding Mmesoma’s “fake UTME result.”
The PUNCH had earlier reported how JAMB accused Mmesoma of manually inflating her UTME score through “software”.
Though the Board did not disclose the name of the software, some netizens think that Mmesoma used the JAMB fun fake app to doctor her result.
So far, multiple Nigerians on social media have generated “fake” UTME results.
A Nigerian on Twitter, Truthwill Prevail after uploading his “UTME result” generated through the app said, “I got the highest score in JAMB. It is easy to spot fake results, this thing is meant for fun. App: JAMB Fake Results Maker.”
Another Tweep, Wahab Akintayo said, “Using the Jamb fun App on Play Store, this is fake UTME result I generated for Adekunle Ciroma Chukwuemeka.”
Nigerians on Facebook were not left behind. Facebook user, Obioma Nwosu after uploading a “UTME result” generated from the app said, “This is the issue. In resolving the puzzle, you can generate jamb results from the App in the Google Play store, JambFun-Fake result maker on Google Play Store. I just generated this one. What others did as fun, she took hers to another level. And jamb also took this too serious knowing that this fake result generator exists. They should pardon the girl, it’s just mere childish exuberance.”
Another Facebook user, TJ Umar after uploading his own “UTME result” also said, “ Since I’ve been sitting for JAMB, I’ve never had an aggregate of 200 or above. My scores have always been 190, 196, and 199. Now I’ve finally achieved my long-term dream of even exceeding my target score. @ Whoever created this app truly understands the fun of giving yourself something you can never have. So na like dis una dey do am to collect scholarship? Disclaimer: This result is fake. I generated it for social media fun and do not endorse the information it contains. Please do not take it seriously.”
To test the validity of the app, our correspondent also generated a “UTME” result for herself.
The PUNCH reports that JAMB has since banned Mmesoma from sitting UTME for three years.
Dapo Abiodun hasn’t forgiven me for supporting Tinubu - Gbenga Daniel
Former governor of Ogun state and senator representing Ogun East senatorial district, Gbenga Daniel, said that the relationship between himself and incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun has not been amicable after he supported President Bola Tinubu’s bid for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the presidential election primaries in 2022 against the governor’s wish.
“For me, it is difficult not to support Asiwaju’s presidency because he is our overall boss. That is different from the position of my governor. But I understand where he was coming from, he was not really one of us at the beginning of the transition in 1998/1999. The contest did not go the way my governor wanted,” Mr Daniel said.
In an interview with This Day published on Sunday, Mr Daniel revealed that speculations on his relationship with Mr Abiodun stemmed from differences in which aspirant they supported for the presidential primary election.
He disclosed that Mr Abiodun did not initially support Mr Tinubu’s bid for APC’s nomination which despite efforts by the governor to conceal would be referred to as an audacious retaliation for derogatory comments Mr Tinubu made when he claimed credit for his emergence as governor.
Mr Tinubu had on June 2, 2022, visited the party’s stakeholders as part of his final push for support to win the APC’s nomination. During the event, he referred to Mr Abiodun, as “eleyi”, a term many described as derogatorily.
He also claimed that Mr Abiodun could not have been elected governor without his help. Mr Abiodun, visibly humiliated by the comments, later tweeted that he holds public office in trust and not as an emperor, a comment which was seen as a response to Mr Tinubu.
Mr Daniel added that Mr Abiodun’s win, which is currently being contested, was narrow because of the many administrative challenges that beset the state under his leadership.
“The people of Ogun state were also complaining. I am in position to know because I have my network across the state. I know a lot of people were not particularly excited about his election. Civil servants have the issue of unpaid allowances. Teachers too have their own issues with him. Pensioners have issues with the governor,” he added.
Ogun politics, Gbenga Daniel and another drama of absurdity
Our attention has been drawn to an interview reportedly granted by a former Governor of Ogun State and the member representing Ogun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, wherein he shamelessly dished out falsehoods in his usual character.
Given the general perception about the former governor and his controversial image across Nigeria, it is basically needless to grant the man of many colours the dignity of a response. However, considering the power and passion of the media, especially beyond the State and for the benefit of many of our citizens in the Diaspora, we have decided to set the records straight and place Daniel where he pathetically belongs.
In the first place, the lawmaker by his antecedents in private business and in power painted a picture of dishonesty, making many to wonder how he managed to get near the power corridor, to the extent of becoming the Governor of a state like Ogun.
Every Nigerian in perfect consciousness of political events since 1999 knows Daniel as being chameleonic in appearance and deed; his unstable carriage with vague, perpetual laughter appropriately depict his dangerous persona, cocktail of lies and duplicity. His Sunday interview, which stood logic and truth on its head was the latest in the series, as he relentlessly pursued myopic and selfish interest.
It is laughable to hear Gbenga Daniel talking about his comradeship in the progressive fold and claiming that Governor Dapo Abiodun was not part of the fold between 1998 and 1999, when everyone is aware of how Daniel with his sneaky Machiavellian tactics and maneuvers surreptitiously dislodged a progressive party in the State in 2003 and became governor on the platform of PDP.
There is no record of Daniel’s role in Tinubu’s emergence as governor in Lagos State in 1999.In 2003, he contested under PDP and not AD, so what structure was he talking about? He ruled for eight years as a PDP governor before Ibikunle Amosun dislodged him and declared him persona non grata in the state, confining him to oblivion and castrating his businesses.
This is the same man who was rescued from political ignominy by Governor Abiodun against strong resistance from party members who were well apprised of what he represented. His liberation from the political oblivion into which he threw himself out of greed became necessary after his party, the PDP, lost presidential election in 2019. Many were taken aback by the speed with which Gbenga Daniel dumped his principal, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the PDP despite his position as the Director General of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign organization.
Daniel, an outlier of outsider in the APC during the presidential primaries of June 2022 who was neither a delegate nor had a single delegate from Ogun State, claimed that he supported Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu against Governor Dapo Abiodun's wish. What a shameless merchant of falsehood!
As a matter of fact, his election to the Senate would have been disgracefully jeopardized by loosing ignominiously to Senator Lekan Mustafa, but for Governor Dapo Abiodun's intervention, through moral suasion among party faithful and electorate alike, on the consideration that a former Governor should not be openly disgraced. Strangely, no sooner as he got the ticket, than Daniel returned to his traits, biting the hands that fed him.
To put it succinctly, Governor Abiodun, being a genuine leader and a progressive never worked against his party, APC unlike Senator Gbenga Daniel. And to give credence to his unflinching commitment and loyalty to the party, as soon as Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged the presidential candidate of the APC, he immediately deployed all his political machineries and structures to support him, stoutly resisting all the gang-up within the fold spearheaded by Gbenga Daniel and his co-travellers. During the February 25 election, he won the State for Asiwaju Tinubu by a wide margin. That was quite unlike Gbenga Daniel who, for filthy lucre, criminally connived with the PDP after allegedly collecting N2 billion from Chief Kessington Adebutu and worked against the APC and its candidates in the presidential and gubernatorial elections.
There is overwhelming evidence to substantiate the claim that Daniel specifically directed his followers to work for the PDP and all its candidates for all political offices in the 2023 general election in Ogun State.It was on the strength of this evidence that APC youths moved against him and vehemently called for his dismissal from the party for committing such atrocities against their party despite rescuing him from his perilous situation. They flayed Daniel for defrauding their party by collecting mobilization funds from Governor Abiodun, only to betray him and APC. The people of Ogun State can never forget and will not forgive Gbenga Daniel for paying billions of naira as governor, in the name of feasibility studies, for bogus projects, thereby incurring a huge debt burden that the state is still battling with today.
Happily, President Tinubu knows more than any other person the dangerous antics of Gbenga Daniel and what he represents in the Nigeria's political circles, and was alleged to have taunted him in the presence of some Senators, when he advised him to work on his reputation as a serial betrayal, but a leopard will never change its spots.
We, therefore, implore the former governor to turn a new leaf from his now legendary dubious political antics, act of ingratitude and political prostitution that have dishonourably marked his political career over the years with matchless notoriety and infamy. These are indeed unbecoming of a man of his age.
E -Signed Olusola Ogunsanya Blessed State Assistant Publicity Secretary Ogun APC June 26, 2023
Many of you–friends and well-wishers–have sent out kind words on my appointment as the National Security Adviser (NSA) by His Excellency President @officialABAT. I sincerely appreciate your felicitations and prayers. I shall strive to discharge this confidence reposed in me.
Recovers 834.2kg of same substance from 2 ladies, others; destroys 2.5 hectares of cannabis farm in Edo
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted two imported consignments of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 5,344.1 kilograms along the Epe-Lekki corridor and at the Alfa beach, Lekki area of Lagos state.
Based on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives laid ambush for a white truck conveying 50 jumbo bags of the illicit substance weighing 2, 434.1kg along the Epe-Lekki expressway in the early hours of Monday 19th June. The truck driver however jumped out of the vehicle and escaped in a security hilux van escorting the truck, after the anti-narcotics officers successfully demobilized the truck conveying the drug exhibits.
In the same vein, officers of the Marine Command of the Agency the following day, Tuesday 20th also acting on intelligence intercepted a boat loaded with the same imported substance weighing 2,910kg around Alfa Beach upon arrival from Ghana. Two Ghanaians: Monday Saba, 30, and Hakeem Kwana, 27, found with the consignments were promptly arrested.
In Niger state, two suspects: Abubakar Mohammed, 32, and Nuhu Sale, 43, were arrested on Sunday 18th June along Abuja expressway, Suleja with 31 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 517kg, while a 30-year-old Amina Alilu was arrested with 171kg of the substance on Wednesday 21st June at Ogbogodo village, Dekina LGA, Kogi state.
A suspected fake female security agent, Ogedegbe Dorcas, 34, was also nabbed at Ajegunle Asa Dam Area of Ilorin, Kwara State with 30kg of cannabis on Thursday 22nd June, while in Oyo state, NDLEA operatives intercepted 42-year-old Segun Olajide with 49.2kg of same substance on Saturday 24th June in Oyo town.
Operatives in Edo state stormed Ekudo forest, Uhunmwode LGA where they destroyed a cannabis farm measuring 2.494863 hectares, recovered processed weeds weighing 67kg and arrested six suspects namely: Onyeka Onyedinma; Monday Onyedi; Alex Eboh; Edosa Imariagbe; Godbless Tunde and Godstime Osarobo in the early hours of Monday 19th June.
While commending the officers and men of the Lagos, Kogi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Edo and Marine Commands for blocking over five tons of illicit substances from going into circulation in the country in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their compatriots across other formations to remain committed to the corporate goal of ridding Nigeria of the menace of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
Femi Babafemi Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters Abuja Sunday 25th June 2023
A Kano indigene, Yunusa Dahiru (AKA Yellow), imprisoned for a 26-year jail term at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility for child trafficking and sexual exploitation of Ese Oruru, has on Saturday regained his freedom.
The spokesperson, Kano Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, DSC Musbahu Lawan Kofar-Naisa confirmed the release of Yellow to newsmen on Saturday.
Recall that Ese was reportedly abducted by Dahiru in Bayelsa in 2015, and taken to Kano State where she was allegedly forcefully married and impregnated by Dahiru.
Yellow was sentenced to 26 years by a Federal High Court sitting in Bayelsa State but dissatisfied with the judgment approached a Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal which reduced the sentence to 7 years.
According to DSC Kofar-Naisa, “We are happy that during Yellow’s stay in the correctional facility down from when he was in Bayelsa until when he was transferred here in Kano, he has behaved well.
“He has also enrolled in secondary education in the correctional facility,” DSC Kofar-Naisa stated.
#Servicechiefs: There is no nepotism in the appointments. They follow federal character:
1 Mallam Nuhu Ribadu National Security Adviser (North-Adamawa) 2 Maj. Gen. C.G Musa Chief of Defence Staff (North) 3 Maj.Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja Chief of Army Staff (South West) 4 Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla Chief of Naval Staff (South East-Enugu) 5 AVM H.B Abubakar Chief of Air Staff (North) 6 DIG Kayode Egbetokun Acting Inspector-General of Police (South West) 7 Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye Chief of Defense Intelligence (South South- Obudu Cross River state)
For those accusing the Tinubu government of nepotism, the Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla is from Igbo Eze North LGA of Enugu State. Chief of Intelligence is from Cross River.
Critics should try to dig for information before rushing to judgment.
Adamu Bulkachuwa, Senator who represented Bauchi North in the 9th Assembly, has denied that he influenced the decisions of his wife, Zainab Bulkachuwa, while she was the President of the Court of Appeal.
Bulkachuwa on the floor of the Senate at the valedictory session of the 9th Assembly, before he was interrupted by the former Senate President Ahmad, had Lawan claimed that he used his position to ask favour for his colleagues from his wife.
“I look at faces in this chamber whom have come to me and sought for my help when my wife was the President of the Court of Appeal, and I’m sure…
“And I must thank particularly, my wife, whose freedom and independence I encroached upon while she was in office, and she has been very tolerant and accepted my encroachment, and extended her help to my colleagues…,” he had said.
But in his interview with BBC Hausa, Bulkachuwa said his words were misrepresented, adding that it was the former President of the Senate interrupted him while he was explaining.
He said, “Well, I was not even allowed to finish, I just started with some words like thanking her, saying she was patient with me as she was legal practitioner and I am a politician.
“I wanted to elaborate on the specific nature of the help she provided, as there exists a wide range of support that professionals in various fields, such as legal practitioners, doctors, or engineers, can offer in their respective roles.
“Note that this assistance does not involve any illegal or unethical activities.
“In my personal relationship with her, I have never imposed upon her professional autonomy or attempted to influence her judgment in handling cases or running her office. Such matters are not even discussed in our home.”
Bulkachuwa’s comment had elicited outrage, with Olisa Agbakoba, former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), calling for the arrest of the former lawmaker.
“Senator Bulkachuwa’s statement at the valedictory of the 9th senate is a monumental disgrace for our institutions. This man deserves to be taken up immediately by the authorities. It is a blight on my confidence in our systems.”
“We lost in 3 courts. Senator Bulkachuwa seems to suggest why.” Agbakoba had said in a statement.
You contested against 40 other princes of Iwo but you emerged winner. Did Ifa pick you at that time?
Tell me one king that Ifa picked in Yoruba land.The person who is picked by the governor is the one God has ordained to be the king. There is no Oba in Yoruba land that will say Ifa picked him. It is after the governor picked you that you now become a king. Ifa doesn’t have any power over the governor. May be you watch too much Nollywood movies. Even during our forefathers, they would make the most powerful person at that time king. At that time, I didn’t even know the governor because I had just returned from Canada but I told other contestants who were far richer and popular then that I was the next king even if you know Barack Obama and the governor, it would not change the fact that I was going to be the next Oluwo.
How did you become the Oba if you didn’t know the governor? When Olodumare wants to work, you can’t even understand how He would do it. Just for a few months before I became the king, Olodumare just opened a channel. I didn’t even meet the governor until the eve of the day I would be announced as the king. I met him at 1am and that was all! It was the work of Olodumare, the God of the Yorubas, the God of our fathers and you can’t understand it. When God brings a king, He brings him for a purpose.
The Federal High Court in Awka has set aside its sack order on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba.
The court upheld the right of Alkali to fair hearing as enshrined in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution which was not guaranteed by the plaintiff in his application.
It said it was convinced by the depositions of the court bailiff that the IGP was not served the originating summons.
Justice Fatun Riman reversed the court’s earlier judgment following an application by IGP’s counsel, Abdullahi Abdulhakeem Ago against a previous ruling in favour of a plaintiff, Okechukwu Nwafor
The Federal High Court in Awka on May 19, 2023 declared that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, is an illegal occupant of the office of IGP.
Justice Riman, who gave the order, insisted that Baba’s continued stay in office was against the clear provisions of the Police Act, 2020, saying it is “unlawful and unconstitutional”.
The court made the order in its judgment in a suit marked FHC/AKW/CS/58/2023, filed by Okechukwu Nwafor, who claimed to be a taxpayer.
But IGP asked the court to set aside the judgment because the subject matter had been determined by another Federal High Court presided over by Justice J.K. Omotosho in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/31/2023.
The police chief also alleged that the court should quash its judgment due to non-service of the originating processes on him.
The court upheld the arguments of the Inspector-General of Police in a 17-page ruling on June 15, 2023.
Justice Riman said a court can reverse its judgment where there was a fundamental error.
The judge said: “The law is settled that any Court of record including the Supreme Court has the inherent jurisdiction to set aside its own Judgment given in any proceeding in which there must have been a fundamental defect such as one which goes to the issue of jurisdiction and competence of the Court.
“Such a judgment is a nullity. A person affected by it, is therefore, entitled ex-debito justicae to have it set aside. The court can set it aside suo motu and the person affected may apply by motion and not necessarily by way of Appeal.
A judgment or order which is a nullity owing to failure to comply with an essential provision such as service of process can be set aside by the court which gave it or made the order.
“The law is trite that the necessity for the requirement of service of originating processes, whether personal or by substituted means to bring to the notice of the defendant in action knowledge of the pending of a suit against him to enable such defendant prepare himself and defend the action appropriately.
“I find merit in this application. Accordingly, the judgment of this court delivered on 19th day of May 2023 is hereby set aside for non- service of the originating processes on the 2nd Defendant (the Inspector-General of Police). This is the ruling of this court.”
UPDATE ON TODAY'S VISIT TO OUR INDEFATIGABLE CLIENT – ONYENDU MAZI NNAMDI KANU - AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE SERVICES (DSS), ABUJA, WHERE HE IS STILL BEING ILLEGALLY AND UNCONSTITUTIONALLY DETAINED IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT; AND A REJOINDER TO THE FAKE NEWS MAKING ROUND THE SOCIAL MEDIA THAT MAZI NNAMDI KANU'S LEGAL TEAM ABLY LED BY PROF. MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN, HAS PURPORTEDLY BEEN "DISMISSED" BY ONE KINGSLEY KANU ALIAS KANUNTA KANU.
We visited our indefatigable Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu – today, being the 15th day of June, 2023, at the DSS Headquarters, Abuja, to brief him on matters relating to his cases in Court, including his matter coming up on the 20th of June, 2023, before the Federal High Court, Abuja. Matters of concerns relating to his deteriorating medical condition occupied the center stage.
It is important to make the following statements/clarifications:
1) The Medical Doctors that attempted to see Onyendu last week Tuesday being 6th June 2023, were not there to participate in any surgical procedure, but to first meet and interface with Onyendu.
2) The Medical Doctors were expected to consult with our lead counsel- Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN before proceeding with other administrative engagement as we agreed during our meeting of 3rd June, 2023, held with the DSS in the presence of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
3) Biafrans should note and be assured that Onyendu’s legal team, ably led by the legal iroko of our time – Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, is monitoring every situation around Onyendu. We are not resting on our oars. Hence, there is no cause for alarm. We are thousands of steps ahead of the evil plans of the enemies. Onyendu will be out of the DSS gulag strong and unbroken.
4) In view of the desperate attempt of the enemies to break our rank, the legal team resolved to minimize the information that we make public through my regular updates. Therefore, you will not be receiving updates on our routine visits as regularly as it used to come, except when there is a compelling situation that demands for it. Several visits to Onyendu, and particularly, the visit of 3rd June 2023, was not publicized because of the nature of the matters discussed, but the relevant persons were duly briefed on the outcomes.
5) May I use this medium to address an obvious defamatory and very disappointing publication which was brought to my attention upon the conclusion of the routine visit, which unarguably, is serving the mischief which the author intended it to serve.
6) Let it be on record that NEITHER KINGSLEY KANU NOR EMMANUEL KANU, had at any point in time briefed me to handle Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case or even IPOB’s matters. My letters of engagement issued to me since 2015 by Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB is still with me till date.
7) Neither Kingsley Kanu nor anybody acting on his behalf engaged Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to represent Onyendu in any matters affecting him. Biafrans and members of the public are aware that Onyendu specifically requested to see Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN upon his abduction and extraordinary rendition to Nigeria. During that meeting, which details are already in the public domain, Onyendu personally briefed Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN to head his legal team. Till date, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN has done creditably and overwhelmingly well in deploying his advocacy skills in representing Onyendu in all Courts in Nigeria.
Further to the above, my briefings with Onyendu today, lasted for over one-hour, during which we discussed pertinent issues concerning his legal and health matters. There was no time during the meeting that Onyendu entertained or expressed any iota of doubt whatsoever on the ability of his indefatigable legal team, ably led by Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to defend him. Onyendu, also proceeded to avail me with other important messages to be passed on to his lead counsel which assignments are expected to be conducted within the next 24 hours.
9) Kingsley Kanu in a bid to preempt any exposition I may make after today's visit proceeded to make the ridiculous publication at exactly 1:57pm Nigerian time, a few minutes before the scheduled visit of 2:00pm. He need not have worried because out of respect and deference to Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, I do not intend to make any such exposition.
10) As you may be aware, right from the 26th of July, 2021, when an order was made by Hon. Justice Binta Nyako, directing the DSS to allow Onyendu access to his lawyers and relatives, upon prior submission of the names of those visiting Onyendu, my chambers has been exclusively submitting names of those visiting Onyendu and this process still subsists. The names are usually shared with Onyendu before clearance is given by the DSS for the visits to take place.
11) Against the backdrop of the foregoing, I wish to unequivocally state that Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu never dismissed, disengaged, neither has he expressed any intention of dismissing his legal team ably led by Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN. Biafrans and indeed the members of the general public are respectively advised to ignore in its entirety, the obviously DEFAMATORY, MISCHIEVOUS, FAKE, REPREHENSIBLE, DENIGRATING, INSULTING AND UNAUTHORIZED Public Notice issued by Kingsley Kanu alias Kanunta Kanu, as it is NOT TRUE.
12) May the general public and indeed Biafrans, be properly guided that the simple reason for dishing out such condemnable falsehood is to ridicule and embarrass Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s legal team ably led by an erudite, foremost and distinguished Senior Advocate of our time – Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN.
13) Kingsley Kanu should be assured that his evil strategies are dead on arrival. There is nothing whatsoever, that will stop or deter Onyendu’s legal team who are tirelessly working day and night to ensure that Onyendu is released unconditionally.
14) In conclusion, Onyendu further used the opportunity offered by my visit to thank Ezigbo UmuChineke for standing shoulder to shoulder with him, particularly all through this trying time. Onyendu assured Ezigbo UmuChineke once again that it shall surely end in Praises. He urges you all to remain firm, steadfast, and unrelenting in your supplications to God.
Furthermore, Onyendu implores Ezigbo UmuChineke to continue to abide by your peaceful conduct as you have consistently demonstrated.
Thank you all, Ezigbo UmuChineke, and remain blessed.
We move!
Signed: Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq. (KSC) IPOB's Lead Counsel 15th June, 2023.
The Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi on Thursday tendered 18,088 blurred polling unit result sheets among other documents in continuation of the presentation of their case before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
Their lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), tendered the documents through the petitioners’ fourth witness (PW4), Eric Uwadiegwu Ofoedu, who described himself as a Professor of Mathematics at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
The petitioners also tendered report of the witness’ analysis of some election materials, a copy of a letter, written to him by the LP, dated February 20, 2023, engaging Prof Ofoedu to held the party analyse data in respect of the February 25 presidential election and the subpoena issued on him to attend court and produce the said documents.
Lawyer to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettma, and Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) objected to the tendering of majority of the documents, promising to adduce reasons for their objection at the final written addresse stage.
Earlier, Mahmoud, Olanipekun and Fagbemi expressed displeasure that the petitioners only served them the written statement of Ofoedu few minutes before the court say, arguing that they ought to be served earlier to enable them study the statement for the purpose of cross examination.
It was however, agreed by lawyers to both parties that the witness should be allowed to testify in-chief and return on Friday for the respondents to cross examine him, a position the court adopted in a brief ruling.
At the conclusion of his testimony in-chief on Thursday, the Presiding Justice, Justice Haruna Tsammani ordered the witness to return on Friday at 9 am for the purpose of cross examination.
The petitioners also called its fifth witness (PW5), Lumnie Edevbie, another subpoenaed witness, who described himself as an official of Arive News (a private television channel).
They tendered, through Edevbie, a flash drive, containing a video recording of a presentation by INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu at the Chatham House, London.
In the video played in the open court, the INEC Chairman spoke among others, about his agency’s preparation for the last general elections.
He said INEC planned to deploy technology, which include the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the uploading of polling unit results to INEC results viewing portal, where anyone could view it.
Prof. Yakubu said the results to be uploaded to the INEC Results Viewing (IREV) portal where the same thing as the polling unit result sheets (EC8A) which are distributed to party agents.
Another petitiners’ lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto (SAN) said he planned to show another video on Friday afternoon when proceedings are expected to resume.
The consumer price index (CPI), which measures the rate of change in prices of goods and services, rose to 22.41 percent in May 2023, up from 22.22 percent in the previous month.
The country’s May inflation data is contained in the latest CPI report released on Thursday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Gunmen Suspected to be terrorists have kidnapped seven off-campus students of the University of Jos, UNIJOS.
The students were kidnapped in the early hours of Wednesday at about 2:am, at a private hostel close to the former Nigerian School of Accountancy, along Bauchi Ring Road in Jos North Council Area while studying for their ongoing second-semester examination.
An Eye witness Moses James, told ait.live that the kidnappers stormed the hostel and broke into the room where the students were studying, held them hostage at gunpoint for close to thirty minutes before forcing them into a waiting vehicle, and later whisked them away.
The Plateau State Police Command through it’s spokesman DSP Alfred Alabo Confirmed the development to ait.live and said a joint team of the Police, Special Taskforce Operation Safe Haven and the hunters have since gone after the abductors for possible rescue of the victims.
As at the time of filing in this report, authorities at the University of Jos are yet to issue an official statement over the incident.
Politics › Court Grants Abba Kyari Bail by chisomkachy(op): 2:36pm On Jul 06, 2023
Further to the above, my briefings with Onyendu today, lasted for over one-hour, during which we discussed pertinent issues concerning his legal and health matters. There was no time during the meeting that Onyendu entertained or expressed any iota of doubt whatsoever on the ability of his indefatigable legal team, ably led by Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to defend him. Onyendu, also proceeded to avail me with other important messages to be passed on to his lead counsel which assignments are expected to be conducted within the next 24 hours.