Tag: Court

A Grade A Customary Court sitting at Mapo in Ibadan, has remanded one Mudashiru Salau, 73 years, for  alleged matchet attack on one Ridwan Lawal, his neighbour.

The court’s President, Mrs O.E. Owoseni ordered Salau to be remanded in the Agodi correctional centre, due to his inability to fulfill the bail condition after he was granted bail.

Owoseni had admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two reliable sureties who must be blood relation in like sum.

She adjourned the matter until May 23 for trial.

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The Prosecutor, Insp. Ayodele Ayeni had told the court that the defendant committed the crime on April 1, at about 7:00 a.m, at Alubarika Street, Muslim area in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Ayeni said that Salau inflicted a matchet cut on the right cheek of the complainant after a minor disagreement.

According to the prosecutor, the cut consequently, brought about a serious bodily injury on the latter.

He said that the offence contravened the provision of section 355 of the Criminal Code Cap. 38 vol. ii law of Oyo State 2000.

(NAN)

Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday, sentenced Igboezue Emeka to one month in prison for money laundering and ordered the forfeiture of $40,000 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The convict was arrested on February 12, 2025, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport by officers of the Nigeria Customs Services, NCS, for failing to declare the sum of $40,000.  

The NCS on the same day, handed him over to the EFCC, for further investigation and prosecution. 

The charge reads: “That you IGBOEZUE EMEKA on or about the 12th day of February, 2025 at Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos within the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court of Nigeria failed to make a declaration of the sum of $40,000.00 USD (Forty Thousand United States Dollars) to the Nigerian Customs Service and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Section 3(3) of the Money Laundering Act, No. 14 of 2022 and punishable under Section 3 (5) of the same Act.”

He however pleaded “guilty” to the charge.  

In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa sought the leave of the court to call the investigating officer for the review of facts. 

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Michael Olaremi, an operative with the EFCC, narrated to the court the events that led to the investigation of the defendant. 

“At about 1.20pm on February 12, 2025, we got an intelligence report from the Nigerian Customs that they intercepted the defendant with the monetary exhibit of the sum of $40,000. 

Upon this, I detailed one of my team leads who I supervise, Lanre Michael, to go and pick the individual and the exhibit from the Nigeria Customs at Murtala Mohammed Airport”, he said. 

He continued, “At about 4pm, he reported with the defendant, the monetary exhibit and the defendant’s international passport. The defendant was in possession of 2 phones with which he called his lawyer and relatives. 

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In the presence of his relatives, he volunteered his statement under words of caution, where he admitted that he was travelling via Qatar Air to Seoul, capital of South Korea. He also stated that he was accosted by Customs Officers where he was asked if he had any currency on him to declare, to which he said No”. 

Olaremi in his evidence further said, “The statement warranted me to invite the personnel of the Customs services, Ogar Sadin John. John in his statement, said that when he accosted Igboezue, he claimed that he had no money but he was skeptical, and upon searching him, he found the monies hidden in one of his shoes in his hand luggage.”

He added that the monetary exhibit was registered with the exhibit keeper while the suspect was served with administrative bail.

Omewa sought to tender the defendant’s statement and the monetary exhibit recovered from him. The Judge admitted the documents and marked as exhibits. 

Justice Owoeye found Igboezue guilty and sentenced him accordingly. 

The prison sentence is to commence from date of arrest, 12th February 2025.

The Federal High Court in Lagos has struck out a suit by the Okun-Ajah community and other property owners in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area challenging the Lagos-Calabar coastal road project.

Justice Akintayo Aluko ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate on the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1488/2024.

The judge transferred it to the Lagos State High Court as the appropriate court to hear the case.

The plaintiffs are Chief Saheed Olukosi (Akogun of Okun-Ajah Community), Noibi Issa Afolayan, Yussuf Odunuga Sulaiman, Olufemi Fasehun and Adeola Tokunbo, all representing Okun-Ajah Community and other Concerned Property Owners at Okun-Ajah Community.

The defendants/objectors are Minister of Works Dave Umahi, Attorney-General of Lagos, Hitech Construction Limited and other agencies.

The plaintiffs’ through their lawyers, A.O. Ajiboye, Esq, and E. C. Okorie had asked the court to stop the project on several grounds.

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But the defendants/objectors prayed the court to strike out the suit for lack of jurisdiction.

Justice Aluko held: “Counsel to the plaintiffs made an alternative submission in his written address urging the court not to strike out this suit if the court finds that it lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate over the case.

“Counsel urged the court to transfer this suit to the State High Court instead of striking out same.

“I agree with counsel on this request as this court possesses the needed power and jurisdiction to accede to such prayer.

“This court is fortified under Section 22(2) of the Federal High Court Act which provides thus: ‘No cause or matter shall be struck out by the court merely on the ground that such cause or matter was taken in the court instead of the High Court of a State or of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in which it ought to have been brought, and the Judge of the court before whom such cause or matter is brought may cause such use or matter to be transferred to the appropriate High Court of a State or at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in accordance with Rules of Court to be made under section 44 of this Act.”

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Thursday, remanded a Sierra Leone national, Alhaji Ahmed Shaw standing trial for alleged non-declaration of the sum of $90,000 to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

Justice Deinde Dipeolu remanded Shaw in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) following his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The one-count charge alleged that the defendant failed to declare the sum of $90,000 during inward clearance of Sierra Leone-bound travellers.

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EFCC counsel Okezie Chinenye told the court that the defendant committed the offence at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

She added that the offence was contrary to and punishable under section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022. 

Shaw pleaded not guilty. 

Defence counsel Victor Chinedu informed the court that Shaw had only just been served with the charge and was thus unprepared for trial.

Justice Dipeolu adjourned trial till April 15 and remanded the defendant in NCS custody.

The. High Court of Lagos State, sitting at Court No. 44 Yaba/Surulere Judicial Division, has granted an interim order restraining Oretol Nigeria Limited and one Mr. Adewale Oladapo from trespassing, selling, or dealing with a disputed 4-hectare parcel of land located at Hampton Estate (also known as Eletu Odibo Island), Osapa, Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Presiding over the case, Hon. Justice E.O. Ashade ruled in favour of the claimant, Capital Gardens Limited, following a motion ex parte filed on March 13, 2025.

The motion sought to prevent the defendants from interfering with the land in question, which is delineated in Survey Plan No: FAI/3454/A01/2024/LA, prepared by Registered Surveyor A.I. Fashina on February 8, 2024.

The court also prohibited the defendants and their representatives from entering, trespassing, or dealing with the disputed land in any way that interferes with the claimant’s interests.

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The judge barred the  defendants from marketing, selling, transferring, or assigning the land to third parties pending compliance with the Lagos State High Court Practice Directions No. 2 of 2019 on Pre-Action Protocol and the determination of any motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

The court ordered the claimant  to publish notices in the media to inform the general public about the restraining orders and warn potential buyers against engaging with the defendants concerning the disputed land.

It also directed Capital Gardens Limited to file an undertaking to comply with the Pre-Action Protocol before proceeding further with the case.

The case has been adjourned to June 2, 2025, for a report on compliance.

Legal counsel for the claimant, Abraham Oladipupo, represented the applicant in court.

The defendants were absent and had no legal representation at the proceedings.