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  • JUST IN: Customs begins online auction of seized vehicles, goods

    The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has commenced electronic (online) auction of contrabands, including exotic cars of different brands seized from smugglers in Imo/Abia and Edo/Delta commands.

    Controller of Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Owerri, Comptroller Kayode Olusemire, who made the disclosure while conducting newsmen round the latest seizures made in the zone, l said that the auction, which will be done through the internet will be conducted every Monday and Wednesday for the next one month.

    According to him, interested members of the public can log into the internet designated website and select any of the items listed on the purchase list.

    The Controller also disclosed that among items to be auctioned electronically were Rolls Royce cars, Mercedes, Toyota and vehicles of different makes and other intercepted contraband.

    He stated that the recourse to online sales of seized goods is to make the process as transparent as possible.

    Read Also: Customs housing: Dikko, others for trial from May 23

    Some of the latest seizures, according to Olusemire, were eight exotic cars with duty paid value (DPV) of N161 million, over 1,000,572 bags of rice with DPV of N31 million, fake drugs, including cannabis saliva, tramadol, codeine and spices with foreign names.

    Some of the rice, he said were neatly concealed in two silos belonging to Dangote Group of Companies and plastic tanks.

    He wondered why smuggling still thrives, especially rice, despite all the efforts put in by the Federal Government to encourage rice production.

    The Controller solicited the cooperation of the public to tackle the smuggling menace, warning that any attack on Customs men in the course of their duty attracts the death penalty.

  • Kano: GPN candidate withdraws petition against Ganduje

    The governorship candidate of Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) Abdulkarim Abdussalam has withdrawn his petition against Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

    In an eight paragraph statement, dated May 17th, counsel to Mr. Abdussalam, Ibrahim Sa’ad said the petition was withdrawn to allow peace reign in Kano state.

    He cited Section 1 (a) and (b) of Electoral Act to withdraw the petition.

    Mr. Abdussalam had earlier filed a petition before the tribunal challenging the victory of Governor Ganduje in the last governorship election.

    Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Muhammad granted the request of Mr. Abdussalam’s counsel and struck out the petition.

    With this development, the tribunal has only one governorship case between PDP candidate, Abba Kabir-Yusuf and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to deal with.

    Meanwhile, Chairman of Kano State Election Tribunal, Justice Halima Mohammed, on Wednesday, warned journalists covering the tribunal that she will treat any form of misreporting with contempt.

    According to her, as the fourth Estate of the Realm, Journalists should aspire for balanced report.

    At the inaugural sitting of the governorship Election Petition Tribunal at the Kano state high court complex, Kano, Justice Mohammed, assured a level playing ground to all political parties to present their case before the tribunal.

    Similarly, she warned that the tribunal will not tolerate the use of technicalities from counsels to stultify speedy dispensation of justice.

    “To the members of the fourth Estate of the realm, we expect balanced reporting, where necessary, as any form of misreporting, which has the tendency of heating up the polity, will be interpreted, as a tacit hovering within the precinct of contempt.

    “Election petition being sui generis (that is being time bound) and guided by its own peculiar rules of procedures, unlike the regular cases, the tribunal shall therefore not tolerate the employment of technicalities to stultify speedy dispensation of justice, as we do not intend to be caught up in the web of expired petition, due to effusion of time,” she said.

    Also, Justice Muhammad, called on the Kano state Attorney- General and Commissioner of Justice, Ibrahim Mukhtar to use his office to guide the bar to adhere to the ethics of the profession.

    Read Also: New emirates have come to stay, says Ganduje

    She added that the tribunal expects the state Chairman of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to also partner, with the Attorney General to ensure decorum and good conduct of counsels during court proceedings.

    “To the police, DSS and other paramilitary agencies, involved in the provision of security for the tribunal, we expect that you be on the alert and exercise due diligence in the execution of your duties.

    “To the members of the political parties, the tribunal having guaranteed a level playing ground, we do not expect anyone to heat up the polity by doing acts that may be inimical to the security of the tribunal and its members,” Justice Muhammad warned.”

    On his part, the Chairman of Kano branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Musa Lawan, assured of maximum support and cooperation of counsels to the tribunal.

    Furthermore, she advised other counsels to work, with the tribunal and avoid any act that will derail or delay the administration of justice.

    In his remarks the Kano state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Ibrahim Mukhtar, assured of a secured environment to the tribunal during and after the session.

    He promised that the tribunal will strengthen the security and democratic system in Kano state by providing opportunity to parties to present their grievances, which emanated from the last gubernatorial election.

    He said the composition of the tribunal, consisting of two female judges will serve, as an inspiration to large number of female lawyers in Kano, that with hard work, sky is their limit.

  • Breaking: N20m alleged fraud: ex-NBA chairman collapses in court

    There was a mild drama at an Ikeja Special Offences Court on Wednesday as a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Adesina Ogunlan collapsed in the dock during arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Ogunlana collapsed, when the EFCC prosecution, Samuel Daji, asked the trial judge, Justice Mojisola Dada, to remand him in prison custody after he pleaded not guilty to a 30-count charge alongside other defendants.

    Though his state of health is not known, his colleagues rushed to lend helping hands and was subsequently offered a seat while the prosecution counsel and the defence counsel argued his bail condition.

    The EFCC had arraigned Ogunlana, for alleged stealing and money laundering alongside his predecessor, Yinka Farounbi and immediate past treasurer of the association, Aderinola Kappo.

    According to the charge, the three defendants collectively allegedly stole a total sum of N20 005, 000 belonging to the association.

    They were alleged to have committed the offence between 2016 to 2018 by converting the said amount to personal use.

    EFCC alleged that the money was paid into Ogunlana’ s First bank account through issuance of cheque ‘ without authorisation’.

    The prosecution informed the court that the offences are contrary to Sections 278(1) (b) and 285(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, No, 11,2011, Conspiracy to commit felony to wit. Stealing contrary to Section 409 and 285 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State No. 11. Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

    The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them by the EFCC.

    Following their not guilty plea, the prosecution counsel led by Samuel Daji urged the court to remand the defendants in prison custody pending the court’s ruling on their bail application.

    Daji said: “We urge the honourable court to grant us accelerated hearing in this matter and also to remand the defendants in the prison custody.

    Read Also: FG withdraws military from Apapa traffic management

    “My lord the first and third defendants are flight risk. They jumped the administrative bail granted them by the EFCC and the third defendant even gave us the address of the house she has left two-years ago and the landlord is also looking for her.

    “They were supposed to be reporting at the EFCC office every Friday but they didn’t comply.

    “These defendants have also been threatening our witnesses as well as operatives of the EFCC by agents of the first defendant.

    I urged the court to remand the defendants accordingly, after all, governors are being kept in prison custody. There is no big man in where to keep defendants.”

    The defence counsel, Mr. Akin Olatunde, however, urged the court to grant the defendants bail on liberal term.

    ” We literally fought the prosecution to prosecute this matter and they have been coming to court since Monday.

    “The court is at discretion to admit the defendants to bail after their arraignment. The essence of bail is for defendants to be present in court. They are responsible personalities who are ready to come for the trial anytime as demonstrated in their coming since Monday,” Olatunji said.

    After listening to both parties, Justice Dada granted bail to the defendants as requested.

    The judge said: I have considered the case of the matter and considering the fact that the defendants are ex-officials of the Nigerian Bar Association, the court will be granting them a temporary bail.

    Justice Dada ordered the defendants to submit their international passports to the court registrar pending the determination of Thierry bail condition.

    She thereafter adjourned the matter till June 3, 2019, for hearing of bail application and opening of the prosecution case.

  • Police arrest 25 suspected cultists, kidnappers in Bayelsa

    The police in Bayelsa State on Wednesday said tough times awaited kidnappers, cultists, armed robbers and other criminals following a formal launch of a new crime-fighting strategy, Operation Puff Adder (OPA).

    Launching the operation at the state police command in Yenagoa, the Commissioner of Police, Uche Anozia, said already 25 suspects had been arrested for various criminal activities through the applications of the new operational strategies.

    He said the suspects were arrested for kidnapping, cultism, armed robberies and other violent crimes adding that some of the cases were in court with the suspects remanded in prison custody.

    Anozia said seven locally-made revolver pistols, 28 localły-made single-barreled pistols, four-locally-made double-barreled guns, two AK47 fabricated rifles and one beretta pistol were recovered from the suspects.

    The police boss further disclosed that 23 .9mm live ammunition, 50 live cartridges and 48 7.62mm live ammunition were retrieved from the suspects.

    He said the achievements were possible following tremendous support and cooperation of traditional rulers, Police Community Relations Committees (PCRC), Community Development Committees (CCDs), Civil Society Organisations and other partners.

    Read Also: Police confirm release of kidnapped FRSC officials in Osun

    Explaining OPA, Anozia said it was initiated by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar to tackle cases of banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes across the country.

    He said in compliance with the IGP’s directive, the state command set up a special squad comprising 170 gallant officers and men to officially launch OPA in the state.

    He said members of the OPA team were selected from the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), State Intelligence Bureau (SIB), Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Anti-Cultism/Kidnapping Unit and Anti-Bomb Squad.

    He said: “The operation is designed to source actionable intelligence to confront and annihilate criminals and mop-up illegal arms from unauthorized individuals. The squad will conduct intelligence-driven raids on criminal hideouts targeting cultists, armed robbers and kidnappers among others.

    “In addition, drug abuse is one of the major factors that fuel crime. This operation will target locations where illicit drugs are sold and consumed, confiscate and arrest the outlaws with a view to bringing them to justice.

    “This operations will engage community leaders and youths in periodic meetings to find lasting solutions to the challenges of crimes in the society. The police will also utilize non-state security actors such as vigilante groups, community development committees and youth bodies to establish functional community partnership”.

    The police boss added: “I hereby warn all criminals in Bayelsa State to either shun crime entirely or alternatively flee the state because the command under my leadership will do all within its power to purge the state of all criminal elements”.

  • Updated: Fire razes BRT bus in Lagos

    A Bus Rapid Transport bus was on Wednesday burnt beyond recognition on third mainland bridge in Lagos State.

    The incident which resulted in a heavy traffic gridlock on the bridge had officials of the Lagos fire service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) at the scene to put out the fire and also manage the traffic.

    It was gathered that the bus caught fire just after Adeniji Adele axis of the bridge while heading towards Iyana-Oworo.

    The Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, via its Twitter handle confirmed that the fire started around 9:30 a.m.

    Fola Tinubu CEO of Primero Transport Services Limited, the company in charge of the BRT buses, told The Nation the situation was in control, adding that the bus was rolled to the depo.

    Read Also: Kidnapped Christ’s School alumnus regains freedom

    He said the bus was coming from TBS and heading to Ikorodu, noting that investigation will be carried out to ascertain facts and the cause.

    “What we are trying to do now is to find out the cause of the incident and to make sure it does not happen again. Nobody was injured, nobody died and we are thankful for that. We will find out what caused it and ensure that it does not happen again.”


    He said the driver who was the only one in the bus walked out unhurt. “He was the only one in the bus, so he was able to come out quick, he was not injured, he is fine.

    “There is no call for fear in taking BRT, we have been operating for years, we will put in our best to find out what caused it and it will not happen again.

    “The LASEMA, LASTMA and fire service officials were on ground and I thank them for the good job well done.”

    The Lagos State Fire Service Public Relations Officer, Bola Ajao said a BRT Bus EKY 88XR caught fire on the third mainland bridge.

    “The fire started from the engine compartment and burnt the vehicle beyond recognition. Only the driver and motor boy inside the bus. The name of the driver is unknown. The bus was coming from Obalende and going to Berger.”

  • CCT: Absence of Bayelsa Speaker, 4 others stalls arraignment

    The absence of the Speaker of Bayelsa House of Assembly, Kombowei Benson at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on Wednesday in Abuja, stalled his arraignment on alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office charge.

    Owudogu Edward, a serving Clerk, of the assembly and Koroye Stephen, serving accountant of the assembly were present in the court.

    Former Clerk of assembly, Aaron Timiye and former Accountant, Thomas Tamaraodubo, facing similar charges were also absent.

    Chairman of the tribunal, Mr. Danladi Umar, adjourned the matter until June 18 for the definite arraignment of the suspects.

    Read Also: Tension in Bayelsa INEC over alleged arrest of REC, others

    The tribunal on May 14, fixed May 22 for arraignment of the suspects.

    The offence bordered on gross misconduct and abuse of office.

    The offences are punishable under paragraph 18 (1) and (2) of the same constitution, and Sections 13 and 23 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act CAP C15 LFN 2004.

  • Breaking: Buhari directs Ministers to hand over by May 28

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday directed all outgoing ministers to handover their portfolios on the 28th of May, 2019.

    He gave the directed during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) valedictory session at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Noting that the valedictory FEC meeting was the last for the outgoing cabinet before the inauguration of his second term on the 29th of May, he said they should continue working in their capacity till Tuesday 28th of May, 2019.

    Read Also: I’ll step up action against drug traffickers – Buhari

    Handover notes, he said, should be submitted to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

    The President noted that the ministers have served the nation well in their contributions in the past three and half years.

    All the 31 ministers in the Council chamber took turns to thank the President for finding them worthy of the appointment in the past three and half years.

    Details shortly…

  • 14-yr-old girl ‘gang-raped’ shuns palliative intervention

    Some details have emerged of a 14-year-old girl in the Adamawa State capital, Yola, who was camped in a room by three men who all slept with her over one night.

    The girl, identified simply as Rabi, a resident of a community in Yola called Sangere, had paid a visit to another part of the city named Rumde, where he complained of a need of money to a man who told her he would ‘do something about it’.

    The man later materialized with two other men who together took her to a house where they all had her in the course of the night, according to an activist, Hauwa Garba, who narrated the story to newsmen.

    Hauwa who took the matter upon the auspices of an NGO, Equal Access Nigeria, said she was alerted to the case by some youths. “I went out to identify the girl and to rescue her,” she said, adding that although a medical test conducted on the girl indicated no infection, she was experiencing pain as a result of the gang sex and had to be given some drugs.

    In a further interview with our correspondent on Wednesday, Hauwa said although the ‘gang-rape’ was done behind closed doors, the matter came into the open after the girl complained of it to her brother, probably because of the pain she felt.

    Read Also: ‘How I was drugged, gang-raped at hotel’

    She expressed regret, however, that prosecution of the case was proving difficult because the girl’s family objected to police involvement and the girl herself was averse to anything that would prolong the matter.

    “After investigation, I came to realize that she was not raped in the strict sense of force. I discovered that she is in juvenile prostitution. She agreed to sleep with those three men for the N2,000 which she needed. And after letting me take her to hospital for the test that was carried out on her, she has been avoiding me. She is afraid that I want to stop her from prostitution,” she said.

    She reiterated that it was a bad case, explaining, “She indeed agreed to the men sleeping with her for the N2,000. She had her agent among the three men. Its the agent who called the other two men. The agent had been connecting her with men periodically for money. I am pained, still, because she took herself to a man because she needed money, but she ended up being used by three men, just for N2,000.”

    Hauwa Garba is treating the case through sensitization, “by enlightening the people and making them realize that if they don’t treat this case with concern and discourage it, it could happen to someone in their own household, their daughters could become a victim.”

    She identified ignorance as a factor in the case. She said, “The fact of the girl being a minor is not sufficiently recognized by the three perpetrators and even the girl herself. I fear that if she continues in her acts, it’s dangerous. She is just 14. What will happen if she continues till she is 20? Will she be able to ever get out of it? So, I want to see how I can rehabilitate her and to enlighten other girls on the dangers of prostitution that they take as a life style.”

    An Adamawa State Senior Counsel and member of the Federation of Women Lawyers, Barr Lubman Muhammad, who spoke on the matter, said Rabi being less than 18 years of age made what happened to her a gang-rape.

    “It was rape, in the first place because her consent was unduly obtained. She consented because she needed the money,” the lawyer said, and quoting Section 260, Subsection 1(e) of the reversed Penal Code Law of Adamawa State 2018, Bar Lubna said the girl was under 18 years and the men were wrong to have slept with her whether she consented or not.

  • Breaking: Contempt of court: Sen. Izunaso narrowly escapes prison

    Sen. Osita Izunaso, the third defendant in the ongoing certificate of return suit filed by Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo, narrowly escaped being sent to prison on Wednesday.

    Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja said that Izunaso ought to have been remanded in prison for putting up an attitude before the court which could best be described as “rascality of the highest order”.

    At the resumed hearing of the matter, the judge announced that he received an affidavit of facts filed by Izunaso that he had an application at the Court of Appeal for stay of proceedings in the matter.

    While all counsel to the defendants prayed the court to honour the said application for stay of proceedings, Okorocha’s counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, urged the court to dismiss it because it was incompetent.

    Read Also: Alleged N15b fraud:  EFCC kicks as Okorocha seeks ex parte order to stop probe

    Having listened to submissions from all counsel in the matter, the judge then asked the court registrar to ask Izunaso to stand in front of the court in order to listen to his ruling properly.

    The judge in his ruling held that putting the name of a presiding judge as one of the parties to be served a court process filed at the Court of Appeal was scandalous and embarrassing and showed that Izunaso had no respect for the court.

    “The motion filed at the Court of Appeal where my name is recorded is before me, tagged as exhibit c, attached to the third defendant’s affidavit of facts.

    “The third defendant is also before me so I have jurisdiction over him summarily, if that was not sufficient, he deposed to an affidavit that the motion was duly served on me.

    “This is only to ridicule the court and lower the esteem of the the judge in the eye of the public as if the judge is a party in the matter.

    “This shows the level of disregard Izunaso has for the court which is established by the constitution.”
    Continue on Page 2

  • Election petition: INEC tenders documents affirming AbdulRazaq as Kwara governor-elect

    .Tribunal did not order INEC to produce AbdulRazaq certificate, say counsel

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday tendered two documents before the Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.

    The documents which are ECAD and ECAE forms contained the results of the election across the 16 local government areas and declaration of results for the office of the governor of the state.

    INEC added that the documents affirmed that All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq was the winner of the election.

    Tendering the document at the resumed sitting of the tribunal on the pre-hearing session, INEC counsel Rowland Otaru (SAN) told the tribunal that “those are the documents we have now at this pre-hearing session. Every other document will come in during the real trial.”

    Speaking with reporters at the end of the sitting, Mr. Otaru said: “The documents I tendered today are forms ECAD and ECAE to show that Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq was duly the governor of Kwara state in the March 9th, 2019 elections. It is to show to the whole world that he was duly elected.

    “The tribunal did not at any time, order INEC to produce the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate of Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. On our own side, the documents we pleaded were used for the conduct of the election. The onus lies on the petitioner to verify the genuineness of his certificate.

    “The governor-elect has pleaded his certificate which is very genuine. There is nothing like falsification of result or whatever. They are there. They are public records. It is not something to be hidden. The documents the governor-elect tendered met the requirements of the law.”

    Corroborating the senior advocate of Nigeria AbdulRazaq, Salman Jawondo discountenanced the allegation that court ordered INEC to produce AbdulRazaq WAEC result in court on Wednesday.

    “You see PDP and its client came to court to challenge the authenticity and genuineness of our client’s certificate. It is for them to prove it. The tribunal cannot assist anybody neither would they expect us to assist them to produce what they have pleaded that they said is Razak AP. That is the bottomline in this case. If they cannot produce any certificate with Razaq AP that is the end of the matter,” Jawondo added.

    Read Also: May 29: AbdulRazaq promises low-key inauguration

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Abdulrazak Atunwa are challenging the genuineness or otherwise of the WAEC certificate of Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq at the tribunal.

    Earlier, Counsel PDP and its governorship candidate, Kingsley Odey did not object to the tendering of the document.

    Mr. Odey informed the court that he intends to call up maximum of five witnesses, adding that one will be a document expert and the other will be subpoenaed from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC)
    office.

    Counsel to AbdulrRazaq, H.O Afolabi promised to call seven witnesses, adding that the tribunal has the powers to streamline and limit the number of witnesses to call.

    He urged the tribunal “to be kind enough to let us work within the timeframe allocated. That is my supplication. This is the best approach through which I can ventilate the defence of my clients.

    INEC counsel was in alignment with him, stressing that “this is the best way to manage and save time. I promise to cross-examine all the PDP witnesses in one day.”

    Counsel to APC Chief Yomi Aliyu said he intends to call two witnesses during real trial.

    Pre-hearing conference continues on Thursday for the streamlining of trial timetable.