Sahara Reporters Latest News Saturday 13th April 2019
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 13/04/19
Read also
target=_blank>EFCC Knows I Didn’t Spend Kwara Election Funds, Says Belgore
Dele Belgore in Lagos Federal High Court, Ikoyi
Muhammad Dele Belgore, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) facing criminal trial for his alleged involvement in the 2015 presidential election, says the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) knows he did not use the funds released for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential election campaign in Kwara for personal expenses.
Belgore said this while giving testimony in his own trial before Justice Rilwan Aikawa sitting at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday.
The embattled lawyer said he gave the anti-graft agency all the information about who got what share of the money and the purpose it was meant for “as a matter of helping their investigations”.
He reiterated that the funds were meant to execute the PDP presidential campaign in Kwara.
He said at no time did the EFCC interview any of the people he had mentioned to ascertain the claim that he disbursed any money to them.
He said: “I deny the charges/counts in their entireties. The information that I gave to PW 2 (EFCC prosecutor) in my statement as to those who took possession, disbursed, and used the N450m which is the subject of these charges, was never pursued by PW 2,” Belgore said during cross-examination by his counsel, Ebun Sofunde (SAN).
“(The PW2) had information of who took the money and what it was used for and he did nothing about it. So I totally denied count one to nine. I told EFCC these persons were the ones who disbursed them. EFCC never interviewed any of these persons to confirm whether I ever gave them any money. My exhibit did state the names of those who collected the money from the bank but I never said I disbursed any money.”
Belgore reiterated that his only link to the money was his signing for its arrival at the bank as the Kwara State coordinator for the PDP/Goodluck Jonathan Presidential Campaign.
He denied making any cash payment to anybody, saying the N450m was disbursed by representatives of the party who had been mandated to do so.
He added: “As the coordinator, I merely facilitated the receipt of the money (from the bank) to ensure that the funds are used across the entire 16 LGs of the state. A list was then drawn up in which each LG was named, the amount allocated to each LG based on their size, number of polling units and so on, and against each LG, two persons were nominated to collect money from the bank on behalf of the LGs. I then collected that list and it was sent to PW1 (Bank Manager) the next day Friday morning and payments were made to those persons. I was not there. That was Friday March 27. I wasn’t there to make any payment to anybody.”
The last two hearings saw the full footages of the March 26 and March 27 transactions of the bank being played in the open court. Neither of the footages showed Belgore collecting the funds.
Claiming the money was a proceed of an unlawful act, EFCC had alleged that Belgore and Suleiman collected the N450m and disbursed same without going through the bank, an action the agency said violates the money laundering law.
Belgore and Suleiman denied all the charges.
Further hearings in the case have been adjourned to May 6.
Corruption
CRIME
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Court Remands Company MD In Prison For ‘Trading In’ Adulterated And Substandard Engine Oil
Cajetan Chike Muonagolu, a businessman, has been remanded in prison custody by Justice Saliu Saidu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.
He pleaded not guilty to a four-count charge bordering on dealing in adulterated and substandard engine oil.
The court admitted Muonagolu to bail in the sum of N50million with two sureties in the like sum.
While ruling on his bail application, the judge ordered his remandment pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
One of the sureties must be a civil/public servant not less than Grade Level 15 in the employment of the Federal or Lagos State Government while the other must be the defendant’s relation with landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.
The court ordered that both sureties must deposit their passport photographs with the court while Muonagolu must deposit his international passport with the court Registrar.
The prosecution and the Court Registrar are to verify the sureties’ address.
Arguing the bail application on Thursday, defence counsel Goke Olagunlehin, holding the brief of Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), urged the Court to grant his client bail.
The SON prosecution team of Babatunde Alajogun and Adeleke Olofindare opposed the bail application on the ground that Muonagolu committed another offence during the pendency of the case.
Alajogun said Muonagolu broke and removed the official seal of SON and evacuated 15, 000 cartons of suspected adulterated/substandard engine oil which SON put on hold.
He also allegedly assaulted and beat up SON officials in the course of their lawful duties.
The court ordered the counsel for the prosecution and defence to visit the warehouse to ascertain the breaking of the seal or otherwise.
The matter was adjourned to May 20, 2019 for commencement of trial.
The Federal Government charged the defendants with four counts of production, possession, dealing in and distribution of substandard engine oil.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In the charge, the defendants are accused of committing the offences at ASPAMDA Trade Fair Complex, Lagos Badagry Expressway Lagos State between December 12 and 13 2018.
They were accused of being in possession of 15,000 Cartons of adulterated Prime Plasma, Prime ATF and Stanley brand of engine oil which they present as being of quality.
The offences contravene Section 3 (6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, CAP M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section 26 of Standards Organisation of Nigeria Act, 2015.
Part of the charge reads: “That you Cajetan Chike Muonagolu and Richbon Nigeria Limited of Plot 242, Oshodi Apapa Express Way , Odolowu Bus Stop, Lagos on or about 12/13 December 2019, while at ASPAMDA Trade Fair Complex, Lagos Badagry Expressway Lagos State Lagos State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did indulge in dealing in adulterated/substandard engine oil to wit: 15,000 Cartons and 60,00 pieces of Prime Plasma, Prime ATF and Stanley brand of Engine oil which is not of quality, substance nature or efficacy which the seller represented it to be and thereby commit an offence punishable under Section 1 (18)(ii) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, CAP M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”
“That you Cajetan Chike Muonagolu and Richbon Nigeria Limited of Plot 242, Oshodi Apapa Express Way , Odolowu Bus Stop, Lagos on or about 12/13 December 2019, while at ASPAMDA Trade Fair Complex, Lagos Badagry Expressway Lagos State Lagos State Lagos State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fail to comply with the Standards Organisation of Nigheria’s Conformity Assessment Programe (MANCAP) to wit; dealing in and having in possession of: 15,000 Cartons of Prime Plasma, Prime ATF and Stanley brand of adulterated/substandard engine oil”.
SON recently undertook a nationwide raid on suspected adulterated and substandard lubricants in response to a myriad of Consumer complaints and failure of engines occasioned by suspected substandard engine oils.
The arraignment of Muonagolu and his company, Richbond Nigeria Limited, follows other ongoing prosecution of standards infractions in relation to adulterated and substandard engine oils in Lagos and other parts of the country.
Business
Corruption
Legal
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Native Of Anambra, Raised In Sokoto… Nigerian Lady Breaks 100-Year Record At Indian University
Stella Emelife Chinelo, a 2012/2013 First Class Graduate of Chemistry from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, has emerged the best graduating student from a Master’s degree from University of Mysore, India with a Final Grade Point (FGP) of 9.623%.
By this feat, the 29-year-old Anambra native who was raised in Sokoto, has broken a 100-year-old academic record at the university.
Stella’s historic performance earned her 20 gold medals and five cash prize awards at the 99th convocation of the Indian university.
Stressing the import of Stella’s performance, the management of the University of Mysore said: “This is perhaps the first time in the recent years that a foreign student has bagged so many gold medals.”
Back at her alma mater in Nigeria on Friday an excited Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, Vice Chancellor of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, who was speaking at the combined 35th, 36th and 37th combined convocation awards of degrees, diplomas and certificates of UDUS, said academic excellence and standard remain the focus of the institution.
He expressed the belief that any of the current crop of students and graduands could replicate the young Chinelo’s sterling academic performance “by remembering that learning is a lifelong endeavour and its key ingredients are observation, thinking, consultation and decision making”.
Speaking further on the general performance of students at the combined convocation, Zuru said that for the first time since inception, the university was producing a female first class student in physics.
He said the name of the record-breaker is Zainab Abdullahi Bashir from Katsina State, with a CGPA of 4.81 in the 2017/2018 academic session.
Students from other departments with similar impressive academic grades were listed as: Okeke Obinna Kingsley B. of Forestry with CGPA of 4.81 in the 2015/2016 session, Andullahi Saminu Mujammad B. of Fisheries with a 4.84 CGPA in 2016/2017 session and Ojo Suleiman Adebowale who graduated in 2017/2018 session from the Department of Mathematics with a 4.91 CGPA.
Education
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
E2%80%94-five-things-know-about-nigerian-assemblys-n1395bn-budget target=_blank>‘Public Projects, Secret Costs’ — Five Things To Know About Nigerian Assembly’s N139.5bn Budget Released By Saraki
The Nigerian National Assembly
Bukola Saraki, Nigeria’s Senate President, announced the release of the National Assembly’s 2018 budget months after the other arms of government had already had their budgets scrutinised and approved by the legislature.
The Senate President on Friday said the National Assembly took the step “in accordance with the commitment of the leadership of the 8th National Assembly to accountability and transparency”.
The budget contains the summary of spending activities of the legislative arm for the budget year 2018, which will expire by June 2019.
But, what did SaharaReporters discover about the budget? Five of them below.
1. N1bn Service-Wide Vote
Seriously?
The National Assembly introduced a N1 billion service-wide vote in the 2018 budget, a deviation from what was presented as the 2017 budget.
Ben Akabueze, Nigeria’s Director-General of Budget, had previously explained service-wide vote as contingency provisions, which amounts are not fully determined and expenditure not specific to any particular agency.
Therefore, contingencies ought to have been specified since the budget was released towards the end of the 2018 budget cycle. A breakdown of what the service-wide vote was used for would be a further step towards accountability and transparency.
2. N10billion Increase In Recurrent Expenditure
There was an increase of over N10 billion in the recurrent expenditure on the 2018 budget. In 2017, the legislative arm spent a total of N109,668,407 768 budgeted for recurrent expenditure, compared to the N119,785,052,705 budgeted for 2018. This increment is due to additions to both personal and overhead costs of the different offices in the assembly.
For instance, there was an increase of over N2 billion of the Senate’s overhead cost, as well as an addition of over N3 billion for “General Services”.
Well, a N10billion raise in just one year is suspicious, but fingers crossed. Who knows, in his next tweet, the Senate President may show evidence of staff/equipment cost increase.
3. Increase In Capital expenditure
There is also about N4 billion increase in the capital expenditure. In 2017, N14,940,196,063 was budgeted compared to N18,569,804,041 in 2018 budget. This, expectedly, increased the total budget cost which was N 125,000,000,000 in 2017 to N139,500,000,000 in 2018.
4. Ongoing Projects But Rising Costs
All the projects listed under capital expenditure for the National Assembly Office are tagged ‘ongoing’ but their costs have substantially increased from the 2017 budget. In 2017, N657,394,022 was budgeted for purchase of “motor vehicles”, same as in the recent budget.
However, N132,805,776 was added for the purchase of furniture and fittings, just as N132,805,776 was added to purchase for rehabilitation/repairs of office building that had cost N100,000,000 in 2017.
5. Projects Without Cost
The costs of all the projects, except for those listed under the Capital Expenditure for the National Assembly Office, were omitted. This makes it difficult to know how many the lawmakers are spending on particular line item. This is a step backward from the 2017 budget which was more detailed.
Why make public a budget document if the costs of projects would still remain secret?
Money
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Atiku Ineligible To Contest Presidential Election Because He Wasn’t Born A Nigerian, APC Tells Tribunal
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in the 2019 presidential election, should have been ineligible to contest in the first place because he is not a Nigerian, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said.
APC made this argument in its reply to the 139-page petition filed by Atiku and his party before the presidential election petition tribunal in Abuja.
In the reply, filed by Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), its lead counsel, the party said Atiku was born in Jada, now Adamawa State but then in Northern Cameroon as of his birth in 1946, and is therefore a citizen of Cameroon.
It accused the PDP of fielding a non-Nigerian as its candidate, and also faulted the competence of the petition.
APC urged the tribunal to dismiss PDP’s petition for incompetence, arguing that Section 131(a) of the Constitution stipulates that a person must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth to be qualified to contest for the office of the President.
“Atiku is not a citizen of Nigeria by birth and ought not to have even been allowed in the first place to contest the election,” it said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared President Muhammadu Buhari, candidate of the APC, winner of the election for polling 15,191,847 votes against Atiku’s 11,262,978 votes.
However, Atiku and the APC are claiming that from the data in INEC’s server, Atiku actually polled a total of 18,356,732 votes while Buhari recorded 16,741,430.
Elections
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Featured Image
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Akeredolu Signs MoU With Member Of Dubai Ruling Family To Develop Deep Sea Port In Ilaje
As part of his move to develop the proposed Deep Sea Port in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of the state, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Private Office of his Highness, Sheikh Dalmook Al Maktoum, who is a member of the Dubai ruling family.
Akeredolu signed the MoU on behalf of the state government as he seeks collaboration with the United Arab Emirates in developing Ondo State and widening its investment horizon.
Akeredolu was invited on Thursday to meet with the Dubai Secretary for Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economy UAE, Abdulla Ahmed Al Saleh to discuss opportunities and potential to tap in developing Ondo.
He and his team were also invited to meet with Sheikh Maktoum and the Dubai Port Authority team on the Portondo and the bigger economy of the state.
It was at the end of the successful meeting that Akeredolu signed a deal for development of the proposed Deep Sea Port in the coastal area of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, the government having already completed a feasibility study.
The feasibility study prepared by the MTBS led by its Managing Director, Netherlands, Chime Asonye, and the firm’s project leader, Willem Slenderbroek, has been forwarded to the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA)
The Governor had mentioned during a courtesy visit of the Araromi Obu in Council that the NPA team would soon be in the state for assessment, after which the port declaration will be done.
In accordance with the terms of this MoU, the parties have expressed their intention to collaborate and work together on other business opportunities including setting up new conventional, renewable and hybrid power projects, including the potential to re-power existing power plants.
Other objectives of the MoU include exploring the potential to develop oil blocks and strategic storage terminals, developing cashless solutions for internally generated revenues (IGR) on direct assessment, and any other projects of mutual interest.
Economy
International
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>From Engine Problem To Bird Strike, All 11 Times This April That Boeing 737-800 Could Have Crashed
On Sunday, March 10, 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines flight took off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia en to route Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, but crashed just six minutes later, killing 149 passengers and eight crew members aboard.
The incident was the second of the kind involving the same model of aircraft. A previous incident occurred on October 29, 2018, when a Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed in Indonesia after 12 minutes in the air, killing the 189 people on board. This time, the tragedy led to a shutdown on Boeing 737 Max by a host of countries.
What many don’t know, though, is that there have been a series of scares, according to aviation tracking website The Aviation Herald, involving one other Boeing model, the 737-800, since the March 10 incident, some of which are profiled below:
April 03, Amsterdam, Netherlands
A Transavia Boeing 737-800, registration PH-HZL performing flight HV-6109 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Malaga, SP (Spain), had just levelled off at FL350 about 100nm south of Amsterdam in the vicinity of Brussels (Belgium) when the crew decided to return to Amsterdam after consulting with dispatch and maintenance over a problem with the equipment cooling. The aircraft landed safely back on Amsterdam’s runway 18R about 55 minutes after departure.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 1.5 hours, then departed again and reached Malaga with a delay of 2.5 hours.
April 04, Vancouver, Canada
A United Boeing 737-800, registration N76519 performing flight UA-618 from Vancouver, BC (Canada) to San Francisco, CA (USA), was en route at FL390 about 230nm north of Sacramento, CA (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Sacramento due to an engine (CFM56) problem. The aircraft landed safely in Sacramento about 45 minutes later.
The remainder of the flight was cancelled. The aircraft remained on the ground in Sacramento for about 9 hours, then positioned to San Francisco.
April 05, Cologne, Germany
An Eurowings Boeing 737-800, registration D-ABMV performing flight EW-592 from Cologne (Germany) to Palma Mallorca, SP (Spain) with 152 people on board, was climbing to FL370 out of Cologne about 90nm southwest of Cologne when the crew stopped the climb at about FL368 and initiated a rapid descent to FL250 due to a wheel well indication.
The aircraft returned to Cologne for a safe landing about 55 minutes after departure. A replacement Airbus A319-100 registration D-AGWO reached Palma Mallorca with a delay of seven hours. The occurrence aircraft was still on the ground about 11.5 hours after landing.
April 05, Hamburg, Germany
A Eurowings Boeing 737-800, registration D-ABKN performing flight EW-7520 from Hamburg (Germany) to Barcelona, SP (Spain) with 174 people on board, was en route at FL370 about 30nm southwest of Stuttgart (Germany) when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Hanover (Germany) due to a failed instrument display. The aircraft landed safely in Hanover about 90 minutes after departure.
The plane was replaced, and it departed again after about 2 hours on the ground and reached Barcelona with a delay of about 3.5 hours.
April 06, Bagdogra, India
A Spicejet Boeing 737-800, registration VT-SGH performing flight SG-462 from Bagdogra to Chennai (India), was climbing out of Bagdogra in thunderstorms when the aircraft received some hail strike. The crew continued the climb to FL380 and continued to Chennai for a safe landing.
The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 42 hours after landing.
April 07, Chago, USA
A United Boeing 737-800, registration N27205 performing flight UA-848 from Chicago O’Hare, IL to Orlando, FL (USA), was climbing out of Chicago’s runway 09R when the crew stopped the climb at 15,000 feet, reporting they were unable to retract the landing gear.
They would maintain 250 KIAS and would return to Chicago. The aircraft landed safely back on Chicago’s runway 28C about one hour after departure.
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N35236 eventually reached Orlando with a delay of 2.5 hours.
April 07 Tenerife, Spain
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-EMA performing flight FR-654 from Tenerife Sur Reina Sofia,CI (Spain) to Glasgow Prestwick,SC (UK), was climbing out of Tenerife’s runway 07 when the the captain stopped the climb at FL250 after the first officer had become ill and became incapacitated. The captain returned the aircraft to Tenerife Sur Sofia Reina for a safe landing on runway 07 about 45 minutes after departure.
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 2 hours, then departed again with a replacement first officer and reached Prestwick with a delay of 2:40 hours. The airline reported the first officer became ill shortly after departure, the captain returned the aircraft to Tenerife where medical services took care of the first officer.
April 07, Miami, USA
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N810NN performing flight AA-318 from Miami, FL (USA) to Saint Kitts (Saint Kitts and Nevis) with 166 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Miami’s runway 08R when the aircraft received a bird strike prompting the crew to stop the climb at about 5000 feet and return to Miami for a safe landing on runway 09 about 12 minutes after departure.
The FAA reported the aircraft received unknown damage, there were no injuries. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N894NN reached Saint Kitts with a delay of 3.5 hours.
April 08, Singapore
A Biman Bangladesh Boeing 737-800, registration S2-AHV performing flight BG-85 from Singapore (Singapore) to Dhaka (Bangladesh) with 99 people on board, was enroute at FL380 about 140nm southeast of Chittagong (Bangladesh) when the crew decided to divert to Chittagong due to the failure of the left hand engine (CFM56).
The aircraft landed safely on Chittagong’s runway 05 about 40 minutes later. The occurrence aircraft was still on the ground in Chittagong about 10 hours after landing.
April 9, Frankurt, Germany
A TuiFly Boeing 737-800, registration D-ATYI performing flight X3-6102 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Hurghada (Egypt), was en route at FL350 near Podgorica (Montenegro) when NATO command launched two Italian fighter aircraft (Eurofighters) to intercept and identify the aircraft, that was not in contact with ATC at that time.
The fighter aircraft intercepted the Boeing, identified the aircraft, and the Boeing crew was able to restore contact with ATC after which the fighter aircraft returned to their base. The Boeing continued to Hurghada for a safe landing about 2:40 hours later.
Italy’s Air Force reported they were dispatched by NATO Command to intercept a TuiFly Boeing over Montenegro, which had lost radio contact with ATC.
April 09, Petrozavodsk, Russia
A Pobeda Boeing 737-800, registration VP-BPS performing flight DP-281 from Moscow Vnukovo to Petrozavodsk (Russia), was on final approach to Petrozavodsk’s runway 19 when a dog “occupied” the runway prompting the crew to initiate a go around. The aircraft positioned for another approach and landed safely on runway 19 about 12 minutes later after the dog had been removed from the aerodrome.
The Ministry of Transport of Karelia, responsible for the airport operations, opened an investigation into the occurrence.
International
Travel
News
AddThis
:
Featured Image
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>REVEALED: Nigerian Widow Executed In Saudi Arabia Carried Drugs In Her Private Parts
Kudirat Afolabi, the Nigerian widow and mother of two executed in Saudi Arabia, carried drugs on her body, including her private parts, it has been revealed.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Relations and the Diaspora, made the revelation on Friday while spekaing with NAN.
According to Dabiri-Erewa, the clarification became necessary so as to educate the public on the circumstances leading to the execution of the Nigerian.
Afolabi was executed alongside two Pakistani men and one Yemeni man, bringing the total number of people killed by Saudi Arabia this year to 53.
There had been attempts, especially on social media, to link Afolabi’s fate with the activities of a drug syndicate operating at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, which specilizes in planting drugs in the baggage of unsuspecting travellers.
But Dabiri-Erewa said Afolabi did not belong to the list of seven who are suspected to have fallen victim of the four-man gang of hard drugs-planting syndicate.
“There are some people caught in Kano, but those they allegedly gave the drugs to are yet to face trials in Saudi,” she said.
“What we can now do is to prevail on the Saudi authority that those people awaiting trials in their country are among the victims of the Kano syndicate. If Nigeria can do this, through National Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigerian mission in Saudi Arabia, they might not even be charged to court.”
On the widow, she said: “Ms Afolabi was one of those drugs were found on their bodies. They were 20 in number. They are the ones on the death roll, as drugs were found on their bodies, including their private parts.
“In their case, the Saudis do not appear to waste so much time on them. What is on social media that the lady could have been saved was incorrect. There was no way we could have done that. She was found with drugs on her body; just like the other 20.”
Afer Afolabi’s execution, it was revealed that another Nigerian, Saheed Sobade, was facing the prospect of death in Saudi Arabia after being nabbed with 1,183 grams of cocaine powder in Jeddah, a Saudi Arabian port city on the Red Sea and gateway for pilgrimages to the Islamic holy cities Mecca and Medina.
The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Nigeria responded to widespread criticism of Afolabi’s execution by insisting that all legal and judicial procedures were observed.
“It is well-known for all those interested in travelling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that the penalty for drug trafficking is the death sentence and the said sentence is applied on all persons convicted without any exceptions, as long as the evidence is established against them, and this is conveyed to every person prior to his trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” it said.
CRIME
International
News
AddThis
:
Featured Image
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Court Strikes Out Adebayo Shittu’s Suit Against APC Over Exclusion From Oyo Gov Primary
A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has struck out the suit filed by Adebayo Shittu, the MInister Of Communications, against his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) on the exclusion of his name from the list of gubernatorial aspirants in the 2019 general election over his failure to present his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
The Oyo State chapter of the ruling party prevented Shittu from participating in its primary election because he skipped the mandatory one-year NYSC after his graduation from the Obafemi Awolowo University in 1978.
In her ruling, Justice P. I. Ajoku held that the case was struck out due to the fact that Shittu did not file the case within the time stipulated by law.
“I must first consider the provision of the Section 285 of the constituion that makes it mandatory for all pre-election matters to be filed within 14 days of occurence,” she said.
“This particular case was not fixed within 14 days but outside the date. Therefore, I will not bother going into merit of the case. Having failed to satisfy the dictates of the constitution, the matter is hereby struuck out.”
Reacting to the verdict, Adebayo Ojo, the defence counsel, said that the law had taken its due course.
Legal
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Court Fails To Continue With Babachir Lawal’s Fraud Trial
The trial of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and three others over alleged N544million fraud has been halted becauseof trial judge did not show up in court.
Lawal is facing charges of corruption. He was indicted for allegedly using his companies to get contracts worth millions of naira without executing the contracts.
He was arraigned, together with Hamidu David, Suleiman Abubakar and two companies Rholavision engineering Ltd and Josmon Technologies Ltd on a 10-count charge bothering on conspiracy and fraud.
He was removed from office after he was indicted by a Senate committee which investigated the management of money meant to assist persons displaced by Boko Haram.
However, Babachir and his alleged accomplices pleaded not guilty and were granted bail in the sum of N50million.
On March 18, following the ammendment of the charge by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commisssion (EFCC), the court adjourned the case to April 11.
However, the court did not sit for the proceeding due to the absence of Justice Jude Okeke, the trial judge.
Following the consensus of both the prosecution and defend counsel, the court fixed May 23 as a new date for the hearing of case.
Legal
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
You can also check
