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Tag: Judge

  • Judge reverses verdict to remand ex-OAU VC in prison

    Judge reverses verdict to remand ex-OAU VC in prison

    A judge of a High Court in Ede, Osun State, Justice David Oladimeji, has reversed his order to remand in Ilesa Prison a former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) at Ile-Ife, Prof. Anthony Elujoba, for alleged financial misappropriation.

    The judge ruled that Prof. Elujoba and the Bursar, Mrs. Ronke Akeredolu, would remain in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), where they have been kept since last Wednesday.

    Justice Oladimeji also ordered that the ruling on the bail application, earlier scheduled to hold on July 19, be brought forward to July 15.

    He reversed the earlier court order that the two accused be remanded in Ilesa Prison after a protest by OAU students and workers.

    The protesters barred all entry and exit points into the court in Ede, thereby holding judges and lawyers hostage inside the court for several hours.

    Defying heavy security presence in the court, the protesters deflated many tyres on the court premises and left commuters stranded for hours.

    They marched in hundreds on the state High Court in Ede to resist the court order that the university’s former Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Anthony Elujoba, who is being prosecuted in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for alleged financial improprieties, be detained in Ilesa Prison, pending hearing of his bail application.

    Also, ordered to be detained in prison with Elujoba is the university bursar, Mrs. Ronke Akeredolu.

    They blocked all the entry and exit routes into the court in Ede where the bail application was heard.The students and workers wept on hearing the order of the court that Prof. Elujoba, should be returned to prison in Ilesa.

     

     

  • Nigerian posing as MP, judge, jailed in UK over £10m benefits scam

    Nigerian posing as MP, judge, jailed in UK over £10m benefits scam

    Nigerian illegal immigrant in the United Kingdom (UK) is to spend the next five years in jail after a court found him guilty of leading  a gang which used the identities of members of parliament, judges and police officers to swindle the  taxpayer out of millions of pounds.

    Kayode Sanni, 38, was jailed for  five years and three months for his role  in the scam,according to The Daily Mail.

    The gang  stole personal details from the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC), which provides sport and fitness facilities to more than 120,000 public sector employees and pensioners.

    The personal details were  deployed in  placing  orders for tax credit starter packs used in fraudulent claims over a four year period.

    Adedamola Oyebode, 30, who worked as CSSC events manager, stole the details which he then  handed over to  her brothers-in-law Oluwatobe Emmanuel Odeyemi, 34, and Oluwagbenga Stephen Odeyemi, 39.

    The Odeyemi brothers,the Old Bailey heard, ran  the fraud with Sanni.

    The gang was on course to reaping £10,260,525 only for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to uncover  the ‘extraordinarily high rate’ of claims being made by civil servants.

    The jurors said Sanni “lied through his teeth” after he claimed that his “conscience is clear” and denied involvement in the scam.

    The fraud was perpetrated t between 10 March 2009 and 11 June 2013. Emmanuel Odeyemi, Chantelle Gumbs and Adedamole Oyebode had earlier pleaded guilty to fraud charges. Odeyemi was sentenced to a prison term of three and a half years; Gumbs , a 15- month sentence suspended for two years; and Oyebode , a two-year sentence suspended for two years. Judge Paul Dodgson described the offence as a serious fraud . Sanni expressed remorse for the scam in a letter following his conviction but Dodgson was not impressed. He said:”I think he is remorseful that he got caught.

    “I’m sorry, I just can’t regard that as sincere. “I can’t see how someone who contested the matter, who in the jury’s judgement, and in mine as well, just blatantly lied throughout and then claimed to be remorseful.’ Oyebode, who worked for the CSSC between August 2008 and August 2010, admitted supplying lists of members and their details in return for payment. She also made calls to the tax credit helpline to obtain application packs.

    Further investigation revealed the fraudsters had used the details to create false identities, buy online insurance and open false bank accounts to receive the cash. The profits of the scam were then transferred out into either their own accounts or through Western Union facilities set up by Sanni and Emmanuel Odeyemi. Jurors were told that two of the gang, Stephen Odeyemi and his wife Oluwatumininu Banjo, 40, had fled to Nigeria and are wanted abroad.

  • Former Governor, two others in prison over alleged diversion of N9.69b

    Former Governor, two others in prison over alleged diversion of N9.69b

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that a former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, an ex-Finance Commissioner Omadachi Oklobia and one other be remanded in Kuje prison, following their arraignment for allegedly diverting N9.79billion public funds.

    Justice Kolawole ordered that Suswam, Oklobia and a former Accountant, Benue State Government House Administration, Mrs. Janet Aluga, should to remain in prison pending when they are able to meet the conditions attached to the bail granted them yesterday.

    The three were arraigned on a 32-count charge, in which they were among others, accused of diverting N9,791,602,453.8 meant for the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) scheme and police reform, between 2012 and 2015.

    The offence was allegedly committed when Suswam was the governor and the other two served in their various capacities.

    When the charge was read to them, they pleaded not guilty, following which their lawyers raised the issue of bail.

    The charge was filed by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on March 27, 2015

    Lawyer to Suswam and Oklobia – Tawo Tawo (SAN) – informed the court that he has filed bail applications for his clients. He urged the court to adopt the November 10, 2015 ruling by Justice Ahmed Mohammed (before who Suswam and Oklobia are being tried on a separate case) granting bail to his clients.

    Lawyer to Mrs. Aluga, Innocent Daa’gba, also informed the court about a similar bail application he filed on June 8, 2017 for his client.

    Lead prosecuting lawyer, Aminu Alilu, did not object to the applications for bail, but said he preferred to leave the issue of whether or not bail should be granted to the defendants at the discretion of the court.

    Justice Kolawole granted bail to the defendants by adopting, but with little variation, the conditions in the bail earlier granted Suswam and Oklobia by Justice Mohammed.

    Justice Kolawole admitted the three to bail at N250 million each, with one surety, who must be a director or principal officer not below Grade Level 12 of any agency of the Federal Government, state or local government area in any part of the country.

    He said where the defendants cannot find a government official, they are at liberty to present “a person who owns a national honour” as sureties.

    Justice Kolawole ordered that the three defendants should be remanded in prison until the court’s Deputy Registrar (DCR) Litigation verified the documents to be tendered by the defendants and the prison authorities advised to release them.

    The defendant, earlier in the proceedings, rejected a proposal by the prosecution to transfer the case from the Abuja, to the Makurdi, Benue State division of the court. They argued that the state of insecurity, which informed the decision of the prosecution to file the case in Abuja earlier in March, still persists.

    Justice Kolawole has adjourned to October 10 for the commencement of trial.

    Suswam and Oklobia are being tried before Justice Mohammed (also at the Federal High Court, Abuja) by the (EFCC on a separate charge of alleged diversion of about N3 billion proceeds from the sale of Benue State’s shares in some companies.

  • Kogi West poll: Senator demands probe of judge, Melaye

    Kogi West poll: Senator demands probe of judge, Melaye

    Senator Smart Adeyemi, who represented Kogi West for two terms, yesterday demanded a probe of the alleged telephone conversation between Justice Akon Ikpeme and Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) – his successor.

    Adeyemi said he sensed a foul play in the way his election petition was struck out by Justice Ikpeme-led Election Petition Tribunal.

    Adeyemi, who made the demands at a briefing in Abuja, pleaded with the Chief Justice of the Federation and the National Judicial Council (NJC) to probe the alleged audio tape of the conversation.

    He said: “I hereby call for a thorough investigation by the appropriate authorities – that is, the Chief Justice of the Federation, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Judicial Council( NJC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Commission( ICPC) and the Directorate for State Security Service( DSS).

    “Like I mentioned earlier, I am of the opinion that we have people of high integrity in the Judiciary. However, just like there is a Judas in every 12, some people of questionable character may want to infiltrate the ranks of our incorruptible judges and ministers in the hallowed temple of Justice.

    “I hold the view that members of the Justice Akon Ikpeme-led panel have the burden to come out and prove their innocence to the world, especially as touching on the recent leaked telephone conversation between Justice Ikpeme and a litigant in her tribunal in the person of Dino Melaye. Nigerians are watching and waiting.”

    He added: “I am not in doubt that money and other extraneous unethical considerations played an active role in the various rulings of the Justice Ikpeme-led panel in favour of Dino Melaye. If my brother Dino denies the audio clip, let him look at the mirror before him, the person will appear. For two years, I kept praying to God to make a show of shame of all conspirators against me at the tribunal. By the power of God, more revelations will still come!”

    Adeyemi said he was demanding for the probe to avert a recurrence of abuse of the judicial process in the future.

    He added: “Whether the audio recording was genuine or not.  Let the communication firms be involved to track this conversation. We need forensic experts to get to the roots of this alleged bribe saga.

    “For two years, I kept mute because I had no evidence to prove but I know God will intervene and expose those behind the electoral fraud in Kogi West Senatorial District. The release of the audio clip has shown that a lot went wrong.

    “The redress is to make sure that tomorrow nobody will be thinking of bribing a judge. It is not about winning this case; it is about helping Nigerian judiciary. If this thing can happen to me as a senator, what is the hope for the common man.”

    Asked if the judiciary decided not to probe the audio tape, Adeyemi said: “I have the assurance of God that we have not heard the last word. I know there will be more revelations.

    “You don’t have to be a judge to know that the results have been tampered. Can any judge accept mutilated results? I swallowed the bitter.

    “Though, we know that there is an end to litigation and this particular petition has been decided one way or the other yet, the following are pertinent factual and moral records of what transpired at the tribunal, which are now questions for Justice Ikpeme and her team to answer, in order to erase the misconception (if any) of corruption, which hovers around them and to save the image and integrity of the judiciary.

    “The tribunal ordered a recount of the ballot papers and it was discovered that 2500 void votes were counted for Dino Melaye to be declared winner of the election. Why was no action taken on this finding?

    “That there were mutilation /cancellation on the faces of all the results sheets delivered by INEC.

    “That there are many wards of the senatorial district, whose results the INEC officials deliberately refused to collate and enter on the final result sheet. These wards are spread across the four local government areas of Kabba-Bunu Local Government, Ijumu Local Government, Kogi Local Government and Lokoja Local Government.

    “That the Justice Ikpeme-led panel accepted a sheet of paper, as report of primaries in the face of an authentic report of primaries brought and tendered during the hearing of the petition by INEC officials.

    “That Justice Ikpeme gave probative value to a sheet of paper as reports of primaries tendered by a youth corps member allegedly coming from INEC office Abuja without an identity card.”

    But Melaye had also said he won his election in a free and fair manner and will defeat Adeyemi any day.

    He said: “This is not a matter of boast, I have defeated him and I will also defeat him, even if election is conducted 100 times, provided the election is free and fair.”

    One of Melaye’s ardent supporters said Adeyemi was chasing shadows.

    He said: “Adeyemi lost to Melaye because he failed to follow due process in pursuing his petition.

    “Justice Ikpeme said Adeyemi ran foul of the Electoral Act in filing reply to the 1st respondent’s response out of time

    “Ikpeme also held that for failing to apply for Form TF001 for pre-hearing session within the stipulated seven days, the tribunal was of the view that the petitioner had failed to apply for the issuance of the form.

    “She said pursuance of other issues relating to Adeyemi’s  petition could only amount to ‘mere academic exercise’.”

  • •‘N9.7b’: Court orders DSS to produce Suswam

    •‘N9.7b’: Court orders DSS to produce Suswam

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) Director-General, Lawal Daura, to produce former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam on May 11.
    The order by the judge was necessitated by the failure of the DSS, in whose custody Suswam was kept, to bring him yesterday for arraignment on a fresh 32-count charge bought against him and two others by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
    Suswam, former Finance Commissioner Omodachi Okolobia and Benue State Government House Administration’s Accountant, Janet Aluga were named in the fresh charge filed on March 27.
    They are accused, among others, of diverting N9.79 billion, part of which was meant for Police Reform Programme and Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).
    Of the three defendants, only Suswam was absent in court when the case was called yesterday.
    And, upon enquiry by the judge, the lead prosecuting lawyer, Aliyu Akilu, told said Suswam was being detained by the DSS, but allegedly chose not to attend court.
    Akilu said: “The 1st defendant is on administrative bail granted him by the police. But he is currently in the custody of the DSS. We made effort to serve him with the charge there, but he refused. We decided to serve his lawyer, who is in court today.
    “He (Suswam) is aware of today’s proceedings. We wrote him, but he refused to attend court. The provision of Section 87 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), the court can compel his presence. We asked the court to exercise that power,” Akilu said.
    Akin Adedeji, who said he appeared for Suswam in protest, faulted the prosecution’s decision to serve the charge on his office as against the requirement that a defendant must be served in criminal cases personally.
    Adedeji said: “By 2pm yesterday, two officers of the Nigerian Police walked into our office, seeking to serve a charge on us, in relation to this case. We accepted the charge out of respect for this court.
    “That we are representing the 1st defendant in another case did not mean he will engage us to represent him in this. Section 36(c) of the Constitution says, upon service of a charge on a defendant, he has a right to brief any legal practitioner of his choice. The 1st defendant has been in the custody of the DSS since February 25,” Adedeji said.
    Lawyer to Oklobia and Aluga, David Iorhemba, noted that since the case was a joint trial, it was impossible for the court to conduct proceedings in the absence of the 1st defendant. He sought an adjournment.
    Justice Kolawole said since Suswam was being held by the DSS, the prosecution should serve a copy of the charge on the Legal Department of the DSS for delivery to the 1st defendant.
    The judge directed the Director General of the DSS to ensure that the ex-governor is brought to court on the next adjourned date (May 11) to enable him answer to the charge pending against him, if he is not released before then.
    A similar scenario played out on March 28, when DSS’s failure to produce Suswam stalled proceedings in another case involving him and Oklobia before Justice Ahmed Mohammed (also of the Federal High Court, Abuja).
    Suswam and Oklobia are, in the case, being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for allegedly diverting N3.1billion belonging to Benue State Government.
    The DSS’ refusal to produce Suswam forced Justice Mohammed to adjourn the case to May 9.

  • Judge accuses judge of bias

    •Petitions CJ, seeks case transfer 

    A retired judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Gladys K. Olotu, has petitioned the Chief Judge of the court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, seeking transfer of one of her cases challenging her compulsory retirement currently pending before Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Abuja Division over alleged bias.

    Justice Olotu filed the two cases shortly after her compulsory retirement by former President Goodluck Jonathan in February 2014 over alleged wrong doing.

    In one of the suits, the retired judge sued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and 17 others to court, while in the other suit, the President  and four others were joined as respondents which was recently thrown out by Justice Kafarati on the grounds that he didn’t have jurisdiction.

    However, in a petition dated February 23  to Justice Auta, Justice Olotu is seeking the transfer of her suit against the EFCC and 17 others from Justice Kafarati to another judge in the Abuja Division.

    The retired judge said her request was premised on the ground that Justice Kafarati showed open, clear prejudice and bias in his judgement on her suit against the President  and four others.

    She questioned the rationale behind Justice Kafarati’s insistence that he lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit while he had decided contrarily in similar case involving a judge of the High Court of Abuja who was also compulsorily retired from the Bench.

    To buttress her claims, Justice Olotu referred to a suit by Justice Lawal Hassan Gunmi (Rtd) against the National Judicial Council (NJC) and six others.

    In the said suit, Justice Kafarati dismissed the objection raised by the NJC regarding his jurisdiction to entertain the matter, while in her own case with similar facts and argument pulled a volte face and reversed himse lf.

    “It is glaring from these two decisions that Hon. Justice Kafarati has shown extreme bias and prejudice against me based on the somersault he made in my case after he held in Justice Gunmi’s case that he had jurisdiction to hear his case.

    “I am, therefore, pleading in the interest of justice and fairness (which has continuously eluded me in my travails starting from February 2011 to date from NJC, under the Chairmanship of Hon. Justice Aloma Mukhtar (Rtd) to the office of the President under President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the EFCC under Ibrahim Lamorde and now Federal High Court No. 2 with Hon. Justice Abdul Kafarati, presiding) that my case be transferred from Justice Kafarati’s court to another court in Abuja Division”, Justice Olotu said.

  • Balarabe Musa tackles judge in court

    Balarabe Musa tackles judge in court

    There was  a mild drama  at an Akure High Court yesterday when former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa tackled Justice S.A Sidiq for imposing a lawyer on his Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

    Musa, who is PRP national chairman, was in Akure, the Ondo State capital, to witness a suit filed by the party against its exclusion in the local government election conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) last April.

    When the case came up for hearing, Musa was stunned when a lawyer, Segun Ogodo, who was not hired by the party, announced appearance for the party.

    The former governor, who was in court with the state chairman, Tunde Ali, said they did not brief Ogodo to represent them and that the party had briefed Femi Borisade as its lawyer.

    The duo said since Aborisade was not in court, they had briefed another lawyer, Udofot Ekereke, to stand in for him.

    Musa expressed dismay that a lawyer who was not retained by the party could go to court without the litigants’ knowledge and representing the party without authorisation.

    But Justice Sidiq said since Ogodo had been representing the party, he should go ahead with the case.

    This led to a shouting match as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) council chairmen and councillors accused the judge of predetermined judgment.

    Security agents, led by an assistant commissioner of Police, later calmed frayed nerves.

    Justice Sidiq adjourned till March 31 for further hearing.

    Addressing reporters after proceedings, Musa said: “I was surprised that a lawyer can go to court to represent PRP without being briefed.

    “The second surprise is that I wanted to tell the judge that I do not know the lawyer who pretended to represent me.

    “I wanted to tell him that Femi Borisade is the one I briefed as the national chairman of PRP in this case, but I was surprised the judge did not allow me.”

    The PRP filed a suit alleging that its logo was missing in the ballot papers for the April 16, 2016 local government election.

    The suit, which was filed by Borisade, has ODIEC, PDP and the government as defendants.

    Since the election, which had the party’s logo on the ballot papers and result sheets, the party had abandoned the suit.

    Musa said since the party’s grievances had been addressed by ODIEC, the suit had become unnecessary, wondering who authorised Ogodo to resuscitate the suit on behalf of the party.

  • Judge seeks stakeholders’ collaboration to stem divorce rate

    Judge seeks stakeholders’ collaboration to stem divorce rate

    Mr Abolade Banigbe, an Area Court judge in Omu-Aran, Kwara, has called for stakeholders’ collaboration across the country to stem divorce rate especially at the grassroots.

    Banigbe told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Omu-Aran on Saturday that the menace of incessant marriage break-ups had constituted a stumbling block to government’s grassroots development plans.

    He said both traditional rulers and religious leaders should help to ensure a society that is devoid of violence, crime and acrimony.

    Banigbe noted that marriage break-ups had done more harm than good to the nation’s socio-economic and security.

    “The development has compounded the high number of awaiting trial inmates in most prisons leading to congestion.

    “The resultant effect is, of course, the reported cases of jail breaks across the country,” he said.

    The area court judge said since traditional rulers and religious leaders had in the past served in government both during colonial and post-colonial in Nigeria they had the requisite experience in handling divorces cases.

    “Active involvement in settling marriage disputes, communal clashes and other related issues are major preoccupation of our community leaders even before the country’s independence.

    “There were laid down measures and traditions being employed by leaders in different towns and villages to deal with such important issues.

    “We should stop playing lip service to the development of our community as government alone cannot shoulder the  responsibilities particularly provision of basic social amenities.

    “Channeling adequate energy and other resources toward curtailing the ugly trend of divorce should not be an exception,” he said.

    Banigbe suggested the constitution of a special committee or task force by the traditional councils at the grassroots on the development and proffer solutions.

    “Religious leaders should not relent in their duties to educate their followers, especially couples on the need to respect their marriage vows and the tenets of their religion in order to avoid unnecessary divorce.

    “Such interventions are needed to complement and replicate the functions of the Citizens Mediation and Conciliation Centres at the grassroots.”

    He cited the current economic situation, mass unemployment, poverty and hunger as some of the factors causing ruptured relationships and divorce.

    Banigbe said the phenomenon had given rise to increasing number of children from broken homes who were involved in housebreaking, rape, kidnapping and cultism.

    “Lower courts, especially Area Courts and Magistrates Courts are now overwhelmed with such cases.

    “This has become an added challenge and workload for already overstretched judges,” he said.

  • Guard docked over alleged theft of medical equipment

    A 25-year-old security guard, Adamu Kawu, accused of stealing medical equipment valued at N500, 000, was on Tuesday brought before a Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja.

    Kawu, who resides at Jabi Village, Abuja, is standing trial on a two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and theft.

    The prosecutor, Florence Auhioboh, told the court that Engwa Christian of Jabi reported the matter at the Life Camp Police Station, Abuja, on March 17.

    Auhioboh said that the complainant alleged that sometimes in February, the defendant, stole his medical equipment valued at N500, 000.

    He said that the defendant also stole N60, 000 belonging to Bassey Evalson of the same address.

    The prosecutor said that the offences contravened Sections 312 and 288 of the Penal Code.

    The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The Judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, granted the defendant bail of N100, 000 and one surety in like sum.

    Sadiq said that the surety must provide any utility bill bearing his name and must be residing within the court jurisdiction.

    He adjourned the case to April 25 for further hearing.

  • Judge withdraws from case

    Judge withdraws from case

    Justice Bola Ademola of the Ondo State High Court yesterday announced his withdrawal from the alleged fraud case involving the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Adebiyi Daramola and the Registrar, Ayodeji Oresegun.
    Daramola, whose tenure ends in a few weeks, and Oresegun were first arraigned on February 14 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged N156.9million fraud.
    The judge said he was transferring the case due to a petition against him by FUTA Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
    He told the court that the matter has been transferred to Court Three Criminal Division of the state High Court.
    The judge noted that he transferred the case because of his integrity which will be at stake if he insisted on taking the matter.
    NASU Chairman Bayo Aladetohun said the unions petitioned the chief judge due to Justice Ademola’s perceived bias.
    He said the union believed that the oral application for the VC’s bail, granted by the judge, was unethical.
    According to him, the unions have lost confidence in Justice Ademola.
    The matter was adjourned till March 30.