The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lateef Fagbemi

  • Yabatech acquires software for detecting plagiarism

    The Governing Council of Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) on Wednesday said it had acquired a world-class security software capable of detecting any act of plagiarism in write-ups submitted by students and lecturers.

    Mr Lateef Fagbemi, Chairman, Governing Council of the college stated this at the 11th International Science, Technology, Education, Arts, Management and Social Sciences (iSTEAMS) Conference in Lagos.

    Fagbemi spoke on “Plagiarism and Its Legal Implications Within Academic Environments: Consequences On The Institutions And Offender”.

    The three-day conference organised by the Research Nexus Africa Network, in collaboration with the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ends on June 29.

    Fagbemi said the software would detect the slightest act of plagiarism and copyright.

    According to him, with the software, the college is confident that products, are now better secured and their final works, much more reassuring.

    He said the conference was apt as it brings to the front burner, the unfortunate situation of plagiarism.

    “Educational institutions must step up the quality control mechanisms and academic papers submitted by writers must be thoroughly checked to detect a possibility of plagiarism.

    “Yabatech has now acquired world-class security software that can detect even the slightest act of plagiarism in write-ups submitted by our students and lecturers.

    “This is where the deployment of technology comes in.

    “Relevant software must be acquired by our institutions to detect any possible case of plagiarism and be able to nip it in the bud,’’ he said.

    Fagbemi further remarked that plagiarism was prevalent, not only in tertiary institutions but also in science, journalism, literature, film creation and other areas.

    He said that in the academic and intellectual industry, plagiarism was a serious ethical offence.

    According to him, plagiarism cases could be detected even in works of famous writers, songs, filmmakers, philosopher, scientist, and public workers, among others.

    “Plagiarism is not in itself a crime, but can constitute copyright infringement.’’

    Fagbemi recommended that institutions must step-up the quality control mechanisms, while government must set up legislative intervention in curbing the problem of plagiarism.

    “ Our laws must be re-jigged to cater for the menace as a specific problem.

    “A specific problem deserves a special and deliberate solution.

    “The legislature must promulgate laws that specifically and pointedly address plagiarism, and all its variance, taking it away from the adaptation of the copyright laws, under which it is currently treated.’’

    Also speaking, Dr Obafemi Bank-Olemoh, Leadership/Business Intelligence expert at Caleb Business School, Lagos urged the Federal Government to develop the human resource capital to achieve industrialisation.

    Bank-Olemoh said the three tiers of government needed to re-access and reinforce the implementation of Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) policies.

    He spoke in a paper titled: “Nigeria’s Industrialisation Drive cannot succeed if not anchored on the Investment and Development of Human Resource Capital; particularly on Technical Vocational Education (TVE)”.

    He said the success of Free Trade Zones hinged on addressing infrastructure deficit by appropriate funding.

    He noted that sustainability of Nigerian Industrial Zones could not be achieved if the expatriate quota abuse is not controlled.

    According to him, the integration system pathway should be adopted to bring together TVE curriculum, academic and applied curriculum, the labour market demands, institutions and the society at large.

    “The focus now should be on the development of a viable natural system of a vocational and technical education programme that will have easy access and exit learning pathways.

    “It must be validated by accredited learning that will lead to work or continued progress along another learning pathway.

    “This will help ginger youths and adults to see TVE as challenging and worthwhile,’’ he said.

    Mr Obafemi Omokungbe, Rector, Yabatech commended iSTEAMS for organising the conference and urged participants to be active in all sessions.

  • Police pension scam: EFCC denies inducing defendant

    Police pension scam: EFCC denies inducing defendant

    An operative with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) , Rukayya Ibrahim, told the FCT High Court on Wednesday that she never induced the fourth defendant to make statement.

    She was testifying in the Police Pension scam during cross examination of witnesses.

    The defendants in the case are Esar Dangabar, Atiku Kigo, Ahmed Wada, Veronica Onyegbula, Sani Zira, Uzoma Attang, and Christian Madubuke, who are alleged to have been involved in the scam.

    They are standing trial for complicity in the over N24 billion scam in the police pension fund.

    The fourth defendant, Mrs Veronica Onyegbula through her lawyer, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), told the court that she was forced to make confessional statements to EFCC.

    Fagbemi , called for the trial within trial to prove the veracity of the statements she made to EFCC, which the prosecution sought to tender as exhibits before the court.  Fagbemi claimed the statements were  not made voluntarily.

    The EFCC operative during cross- examination by Onyegbula’s counsel told the court that she never promised the defendant anything if she should implicate her bosses.

    She told the court that the commission had enough evidence on her and that they don’t need to induce her, adding that she worked with all the directors in her office that was why she is the prime suspect.

    “Her bail condition has nothing to do with her level; it has everything to do with her involvement in the scam,” she said.

    She added that the anti-graft agency never lower the fourth defendant’s bail condition after she agreed to implicate her bosses in the scam, informing that bail condition had nothing to do with making statement or not.

    The witness told the court that she took most of the statements made by the fourth defendant as the front investigating officer involved in investigating her involvement in the scam.

    Justice  Hussain Baba-Yusuf  however, adjourned the case until  May 26 for continuation of cross examination.

  • Edo poll: INEC to open defence Tuesday

    Edo poll: INEC to open defence Tuesday

    …APC counsel allays fears over recounting of ballot papers

     

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will Tuesday open its defence as the first respondents in the ongoing sitting of the Edo State Election Petitions Tribunal.

    Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ahmed Badamasi, had adjourned sitting to Tuesday after the Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu closed his case last Thursday with the recounting of ballot papers used in four local government areas.

    Counsel to INEC, Onyinye Azumonye, told the tribunal last week that the commission could not open its defence because it need to know the results of the ballot papers that were recounted.

    Local government areas that were recounted were Estako West, Estako East, Egor and Akoko-Edo.

    Justice Badamasi had earlier ruled that the tribunal’s secretary would today made known the results of the ballot papers recounting.

    Pastor Ize-Iyamu is asking the tribunal to declare him winner of the September 28 governorship election which was won by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    Ize-Iyamu called a total of 91 witnesses for a period of 14 days against 400 witnesses that were to be called.

    Meanwhile, Counsel to the All Progressive Congress, Lateef Fagbemi, has allayed fears of the party’s supporters over the recounting of ballot papers.

    Fagbemi told newsmen that there was no problem with the recounting and that the issues would be dealt with at the appropriate time.

    His words, “There is no issue about recounting. When we get to that bridge we will cross it. There is no problem about recounting of ballot papers. What issues have been made out of the recounting?

    “I cannot be arguing my case in the media or the pages of newspapers. This is not the first time they are doing recounting but whether they are doing it the right way is another matter. I know that recounting of ballot papers is one of the weapons the petitioners can use effectively and the law has spelt out the procedure to follow. Our contentious is that the procedure had not been followed. It is not like the case of Oshiomhole.”

  • Sylva escapes fresh arraignment

    Sylva escapes fresh arraignment

    •Refuses to enter court

    •Lawyers ‘fight’ over ex-governor

    •Ex-Minister Lawal’s trial stalled

    Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva yesterday escaped re-arraignment on a fresh charge by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Sylva, who is being tried before Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court, Abuja, was to be arraigned before a new judge, on a fresh 42-count charge.

    The ex-governor and six others are accused of laundering about N19.2 billion.

    Although he was within the premises, Sylva, who had attended the proceedings before Justice Bello, refused to enter Court 7 to be re-arraigned.

    Despite protests by prosecution lawyer Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) that Sylva was outside and should be invited to take his plea, his lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), insisted otherwise.

    Fagbemi told the court that his client was not issued with a hearing notice as was required, and that the new charge was only served on him (as against his client) the previous day.

    As Jacobs stood to counter him, Fagbemi shouted him down, insisting he was not through with his submission. He accused Jacobs of being rude.

    It soon degenerated into a shouting match. Everyone in court watched as both attorneys slugged it out.

    “Rotimi, you are rude. Do you know where you are? Must you now be rude because you handle EFCC cases? Rotimi, sit down, you are rude,” Fagbemi shouted.

    Jacobs, who was livid, shouted back, saying: “You cannot be rude at me. I won’t allow this.”

    Justice Ahmed Mohammed later intervened, describing the incident as “highly unfortunate.”

    Justice Mohammed said both lawyers’ conduct was capable of giving young lawyers and non-lawyers a bad impression.

    “I call on you senior members of the bar to keep your cool. Please, let us not desecrate this profession.

    “I see this as an affront on my authority in this court. Two senior lawyers, standing up to each other this way.”

    Both lawyers later apologised to the court and to each other, with Fagbemi calling Jacobs, “my junior brother.”

    Also charged with Sylva are Francis Okuburo, Gbenga S. Balogun, Samuel Ogbuku, Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited and Haloween Blue Construction and Logistics Limited.

    Two of the accused – Balogun (third accused) and Ogbudu (fourth accused) – were in court and mounted the dock.

    Sylva stood on the corridor leading to the court, while proceedings lasted.

    Efforts by Jacobs to ensure that the arraignment, having failed to take place yesterday, should be carried out before December 31 failed, as the defendants insisted that time should be devoted to the hearing of the preliminary objection by Ogbudu.

    Justice Mohammed fixed January 23 for the hearing of objections in the case.

    Earlier, before Justice Bello, Fagbemi argued an application in which Sylva sought the release of his passport to enable him travel.

    EFCC’s lawyer John Ainetor objected to the application, arguing that Sylva wanted to evade trial on the new charge.

    Ainetor told the court that this was the third time Sylva was filing a similar application, as others were rejected for lacking in merit. He urged the court to refuse it.

    The trial of former Labour Minister Hassan Lawal before Justice Bello was stalled yesterday.

    Prosecution lawyer Wahab Shittu told The Nation that the case could not go on because there were moves to transfer the case to another judge.

    He said the court would communicate to parties when the transfer was effected and the case ready for hearing before a new judge.

  • Court rejects preferential treatment for Babalakin

    Court rejects preferential treatment for Babalakin

    An Ikeja High Court, Lagos, on Monday rejected the request by the embattled Bi- Courtney Chairman, Dr. Wale Babalakin to be allowed to sit in the bar or adjacent the dock as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on January 17 arraigned Babalakin and four others, before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, for allegedly conspiring and laundering N4.7 billion for the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori.

    Standing trial on a 27 count charge with Babalakin are one Alex Okoh; construction giants, Stabilini Visioni Limited, Bi-Courtney Limited, and Renix Nigeria Limited.

    Counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), had told the court that the defendants between May and December 2006 conspired to commit felony to wit: corruptly confering benefit on account of public action contrary to Section 98A (1) (a) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. C17, Laws of Lagos State 2003.

    At the resumed hearing on Monday, Babalakin, who was granted bail on self recognition, prayed the court to allow him sit outside the dock since he is an inner member of the bar.

    Lead counsel to the defendants, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who sought the relief prior to the commencement of the case, cited Section 210 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    He argued that Babalakin, as a SAN, “a lawyer of repute”, and under the law, as an accused may be allowed to “sit adjacent to the dock.”

    His submission was however countered by Jacobs, who insisted that the court must be careful, especially because the action will amount to an injustice against the second defendant, Okoh.

    Jacobs said, “We have to be careful, justice must be seen to have been done, not on the grounds of status of the defendant. If that application is granted, what about the other defendant, who is a banker.

    “The inner bar or the outer bar cannot be adjacent to the dock. That section only applies to when there is no dock. In construing the law, what is most important is justice.”

    In his ruling on the preferential treatment to Babalakin, Onigbanjo declined the request and insisted that he could only allow the defendant to be seated inside the dock.

    “Section 210 of the ACJ only applies to a witness on summons. It does not apply to this situation. The defendants have taken their plea. They are not here on summons,” said Onigbanjo.

    Monday’s proceedings were scheduled for hearing on three applications filed by the defendants, each of them represented by a team of defence lawyers.