The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Thisday

  • Court of Appeal sacks Thisday Dome

    •Orders its immediate vacation

    The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered Leaders and Company Limited operators of the popular events center – Thisday Dome – in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to vacate the land on which the centre is erected.

    A three-man panel of the court, in a judgement on June 15, ordered Leaders and company to yield possession of the land measuring measuring 1.73 hectares and situated at and known as Plot 702 Cadasral Zone A00, on which Thisday Dome is erected, to Abuja Investments Limitedý (AIL)  with immediate effect.

    The judgment was on the appeal filed by Leaders and Company challenging the decision of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory delivered on May 26, 2014 which  directed the AIL to take possession of the said events center.

    The Court of Appeal, in a unaninous decision read by Justice Abubakar Datti Yahaya,  held that the appeal lacks merit and accordingly dismissed it.

    Justice Yahaya said: ”There is no doubt that the appellant (Leaders and Company Limited) has gone to the length it had, only to continue to keep using and occupying the premises of the respondent, fully knowing that it is not so entitled. The sooner we realise in this country, that business should be done substantially in good faith, the better for us.

    “This entails honouring agreements entered between parties so that peace and development would be the end result. This is one case that should not have gone to court at all. This appeal lacks merit in toto and I dismiss it, with N100,000 costs to the respondent against the appellant” he declared” he stated.

    Justice Yahaya noted that”it is clear from the record that ýthe respondent had led documentary and oral evidence in support of its case.

    “The tenancy agreement was clearly for a fixed period and definite period of two years and it had expired without proof by any party, that it had been renewed, when, by who and on what terms.

    “There was no evidence led by the appellant, satisfactorily establishing that it had paid all the rents due and had vacated and delivered up the ýpossession of the premises to the respondent.

    “It has been shown that the statutory notice of owner’s intention to recover the premises had been duly served on the appellant which had not filed any application to challenge it.

    “In the circumstance, the trial court had properly evaluated the evidence led before it, had applied the law correctly, and had arrived at the correct conclusion.

    “There is no feature in it that would warrant interfering with the judgment since it is the duty of the trial court to evaluate the evidence and make primary findings of facts. When correctly done, an appellate court cannot interfere,” Justice Yahaya said.

    Other members of the three-man panel that heard the appeal – Justices Tani Yusuf Hassan and Joseph E. Ekanem – agreed with the lead judgment.

    AIL, through its lawyer,  Chief Chris Uche (SAN), urged the Court of Appeal to grant it immediate possession of the property and compel the appellant to pay it  N39,495,429.30 being arrears of rent for half of the two-year term, still unpaid to it by the Leader and Company and the N3,291,285,77 per month as mesue profits from May 1, 2007 until possession is given up.

    AIL contended that the lease agreement entered into by the two parties for a fixed period of two years expired on August 31,2009 to May 1,2011 for  N78,990,858,50, which the appellant failed to pay at the expiratýion of the tenancy agreement.

  • Salaries: NUJ vows to disrupt Thisday’s anniversary celebration

    Salaries: NUJ vows to disrupt Thisday’s anniversary celebration

    The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has threatened to disrupt the 20th anniversary celebration of Thisday Newspapers if the management failed to pay the outstanding salaries of the organisation’s journalists.

    A statement by the National President of NUJ, Waheed Odusile, on Friday in Lagos said that the publisher of Thisday, Mr Nduka Obaigbena had been notified.

    It said that if the management failed to effect the payment by 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, the union would disrupt the organisation’s 20th anniversary celebration.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the anniversary celebration is scheduled to hold on Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The statement said that the letter sent to Obaigbenna on Wednesday, noted that the action would take place with the full backing of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.

    It said it was particularly pained that Obaigbena had reneged on his promise after assuring the NUJ leadership of the payment.

    “There is no going back on the disruption of the company’s 20th anniversary celebration except the flamboyant publisher pays his workers by 2 p.m. on Friday,’’ it added.

  • Ex-ThisDay director endorsed for Senate

    Ex-ThisDay director endorsed for Senate

    Over 30 political organisations in Edo State have endorsed the aspiration of former Executive Director, Marketing, of ThisDay, Mr. Erhabor Emokpae, for the National Assembly.

    Emokpae is contesting for the Edo South senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Others aspirants for the seat are: Jim Adun, Patrick Obahiagbon and Samson Osagie.

    The groups said they supported Emokpae’s aspiration because they wanted real changes based on integrity and personality.

  • Prosecution tenders ‘items used’ in bombing media houses

    Memories of the April 26, 2012 bombing of three media houses in Kaduna were relieved on Tuesday before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    It was at the resumed trial of Mustapha Umar, a suspected Boko Haram member, charged with terrorism related offences over the explosion which partly damaged the building -SOJ Plaza – occupied by Thisday, the Sun and the Moment, on Kontagora Road.

    The prosecution, led by Simon Labaran, brought burnt remains of a Honda car, marked Kaduna: AL 306 MKA; 12 gas cylinders and a partly burnt black 25Litre jerry can, allegedly used by Umar in his purported attempt to blow-up the building.

    At about 11.30am, the presiding Judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, parties to the case, court officials and others came down from the court room located on the fifth floor of the Federal High Court building to inspect the items brought onto the foot of the building’s main entrance.

    Prosecution witness number Eight, who had spoken about the items, while testifying in the court room, identified them, following which the court admitted them in evidence as exhibits MU7 to 18(the cylinders), the jerry can as MU19 and the car as MU20.

    Earlier in his evidence, the witness, who wore mask, to conceal his identity, said as at the time of the incident, he was an Exhibit Keeper at the Sabon Gari Police Station, Kaduna.

    He told the court how the items were given to him for safekeeping after they were retrieved by the police, from the scene of the incident.

    The prosecution also called two other witnesses- a police bomb disposal expert and an Assistant Police Commissioner, who said he interviewed Umar and made a video recording of the interview session.

  • How alleged bomber of ThisDay, Sun, Moment was captured, by witnesses

    How alleged bomber of ThisDay, Sun, Moment was captured, by witnesses

    The Federal Government yesterday called four witnesses as it opened trial in the case involving Mustapha Umar, accused of being the mastermind of the April 26, last year’s bombing of a building occupied by three media houses – ThisDay, the Sun and the Moment – in Kaduna.

    The witnesses gave details of how Umar drove a bomb-laden Honda car unto the wall of the building known as SOJ Plaza; how he was captured while trying to escape after allegedly killing three people and how the police saved him from being lynched by a mob.

    Before the trial began yesterday, Justice Adeniyi Ademola granted an aplication by the prosecution barring people, other than parties in the case, their lawyers, journalists and law students on court attachment, from witnessing proceedings..

    The judge also ordered that witnesses in the case should be protected with their identity, names and other particulars kept secret. In view of the orders, the four witnesses hid their faces by wearing mask.

    The first witness, who was identified as Ismael told the court how the accused drove a car ladden with explosives into the building.

    He said although the car didn’t explode, the accused allegedly killed three people when, in a bid to escape, he threw one of the explosives into the crowd.

    Ismael said: “I was passing along Kontagora Road, Kaduna when I saw people gathered. I moved closer to inquire what was going on. I saw a Honda car very close to the wall of the building. I saw about two people trying to rescue the accused from inside the vehicle.

    “He was alone, sitting on the driver’s seat. Thinking he was invoved in an accident, I joined in an attempt to rescue him. The moment we brought him out, he started shouting: ‘I have brought bomb to this premises. It can explode any moment from now.’

    “By then, the size of the crowd had increased. They started beating him, asking him to go and remove the bomb. And he told them if they remove it, it will explode,” the witness said.

    He told the court how he and others were later able to invite, first some policemen from the Sabongari police station, before other security personnel arrived at the scene.

    The witness, who was led in evidence by lead prosecution lawyer, Simon Labaran, added that some moments later, the accused, who was held by some members of the crowd, went close to his car and brought out what looked like a fire extinguisher.

    “Because the crowd was outside the premises, he threw the fire extinguisher and we heard a loud sound. Three people died on the spot, one of them was on Okada (motorcycle). “Unfortunately for him, as he was trying to scale the fence, some youths, who had gathered, apprehended him. By this time, he has sustained injuries and was bleeding. We later handed him to the police.”

    He said moments after the accused was taken away, some youths set the vehicle on fire, during which the explosives exploded. “About 4pm, when the police came to remove the burnt vehicle, I saw about 12 camp cylinders inside the vehicle. There were three in the front, three in the middle and six in the booth. They were neatly wired to the steering of the vehicle,” the witness said.

    On cross-examination by defence lawyer, Nureni Sulaiman, the witness maintained that the accused caused the death of three persons. The second prosecution witness, who said he was the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) at the Sabongari Police Station when the incident occured, corroborated the first witness’ statement that the accused killed three people by allegedly throwing an object like a fire extinguisher into the crowd.

    He said their mission at the scene of the incident was to ensure security and rescue the accused person.

    He admitted also seeing the camp cylindres inside the accsued perspns’s vehicle.

    The third witness, who said he was qually serving at the Sabongari station as at the time of the incident, told the court how he was directed by his Divisional Police Officer (DPO), who he met at the incident’s scene, to take the accsued person to the Police Medical Centre for treatment.

    He said although he had taken the accused person to his station, his DPO called to direct that Umar be taken to the hospital.

    The fourth witness, an Assistant Police Commissioner and medical practitioner, told the court how he helped stabilised the accsued person, who was brought to the police medical facility “conscious, but confused.”

    Explaining the condition in which he met the accuxed person, the medical expert said “I went to the Accident and Emmergency Room, where I saw the accused person. He was soaked in is own blood After examining him, I niticed he had injuries on his hand and head. He was later stabilised. Initially when he was brought in, he could not talk,” the witness said.

    The trial resumes today at 11 am.

    Sent from my BlackBerry wireless

  • Thisday: Court rebuffs moves to bar reporters

    The Federal Government yesterday made a failed attempt to bar reporters from covering the trial of Mr. Mustapha Umar, the man charged with allegedly bombing Thisday, The Moment and The Sun offices in Kaduna.

    Umar at the last sitting refused to take his plea because he had no lawyer to defend him.

    But at the court’s sitting yesterday, he was represented by Messrs Felix Umai and Mohammed Umar of Manga Chambers in Abuja.

    The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge.

    The court was, however, stunned when the prosecution counsel, Mr. Simon Labaran, moved an oral application for a closed door trial.

    He brought the application pursuant to Section 31(3) of the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011, which, according to him, is to protect the interest of the public and the witnesses in the course of trial.

    The defence counsel did not object to the application.

    But the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, who expressed reservations over the application, said the media could not be barred from the proceedings because the matter was of public interest.