The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Two killed, two injured in Lagos crashes

    Two killed, two injured in Lagos crashes

    • LASTMA warns against traffic violations as delivery motorcyclist suffers limb fracture

    The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has reported two separate midnight accidents on Monday, leaving two people dead and two others critically injured in various parts of the state.

    In a statement, LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq, asid the first incident occurred about 2:30 a.m. on the Otedola Bridge inward Berger on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    When an unregistered vehicle conveying two occupants reportedly rammed into a moving, heavily-laden trailer at high speed.

    Both occupants of the vehicle died on the spot due to the force of the impact. The trailer driver allegedly fled the scene with the articulated truck before emergency responders arrived.

    LASTMA’s 24-hour Night-Gang Team stationed along the corridor was said to have responded swiftly, removing the bodies from the main carriageway and clearing the wreckage from the expressway.

    Officers from the Isheri Police Division provided security support, while officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SHEMU) later evacuated the remains.

    In a separate incident on the same day, about 5:00 a.m., two persons sustained serious injuries in a crash involving an empty tanker and a pure-water distribution van (registration number SMK 67 XH) on the Third Mainland Bridge near the University of Lagos (UNILAG) waterfront inward Lagos Island.

    The victims were stabilised by personnel of the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before being taken to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

    General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and described the fatalities as avoidable tragedies caused by reckless speeding and disregard for road safety regulations.

    He emphasised the agency’s strict enforcement of prescribed speed limits as essential to saving lives.

    Bakare-Oki commended the professionalism of the Night-Gang Teams and reaffirmed LASTMA’s commitment to round-the-clock surveillance and rapid-response operations across Lagos.

    Read Also: Osimhen wants Onyedika at Galatasaray

    Also, delivery motorcyclist sustained a serious limb fracture in the early hours of yesterday following a one-way traffic accident on the Odo Iya Alaro Bridge inward Maryland on Ikorodu Road in Lagos.

    LASTMA said preliminary investigations showed that the accident occurred amid heavy traffic caused by the aftermath of a truck fire at the same location earlier in the morning.

    Officials said the incident resulted in a long stretch of slow moving traffic on the Ikorodu Road axis..

    LASTMA said during the gridlock, a private ambulance with registration number BED 508 EA conveying an expectant woman who was on oxygen support drove against traffic at high speed to bypass the congestion.

    The reckless manoeuvre led to a head on collision with the delivery motorcyclist who was riding legitimately within his designated lane.

    The impact left the motorcyclist with a severe fracture to his right knee and other injuries that caused him intense pain at the scene.

    LASTMA officers alerted the LASAMBUS, which deployed two ambulances to the scene for emergency rescue.

    The expectant woman, along with her life support equipment, was safely transferred into one LASAMBUS ambulance, while the injured motorcyclist was conveyed in another ambulance to the nearest medical facility for urgent treatment.

    The driver of the private ambulance was apprehended at the scene by LASTMA officials and handed over to operatives of the Ogudu Police Division for further investigation and possible prosecution.

    LASTMA officers also ensured the damaged ambulance and the delivery motorcycle were safely removed from the road and taken to the Ogudu Police Division, while policemen provided security support during the rescue operation.

     Oki restated the agency’s resolve to maintain zero tolerance for dangerous traffic violations, especially the act of driving against traffic.

    He warned motorists, including emergency service drivers, to observe traffic rules strictly, noting that reckless behaviour on the road could endanger both their lives and those of other road users.

  • Family seeks Lagos govt’s intervention to preserve Ikate land

    Family seeks Lagos govt’s intervention to preserve Ikate land

    A family has raised the alarm to the Lagos State government to protect their rights over their landed property in Ikate, a fast-emerging middle-income neighbourhood on the Lekki-Epe Expressway in Eti-Osa Local Government Area.

    Until few days ago, the land had housed six yet-to-be-delivered, uninhabited duplexes. It also housed an uncompleted apartment complex.

    Sources added that they had engaged an estate developer to build luxurious homes on their land within the emerging neighborhood.

    However, for unclear reasons involving the state and the developer, the construction was pulled down.

    The state government alleged that the developer had not complied with known laws of the state.

    The demolition was carried out in a joint operation involving the state House of Assembly, the Office of Urban Development, and Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).

    Officials claimed the exercise targeted structures that violated building regulations, encroached on drainage setbacks, exceeded permissible water levels, and posed risks to public safety.

    Present at the operation was Permanent Secretary of the Office of Urban Development, Mr. Gbolahan Owodunni Oki, who stressed that illegal constructions continued to pose significant challenges to environmental sustainability and urban planning in Lagos.

    Read Also: Osimhen wants Onyedika at Galatasaray

    Acting General Manager of LASBCA, Gbaye Florence reaffirmed the agency’s resolve to intensify monitoring across all zones.

    She explained that the affected structures had been served multiple notices—including stop-work and demolition orders—but the developers failed to comply.

    In an appeal, the family through YOG, a firm, said the demolition, which affected Maple Court, Off Kusenla Road, Ikate, Lagos, came to them as a rude shock.

    “We agreed in good faith with a property developer to build habitable homes.

    “We are very disappointed and intend to investigate and pursue legal action against all those involved in this catastrophe,” the family stated

  • Coalition asks IG to probe allegations against lawmaker over harassment

    Coalition asks IG to probe allegations against lawmaker over harassment

    A coalition of Civil Society Groups in Ebonyi State has called on Inspector-General of Police (IG), Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate allegations that a House of Representatives member uses thugs to harass some of his constituents.

    The Prof. Joseph Agbo-led coalition said the call became necessary because petitions to police authorities on the activities of the lawmaker had stalled for months.

    In one of the petitions, the coalition accused the lawmaker of unlawful possession of firearms and land-grabbing.

    It listed some indigenes of the constituency, including Friday Alefia, a reporter and Chisom Achor, a Tik-toker, as being behind bars after they were arrested and arraigned by the Police at the behest of the lawmaker.

    Others are Achor’s brother, Chinonso Imeba and one Paul Nweke .

    The group, which comprises four Civil Society Organisations–Human Rights Volunteer Corps, HRVC, Human Rights Action Group, Centre for the Defense of Human Rights, CDHR and Good Living Initiative, added that a few others had been compelled to flee their communities to avert falling victims of the lawmaker’s thugs.

    One of the petitions sent to Egbetokun and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, by the group’s lawyers, Ede S. Ede & Co, on behalf of Emeka Kingsley, Nweke Chidi, and others was dated November 25.

    The petition reads in part, “It is our client’s brief that they have seen evil and what appears to be a permanent life in hell fire in the hands of the Honourable. Our clients say that the actions of the lawmaker are not only atrocious but it is a situation of the timid mentality of might is right syndrome.

    “Our clients contend that the lawmaker displays firearms with ammunition anyhow and shoots without control as he feels untouchable and has boasted severally that not even the Inspector-General of Police can question his activities as he is his personal friend.

    “’Our clients say that honourable finds it very pleasurable to oppress the poor and any dissenting voice, more especially when the person or persons refuses to pay illegal levy which he often uses his cronies to levy on the downtrodden in the Amagu and other communities in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State or that the person refuses to surrender his land (s) to grab.’’

    The coalition listed 46 persons, including the deceased, as victims of the lawmaker’s alleged reign of terror and appealed to concerned authorities to use their good offices to cause a discreet investigation into the allegations.

    The coalition had last week decried the high level of attacks on free speech by the lawmaker who has been in the news for causing the detention of those who criticise him on social media in police cells and correctional centres.

    Also, a commissioner in the state, who, allegedly ordered the torture of a journalist by the members of the Neighborhood Watch was rebuked by the group .

    Read Also: Osimhen wants Onyedika at Galatasaray

    The coalition’s leader, Agbo, at recent appearances on television and radio programmes had reiterated that although the group’s do not in any way support defamation of characters of anyone, cyber-bullying or cyber-stalking of any kind among others, the allegations leveled against Ogah were too heavy not to be investigated by the concerned authorities.

    He specifically made reference to Alefia, whose case was referred to a Federal High Court, He said the judge fined that prosecutor N50, 000 for attempting to ensure that he does not get bail.”

    He said the group’s biggest concern was that ‘’as long as there are laws in our land, even if one commits murder, the laws have provided for how such a person should be handled according to law.’’

    ‘’As a coalition, we never and we would never support cyber-bullying of anybody. But we don’t want the cybercrime laws to become another Public Officers Protection Against False Accusation Decree Number 2 under the military rule. We are worried that the cybercrimes law appears to be slipping into that Decree’’’ the coalition boss added.

    “What we are saying is that the Hon. did not go to arrest any of these persons. The Police did. He did not drag any of them to these courts. The Police also did.

    ‘’The judiciary is the one that is hearing these cases. But the point we are making is: Why do you arrest somebody, handcuff him like a common criminal for cyber-bullying or defamation and you dump him in the station for weeks, or for days, and in the case of Friday Alefia, for months. Why do you refer a case of cyberbullying to a magistrate court?’’

  • Lawyer remanded for alleged cyberbullying Federal lawmaker

    Lawyer remanded for alleged cyberbullying Federal lawmaker

    A 43-year-old lawyer, aigwe Nwalo Johnson has been remanded in a correctional facility over allegations of cyberbullying and defamation against Mr Chinedu Ogah, the lawmaker representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency.

    Magistrate Sandra Onyibe gave the order yesterday in a suit with case number MAB/616C/2025 filed by the Police.

    The Police alleged that Johnson, along with other persons conspired in October, this year to commit criminal acts through cyberbullying.

    The prosecution, led by Eze Chinagorom Ndubuisi in charge of the Directorate of Legal Services, Police  Headquarters, Abakaliki, accused Johnson of conspiring to commit cyberbullying, an offence under Section 516A(a) of the Criminal Code, Cap 33 Vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State, 2009.

    He further alleged that Johnson transmitted a live Facebook broadcast via the account of Amarachi Nweke, which purportedly placed Mr Ogah in fear of death, violence, and bodily harm, contrary to Section 24(2)(a) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition and Prevention) Act 2015, as amended.

    Read Also: Osimhen wants Onyedika at Galatasaray

    The prosecution also accused Johnson of broadcasting content intended to damage Ogah’s reputation by falsely accusing him of a crime, in violation of Section 24(2)(c) of the same Act.

    During proceedings, Johnson’s counsel, Kelvin Nwafor, requested that the case be transferred to the Federal High Court, arguing that the magistrate court lacked jurisdiction.

    He prayed the court to grant his client bail.

    Presiding Magistrate Sandra Oyibe, however, rejected the bail applications.

    The Magistrate emphasised the constitutional protections governing remand proceedings, noting that while bail could be considered, the ongoing remand must continue.

    She adjourned the case to December 22, 2025 for further hearing, directing that the case be transferred to the Department of Public Prosecution for advice.

  • Ex-AMCON MD diverted N4.9billion Arik funds, staff to float NG Eagle, witness tells court

    Ex-AMCON MD diverted N4.9billion Arik funds, staff to float NG Eagle, witness tells court

    A Lagos State Special Offences Court yesterday heard how a former Managing Director of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Ahmed Kuru, allegedly diverted N4.9 billion belonging to the defunct Arik Air Limited to establish a new airline, NG Eagle Airlines.

    Testifying before Justice Mojisola Dada, an investigative officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bawa Kaltungo, said the diversion was uncovered during the Commission’s probe of the defendants.

    Kuru is standing trial alongside Kamilu Alaba Omokide, Captain Roy Ilegbodu, Union Bank Plc, and Super Bravo Limited.

    Led in evidence by the lead prosecution counsel, Dr. Wahab Shittu (SAN), Kaltungo said a statement provided by Arik’s former Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Jonathan Sani, provided the details of how N4.5 billion was moved from Arik to fund NG Eagle, an airline allegedly owned and controlled by the defendants.

    The EFCC investigator explained that Kuru, Omokide, and Ilegbodu allegedly conspired to move a total of N4.9 billion out of Arik’s assets to float the new airline, while also transferring Arik employees to NG Eagle.

    Read Also: Osimhen wants Onyedika at Galatasaray

    According to him, NG Eagle was incorporated while Kuru was still the MD of AMCON, and Omokide served as Receiver Manager over Arik, creating a conflict that facilitated the alleged diversion.

    Kaltungo told the court that Arik Air continued to bear the burden of salaries and operational expenses for NG Eagle’s workers during its formative stage.

    During proceedings yesterday, the court admitted several documents, including a certified ex parte order, marked P17.

    Other admitted materials – labelled P18, P25, P26, P44, and P45 – included photographs and a flash drive containing a video of vandalised aircraft, which was played in open court.

    “This investigation report is based strictly on documentary evidence recovered during the course of our work,” Kaltungo told the court.

    Counsel to the second and third defendants applied for the release of their clients’ passports for renewal and medical travel.

    Justice Dada granted the request but ordered that the passports be returned to the court registry on or before January 2, next year.

    The court adjourned the matter to the earlier scheduled dates as well as March 2 and 3, next year, for continuation of trial.

  • Aide kicks as EFCC seals Sylva’s Abuja home

    Aide kicks as EFCC seals Sylva’s Abuja home

    THE Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to Chief Timipre Sylva, Chief Julius Bokoru, has condemned the sealing of his principal’s Maitama home in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Bokoru, in a statement titled, “A grave breach of decency: EFCC’s attempted raid and defacement of Sylva’s family home”, said the action was undertaken “without a letter, a subpoena, a warrant, notification, and even the most basic adherence to lawful process”.

    He said: “No courtesy. No procedure. No humanity. It is behaviour unbecoming of any institution that claims to act in the national interest. What unfolded today at the Maitama residence of Chief Timipre Sylva, was nothing short of an affront to decency and a troubling assault on the very principles that underpin a civilised society.

    “Officers of the EFCC attempted yet another aggressive intrusion into his home and proceeded to spray-paint his walls in stark red, emblazoning the words “EFCC — Keep Off” as though marking the property of a fugitive rather than the home of a respected statesman”.

    Bokoru added: “What deepens the wound is that this is not merely a property; it is the home in which Chief Sylva’s children, relatives, and staff have been effectively encircled for weeks.

    “It is the last space available to them, especially now that it appears they are not permitted to leave the country freely. To violate such a place,.without warning, without justification,.is to inflict terror upon innocent people who have no connection whatsoever to political gamesmanship.

    “Where, one must ask, are his children expected to go? How long must they endure this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty?”

    Bokoru lamented that the action, which he described as arbitrary and vindictive, was a violation of democratic principles and  its values, insisting that it was not how an institution established to uphold justice should behave.

    But he said: “We remain firmly convinced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not involved in these excesses. Throughout his long and distinguished public life, the President has shown respect for due process, fairness, and institutional integrity.

    “This latest incident bears all the hallmarks of local political rivalry being misinterpreted, or mischievously presented, as federal instruction. It is a dangerous muddling of partisan ambition with national authority.

    “Government agencies and parastatals must never allow themselves to become weapons in political contests. To do so weakens not only the institutions themselves but the very fabric of our democracy.

    Read Also: Osimhen wants Onyedika at Galatasaray

    “Chief Sylva has, for decades, served Nigeria with calmness, loyalty, and an almost disarming sense of patriotism. From his stewardship of Bayelsa State to his contributions at the federal level and his continued, unwavering support for the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he has remained dignified even when confronted with provocation. His commitment to this nation has never faltered”.

    He further reminded the public that Sylva’s  aides and domestic servants such as Paganengigha Anagha, Friday Lusa Paul, Musa Mohammed, and Police Officer Reuben Ayuba were still in detention, saying they were being held for weeks on vague, insubstantial, and nearly non-existent allegations.

    Bokoru said: “These are ordinary men, with families and hopes of their own, now caught in a political dragnet that has stripped them of clarity, certainty, and liberty.

    “Their prolonged detention is unjust. Their suffering is needless. And their situation is emblematic of the wider injustice unfolding before the nation.

    “Yet, in spite of the pain and the deep emotional strain of this moment, we remain hopeful. Nigeria has weathered storms before, storms of uncertainty, of injustice, of heavy-handedness, and emerged stronger. We believe justice will rise above intimidation, that truth will outlast malice, and that, as with all trials faced with dignity and faith, this too shall pass.

  • UPU must ‘reinvent Itself, Emerhor warns at Urhobo Day, seeks unity, self assessment 

    UPU must ‘reinvent Itself, Emerhor warns at Urhobo Day, seeks unity, self assessment 

    The Chairman of the 2025 Urhobo Day and 94th Annual Congress of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, OON, last Saturday charged the Urhobo nation and its leadership that “UPU must reinvent itself like our founding fathers did” to confront new socio-political challenges and reclaim its strategic relevance in Nigeria.

    Speaking at the Urhobo Cultural Centre in Uvwiamuge, Agbarho, Emerhor said the annual congress was “a forum for very serious Urhobo business” and urged delegates to combine celebration with deep reflection on the state of the Urhobo nation. He warned that despite being one of Delta State’s largest ethnic nationalities, Urhobo is increasingly missing from Nigeria’s strategic conversations.

    “How come, when I Googled Nigeria ethnic tribes or groups, Urhobo does not even show up on the list, not even after 10 or 11 ethnic groups? Why? What? Is Urhobo doing enough in the competition for strategic space in the Nigeria project?” he queried.

    Emerhor praised the stability restored in the Union, noting that “the UPU is today one strong and united edifice,” but stressed that unity alone is not enough without measurable progress. He urged the UPU to re-examine its mandate: “Other than the word ‘Urhobo’, the mandate is clearly UNITY and PROGRESS.”

    He challenged the Union to boldly confront critical questions about Urhobo’s political strength, economic advancement, cultural preservation, youth development and long-term strategic planning.

    “Where is Urhobo nation socially, economically and politically in Delta State, and in Nigeria? Does the UPU have landmarks for where the Urhobo nation should be in 2025, 2026, 2030 and beyond?” he asked.

    Emerhor reminded the congress that the founding fathers of UPU acted decisively to rescue the Urhobo people during colonial oppression in the 1930s and 1940s. He noted that today’s realities demand similar boldness.

    Read Also: Osimhen wants Onyedika at Galatasaray

    “The UPU faces new and comparable situations such that only decisive action will be sufficient. UPU must reinvent itself like our founding fathers did earlier for us,” he declared.

    Welcoming all sons and daughters of Urhobo to the annual gathering, Emerhor urged a collective awakening: “As we celebrate, let’s self-assess and reflect. Let us reawake ourselves to the reality of Urhobo today in the scheme of things.”

    The event, which also provides an opportunity to “retain or elect new leadership to steer the affairs of the UPU,” brought together Urhobo sons and daughters from various social, economic and political backgrounds, including those in the diaspora.

    Emerhor also called for renewed commitment to the ideals of unity, progress and cultural preservation, adding, “That will be a great honour to the founding fathers of the UPU.”

  • Muftwang’s defection takes APC governors to 26

    Muftwang’s defection takes APC governors to 26

    With Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas in its fold and the imminent defection of Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) now has 26 governors.

    The defection of Mutfwang has been wrapped up, and he has met with the President, a source with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC has said.

    Mutfwang, elected on the platform of the factionalised Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will end speculations about his allegiance shift ahead of the 2027 general election when he is received into the APC in the next few days.

    Although there have been speculations that his desire to jump ship and register as an APC member was being resisted by the national chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, the party official said there is no truth in it.

    He said the governor, last week, contacted the chairman to tell him that he had finally made up his mind to call it quits with the main opposition party.

    Read Also: Osimhen wants Onyedika at Galatasaray

    Yilwatda, who hails from Plateau, was Muftwang ‘s rival in the last governorship poll.

    According to the source, after informing the chairman of his decision to leave PDP for APC, Yilwatda took the governor to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Aso Villa in Abuja for a short meeting.

    He said: “Governor Mutfwang has been taken to Aso Villa for a meeting with the president after informing the chairman he wanted to come to the APC.

    “The governor, who had always reiterated his commitment to the PDP, has finally decided. He informed the chairman last Tuesday, and the chairman took him to the president on Sunday.

    He will be received into the party very soon.”

    The NWC member said Kefas is now being treated as an APC member, ahead of the defection rally.

    The official added: “We now have 26 governors in APC, with Kefas on board. He only postponed his reception because of sensitivity to the national mood.”

  • Tinubu in private talk with governors

    Tinubu in private talk with governors

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday held a closed-door meeting with some  governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other parties at the State House in Abuja.

    The purpose of the meeting was not immediately clear, and details of the agenda were not divulged to reporters at press time last night.

    The Nation learnt that the governors of Kebbi and Sokoto states arrived first and were later joined by four others from the South.

    Those who attended the meeting included Governors Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo),  and Dr. Nasir Idris (Kebbi) states.

    The meeting, which lasted almost two hours, was held in the President’s office.

    Although no official of the Presidency gave a hint about the meeting, it came amid recent mounting security challenges facing the nation.

    It also coincided with ongoing national political consultations and preparations ahead of key party and governance engagements.

    But the governors declined to speak on the meeting when reporters asked them what it was about.

    President Tinubu also yesterday met separately with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru at the State House in Abuja.

    The closed-door engagements came amid mounting political tension in Rivers State and renewed speculation over Governor Fubara’s future in the Peoples Democratic around 5:01 p.m. and was ushered into the President’s office by the Presidential Protocol Liaison Officer.

    Read Also: Osimhen wants Onyedika at Galatasaray

    The Rivers governor departed around 5:45 p.m, but details of his discussions with the President were not disclosed as at press time.

    Minutes earlier, Governor Nwifuru had been ushered in for a separate meeting with the President.

    The purpose of his visit similarly remained undisclosed.

    The meeting with Fubara comes on the heels of Friday’s defection of 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The shift in party alignment has altered the balance of power in the state’s legislature and heightened uncertainty around Fubara’s political standing.

    Only three lawmakers, viewed as loyal to the governor, remain in the PDP, and they have not resumed sitting since emergency rule in the state was lifted on September 18.

    Governor Nwifuru, a former Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly and now an APC governor, has held several engagements with the Presidency, focusing largely on infrastructure development and security coordination in the Southeast.



  • Wike assures Judiciary of President’s continued support

    Wike assures Judiciary of President’s continued support

    • FCT to build more houses for judges

    Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has reiterated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will continue to support the Judiciary to enhance productivity, reduce delays, and uphold the independence and integrity of the judiciary.

    The minister announced that budgetary provisions had been made to construct additional residential houses for FCT High Court judges to mitigate housing shortages and ensure all judicial officers are appropriately accommodated. 

    In his goodwill message yesterday at a special court session formally marking the commencement of the 2025/2026 Legal Year of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, Wike said: “Well-equipped court facilities, chambers, and support infrastructure ensure that judicial work is conducted in a professional, safe, and conducive environment.”

    He added: “Under the President’s decisive action, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has formally handed over the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for the Supreme Court’s land and commenced the full perimeter fencing of the entire complex to safeguard the nation’s apex court against encroachment and security breaches. This swift, long-awaited intervention gives the Apex Court of our beloved country the much-needed confidence-building that had not been done in past administrations. These confidence-building actions trickle down to each arm of the judiciary.”

    Read Also: Osimhen wants Onyedika at Galatasaray

    The minister also listed various interventions and supports of the President for the Judiciary through the FCTA.

    These, he said, include the ongoing construction of secure and befitting residential quarters for Heads of Courts within the FCT and the ongoing construction of a new Magistrates’ Court Complex in Jabi District to expand access to justice for FCT residents and reduce the burden on existing court infrastructure.

    Others are: the construction of Staff Quarters for the Nigerian Law School in the FCT, and design and construction of the Court of Appeal Abuja division Complex, as well as residences of the Justices of the National Industrial High Court Abuja Division and Federal High Court Abuja Division.

    He stated that the projects were designed to directly support judges in the performance of their duties, saying that “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration reasons that providing comfortable and secure accommodation allows judges to focus entirely on the timely and efficient administration of justice, free from the distractions of inadequate living conditions.”

    Reiterating the continued support of the FCTA to the implementation of justice reforms, Wike said: “As we step into the new legal year, the FCT Administration remains resolute in its determination to further support the implementation of justice reforms. Our priorities for the 2025/2026 legal year are focused on consolidating the gains made and expanding support where it is most needed. 

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA), on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the FCT minister said: “We will aggressively push for the timely completion of the new residential quarters for Heads of Courts and the Jabi Magistrates’ Court Complex to ensure prompt utilisation. Furthermore, we have made budgetary provisions to construct additional residential houses for FCT High Court Judges to mitigate housing shortages and ensure all judicial officers are appropriately accommodated.

    “We will continue to collaborate with the various FCT-based judiciaries (including the Court of Appeal) to support the digitisation of court proceedings and registries to improve efficiency, reduce manual processes, and accelerate the dispensation of justice.

    “Let me state that Justice must never be compromised under any circumstances, for it is the bedrock of our democracy and the safeguard of public trust.

    “It is the responsibility of all stakeholders, judges, legal practitioners, government agencies, and citizens alike to work collaboratively to strengthen and improve our judicial system. I am confident that the commencement of this 2025/2026 Legal Year will herald a period of unprecedented success, wisdom, and efficiency for the Court of Appeal.”