Judiciary

Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari, assented to the Constitution Fourth Alteration Bill, which grants financial autonomy to the State Houses of Assembly and the States’ Judiciary. With the signing into law, the Constitution Alteration Bill, the State Houses of Assembly budgetary allocation will now be automatically transferred directly into their account KEHINDE OSASONA seeks legal practitioners’ reactions over the development Read More

It was billed to be a routine exercise in change of leadership. The media was awash with the campaigns. Every kid on the street knew the jingles: … SDP, MKO, Kingibe action, Abiola! Abiola!!Abiola!!! Progress! NRC will then come on board Tofa! Tofa is the answer!!,Tofa!!! Exciting political space it was –well, exciting because Professor Humphrey Nwosu did his best Read More

A Yola High Court presided over by Justice Abdulazeez Waziri has sentenced five persons to death by hanging. Those sentenced are; Alex Amos, Alheri Phenuel, Holy Boniface, Jerry Gideon and Jari Sabagi of Demsa local government area of Adamawa state. The accused persons were brought before the court on a four count charge of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and attack Read More

A Magistrate’s Court, sitting in Osogbo, Osun state, has ordered a 20-year-old man, Wahab Shalban, to be remanded in Ilesha Prisons for house breaking and theft of items worth N130,500. He was arraigned on a twocount charge bothering on felony to wit house breaking and stealing. The Prosecutor, Inspector Olayiwola Rasaq, said the accused and others at large, committed the Read More

A prosecution witness, Sergeant Idwou Afeez, yesterday told a Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere, how two tenants raped and impregnated their late Landlord’s 12-year-old daughter. The defendants, Shaibu Isiaka, 30; and John Obah, 34; are standing trial on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful sexual intercourse. The duo pleaded not guilty to the charged. Afeez, who testified Read More

A Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, yesterday sentenced a 34-year-old cook, Chigozie Oguikpe, to two months imprisonment for reckless driving. Oguikpe, was arraigned on a one-count charge of dangerous driving, an offence he admitted committing and begged for leniency. The Judge, Maiwa Inuwa, who warned Oguikpe to shun crime and be a good citizen, gave him an option of Read More

A Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, yesterday, ordered four men to be remanded in Ikoyi Prisons for allegedly killing their colleague and removing his heart for ritual. They accused: Daniel Luka, 24; Audu Isaiah, 24; Wavi David, 20; and Ayuba Musa, 24; are standing trial on a twocount charge of conspiracy and murder. The Prosecutor, Sergeant Modupe Olaluwoye, told Read More

Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), has advocated that security vote be phased out. Rafsanjani claims that a whopping N241.8 billion is being spent yearly in the name of ‘Security Vote’ without proper audit or oversight. KEHINDE OSASONA seeks the reaction of legal practitioners over the poser. Equip Police, scrap security vote – B. O. Read More

A magistrate court sitting in Odeda, in Odeda Local Government Area, Ogun State, has dismissed the sexual abuse case leveled against the Director of Stephens Children Home, Abeokuta, Rev. Isaac Newton – Wusu, for lack of merit. Two ex-female inmates of the home had alleged that while their stay there lasted, Newton – Wusu severally abused them sexually after he Read More

A 27-year-old man, Adeoye Olatomide, was on Friday docked in an Okitipupa Magistrates’ Court in Ondo state for alleged attempt to rape a 60-year-old woman. The accused person is facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, assault and attempted rape. The Prosecutor, Insp. Zedekiah Orogbemi, told the court that the defendant committed the offences with one other person currently at large, Read More

A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna yesterday granted bail to former governor of Kaduna state, Ramalan Yero, and three others standing trial over alleged money laundering. Yero was arraigned alongside a former minister, Nuhu Wya, ex-PDP chairman in the state, Abubakar Gaya-Haruna and former secretary to the state government, Hamza Ishaq. They were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Read More

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a cleric over his alleged involvement in N1.8 billion contract scam. A press statement by the EFCC spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, in Abuja, said the suspect, James Ezekiel, was arrested by operatives attached to the commission’s Zonal office in Port Harcourt. He explained that Ezekiel, who claimed to be the presiding Read More

A 40-year-old woman, Tina Felix, has been arraigned before a Kubwa Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, for alleged breach of trust and cheating. The defendant was docked on charges bordering on criminal breach of trust and cheating, offences she denied committing. Police Prosecutor, Babajide Olanipekun, told the court that one Obazi Amaka reported the matter at the Kubwa Police Station Read More

An Agege Customary Court, Lagos, has dissolved 11-year-old marriage between a pastor at Rhema Pentecostal Church International in Sango-Ota area of Ogun state, Ifeanyi Okoli, with his wife, Ijeoma. The President of the court, Mrs Ibironke Elabor, said she observed that the estranged couple was tired of the marriage as all efforts at reconciling them had failed. “Both parties are Read More

  A High Court, sitting in Ikirun, Osun state, has sentenced a 25-year-old man, Tajudeen Ganiyu, to death by hanging, for killing a four-year-old boy, Tesleem Bakare. Information Officer, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Opeyemi Bello, said Justice Jide Falola, said the convict took the victim from his grandmother, Mrs. Raliatu Bakare, and said he was going to buy groundnut for Read More

The Special Offences Court sitting in Lagos yesterday declared the chairman of Innoson Motors Nigeria Ltd, Innocent Chukwuma, wanted over his failure to appear in court for his arraignment for the fifth time. Chukwuma and his company are to be arraigned on a four-count charge of conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, property belonging to Guaranty Trust Bank. The accused Read More

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday adjourned the trial of Kogi state, Senator Dino Melaye, indefinitely, on the basis of his medical condition. The police are prosecuting Melaye in Abuja and in Lokoja. In Abuja, he is accused of attempted suicide and damaging government property, after he attempted to jump out of a moving police vehicle. Read More

It was a recall that never was and at the end of the day, an attempt to remove Senator Dino Melaye from the Senate crashed as only 5.34 per cent of the total 188,500 signatories to his recall petition, were verified in an exercise held penultimate week. What next after the failed exercise? Legal practitioners again, give divergent views. KEHINDE Read More

President of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Comrade Marwan Mustapha Adamu, has condemned last Friday attack on High Court complex in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital by unknown hoodlums. The attack, according to the president, disrupted court proceedings and destroyed government properties. In a statement, Comrade Adamu described the act as barbaric and called on security agencies to Read More

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the sack of one judge and commenced investigation of 25 others. The council, the highest decision making in the judiciary, made the decision at its meeting held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Abuja. The council also recommended 21 Judges for appointment as Chief Judges, Grand Kadi, High Court Judges, Sharia Court Kadis, President, Read More

Absence of the presiding judge, Justice Ayo Oyebiyi, in the case of the nurse who treated Senator Isiaka Adeleke before his death, Alfred Aderibigbe yesterday stalled the arraignment of the nurse. Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara-led coroner inquest had recommended the nurse for prosecution, having established that he administered a drug overdose on the late senator, thus causing his death. Aderibigbe had Read More