COURT THROWN OUT NO-CASE SUBMISSION FILED BY EL-ZAKZAKY

Kaduna State High Court has thrown out a no-case submission filed by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat.

El-Zakzaky and his wife are being prosecuted by the Kaduna State Government on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of the public peace.

Marshall Abubakar holding brief for foremost rights lawyer, Femi Falana, had on August 7 asked the court to dismiss the charges against El-Zakzaky and Zeenat.

He said the government had failed to “disclose an offence known to law contrary to Section 36 (8) and (12) of the 1999 constitution as amended” against his clients.

Delivering a ruling on the submission on Tuesday, Justice Gideon Kudara held that the application was premature and contravenes the Kaduna State administration of criminal justice.

He said a no-case application should be submitted after the accessed parties had taken their pleas and after the hearing of the matter had ended.

El-Zakzaky and his wife pleaded not guilty when the eight-count charge was read to them.

Justice Kudara adjoured the matter until November 18 and 19, 2020 for continuation of trial and to enable the prosecution counsel to present witnesses before the court.

 

AGBERO CAN'T BE BANNED IN LAGOS STATE THEY WERE OUR BROTHERS AND COUSINS~~OBAFEMI HAMZAT

Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of Lagos State, has said that ‘Agberos’ cannot be banned in the state because they were “our brothers and cousins”.

Hamzat, while speaking with journalists to commemorate his 56th birthday in Lagos, said the National Union of Road Transport Workers to which the touts belong, had the same legitimacy and backing of the law as the Nigeria Medical Association.

He said:

“We have all agreed that we live by the constitution and laws. The National Union of Road Transport Workers is actually a union recognised by law. I know some people say ban them, but the government must also be careful.

When you just say arbitrarily ban them, what stops you from saying I want to ban the Nigerian Medical Association? Do you understand? There are times government and NMA have issues; does that mean they should be banned? They are expressing their opinion.

“They might be wrong or right but they have the right to express those opinions. And then remember these people (NURTW) are Nigerians; they are our brothers and cousins. So, one of the things we have been telling them is that if you are the chairman in Ajeromi and we see that there are all sorts of contraventions in Ajeromi, we will remove you as a chairman. We are not banning your union but it means you are incompetent.

“So, that is the outcome of one of the meetings we had with them, that if there’s an infraction in any of the areas due to the executive in that area, then it should be dissolved. And then you know we complain about our society, why people fight on the road; we have all gone around the world and it is only here we see people fighting on the road and tearing clothes off themselves, why? That has to change, but changing that does not mean banning them.

“It is to make sure we find the time and interact with them, and say, ‘look this is how it works’. Remember during former (Governor Bola Ahmed) Tinubu’s administration when we started BRT; it was a tug of war, but we took the union to Colombia to see how the union there metamorphosed into owning the BRT and so a lot of those blue buses at that time were owned by the union.

“We said, ‘See you can send your children to school by this; this is a job you can say you are proud of.’ Surprisingly they paid back the loans for the buses quickly. The same thing is happening in the abattoir (business); people say they don’t want the machines, some of our brothers said it is un-Islamic that they want to kill the cow themselves. So, we went to Kenya and Tanzania and we saw Muslims killing in an automated way, and so they agreed. So, it is a matter of engaging people and letting them see the reason they need to change their attitude. That is our way of doing things, not just say put them away.”

 

EMIRATES SET TO FLY INTO NIGERIA AS UAE AGREE TO ISSUE VISAS TO NIGERIAN

Hadi Sirika@hadisirika tweets.....·UAE has written to state that they agree to issue visas to Nigerians, consequently decision has been reached to allow Emirates to fly into Nigeria. Commencement of the Visa issuance is condition precedent. Please bear with this unusual situation. Many thanks 🙏🏽🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🙏🏽

 

SANWO-OLU OPTED FOR A LOW KEY 60TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

The Lagos State Government has opted for a low key celebration of the 60th Independence Anniversary. .

Lagos State information commissioner Gbenga Omotosho disclosed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed that the planned parade and other activities that involve the gathering of more than 50 people should be cancelled.

“He congratulates Lagosians on this auspicious occasion and strongly advises that they should celebrate quietly at home and pray for the country,” Omotosho said. “They should also observe the COVID-19 protocols, including wearing of face masks to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

The governor urges Lagosians not to relax their vigilance against COVID-19 to avoid reversing the gains that the state has made in fighting the disease.

“They are to keep embracing physical distancing and washing of hands with soap and water. Anybody who feels unwell should stay indoors and contact health authorities,” Omotosho said.

“The police and other security agencies have been directed to ensure that nobody flouts these directives in the interest of all of us, especially now that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is warning that a second wave of the deadly disease could occur.”

 

QUEEN ELISABETH II CONGRATULATES NIGERIA @ 60

The Presidency on Wednesday said the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, has sent a message of felicitation to the President, Muhammadu Buhari , on Nigeria’s 60th independence holding on Thursday.

According to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled, ‘The Queen of England congratulates Nigeria on 60th independence anniversary.’

The Queen’s message conveyed by the British High Commission in Nigeria,read thus;

“It gives me great pleasure to offer my warmest congratulations on the 60th anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence, together with my best wishes for your country’s continued happiness and prosperity.

“The United Kingdom and Nigeria benefit from strong and enduring ties as Commonwealth partners through shared history and most importantly, our people. These are bonds that I hope and believe will flourish long into the future,” the statement quoted the Queen’s message.

Nigeria got her independence from Great Britain on October 1, 1960.

 

GOV.OYETOLA'S AIDE IN COURT OVER ALLEGED FRAUD INVOLVING $120,000.

The Office of the Inspector-General of Police has dragged the Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, Abdullahi Binuyo, to a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, over alleged fraud involving $120,000.

The case marked CR/975/2020 contains four charges of conspiracy, fraud, cheating and forgery.

Rimamsomte Ezekiel, a lawyer in the Legal Prosecution Section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department at the Force Headquarters, alleged that Binuyo in January 2017 in Abuja defrauded one Tunde Ajala and his company, BMA Nigeria Limited.

It was also alleged that he forged and signed as Hakeem Thanni for Ahad International FZC company in an investment agreement with BMA Nigeria Limited and Tunde Ajala.

The Oyetola aide was also alleged to have cheated Babatunde Ajala and his company BMA Nig. Ltd of $120,000.00.

The offences were said to be punishable under various provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and other related offences and the Penal Code Law.

SaharaReporters, however, gathered that political pressure was being mounted on the IGP, Mohammed Adamu, to drop the charges against Binuyo.

COUTESY;SAHARA REPORTERS

 

WOMAN BANKER JAILS 98 YEARS FOR FRAUD

Oreoluwa Adesakin,a former staff of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has been sentenced to 98 years in prison by Justice Muniru Olagunju of Oyo High Court for fraud.

 

A statement released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, said Adesakin was found to have committed financial fraud against her employers to the tune of N49,320,652.32 and an additional $368,203.00 belonging to the bank, which she converted to personal use.

 

She was prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 14-count charges bordering on stealing, forgery, and fraudulent accounting.

 

One of the charges read

“That you Oreoluwa Adesakin sometime between the months of May 2013 and November 2013, at Ibadan within the Ibadan Judicial Division, whilst being a staff of First Bank PLC stole the sum of N25,974,116.13 from First Bank PLC MoneyGram Payment Naira Account, the property of First bank PLC.”

 

She pleaded not guilty to all the charges, which necessitated her trial.

 

EFCC counsel, Usman Murtala, presented every vital document and witnesses which nailed the convict. The judge noted the EFCC amassed a pool of incontrovertible evidence against the convict and did a diligent investigation and prosecution.

 

He pronounced Adesakin guilty of all the charges, sentencing her to seven years in prison without an option of fine on each of the 14 counts, which will run concurrently.

 

Apart from the jail term, the convict is also to restitute the First Bank, through the EFCC, all the money she stole.

 

According to EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, Adesakin was arraigned April 4, 2014, by the EFCC following a conclusion of investigations against her which arose from a petition from her former employer, dated December 18, 2013.

 

The bank alleged in the petition that Adesakin, as its Money Transfer Operator, who was saddled with the responsibility of effecting payments through Western Union Money Transfer and Money Gram platforms, fraudulently manipulated accounting and withdrew N49,320,652.32 and another $368,203.00 for herself, which the bank only uncovered while reviewing its internal account.

 

The EFCC was also able to establish that Adesakin used part of the proceeds of her crime to acquire landed properties in different parts of Oyo State.