BREAKING: Funke Akindele has been arraigned in court for violation of COVID 19 Lockdown Order

Popular Nollywood Actress Funke Akindele Bello has pleaded guilty to charges of violating the lockdown order by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The actress and her husband  were arraigned this morning Monday, 6th April, 2020 at an Ogba Magistrate Court in Lagos State.

This is coming after she hosted a birthday party for her husband, Abdulrasheed Bello popularly called JJC Skillz, over the weekend.

According to the Lagos Infection Diseases Regulations 2020, anyone who flouts the lockdown rule or is found guilty of hosting gatherings is subject to a jail term of one month or N100,000 fine.

The Regulation, in part, reads: “Where there is a violation of a closedown or stay-at-home order, security agencies shall have the power to arrest without warrant and may detain any person, who violates the closedown or stay-at-home order, for at least 48 hours."

Arrest of Judges: Court refuses to retrain Buhari, DSS, others

A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected an ex-parte motion seeking to, among others, restrain President Muhammadu Buhari, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and others from taking further actions against some Judges recently arrested by the DSS.

 

Justice Gabriel Kolawole, in a bench ruling on Friday, October 28, 2016, refused to grant ex-parte a request for an order restraining the defendants from re-arresting or taking any “untoward action” against five of the eight Judges’ whose houses were recently raided by DSS’ operatives.

 

The defendants are President Buhari, Director-General of DSS (Lawal Daura); the DSS; the Attorney-General of the Federation (Abubakar Malami), the Inspector-General of Police and the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The motion was filed by a lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje. He specifically sought an order of interim injunction restraining “the respondents, their agents, servants, privies, men, officers or anybody deriving authority from them by whatever name called from further arresting, intimidating, arresting, inviting, seizing or taking any untoward action against the arrested and affected honourable Judges and judicial officers pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”

 

He explained, in a supporting affidavit, that his motion was informed by his apprehension that the Judges could be charged in court before the conclusion of the substantive suit he filed, challenging the propriety of the DSS’ invasion of the Judges’ houses, their arrest and detention.

Justice Kolawole, after listening to Ogungbeje’s lawyer, Ayo Ogundele, argued the motion, said he must first resolve a number of issues, particularly the plaintiff’s locus standi, before making a pronouncement on the prayer as contained in the motion.

The Judge directed that the plaintiff’s motion on notice, seeking similar prayer,  be served on the respondents.

Justice Kolawole ordered President Buhari, Lawal Daura; the DSS; the A-GF and IGP  to appear in court on the next adjourned date (November 15, 2016)  to show cause why the interim restraining order sought by the plaintiff should not be granted.

 

The Judge ordered that the plaintiff’s motion ex-parte and on notice be served on the respondents and they shall be enti‎tled to respond within seven days of being served.

Ogungbeje had on October 14, 2016 filed the substantive suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/809/16, arguing that  the arrest of the Judges without recourse to the NJC was unlawful and amounted to humiliating them.

Ogungbeje, who sued on behalf of five of the Judges, who are still in service,  said the DSS operations violated the rights of Judges under sections 33, 34, 35, 36, and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

The Judges are Sylvester Ngwuta, John Iyang Okoro, Adeniyi Ademola, Muazu Pindiga and Nnamdi Dimgba.

The plaintif is seeking 10 reliefs including N50bn against the defendants as “general and exemplary damages” and N2m as cost of the suit.

Ogungbeje equally wants an order compelling the DSS to return to the Judges the sums of money recovered from them.

He also seeks perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from arresting, inviting, intimidating, or harassing the Judges with respect to the case.

The plaintiff is among others contending that the raid on the residences of the Judges and their arrest was unconstitutional.

He argued that the arrest of the Judges did not follow the law.

The plaintiff, in a supporting affidavit, stated that: “the 1st (President Buhari), 2nd (DG of DSS), 3rd (DSS), 4th (AGF), and 5th (IGP) respondents have no petition against the affected to the 6th respondent (NJC).

“The 6th respondent is the only body empowered by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to discipline Judges and judicial officers in Nigeria.

“The judiciary is an independent arm of government in Nigeria and separate from the executive and the legislature.

“This illegal and unconstitutional action by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents have been roundly condemned by the Nigerian Bar Association.

“The 2nd (DG of DSS), 3rd (DSS), and 5th (IGP) respondents carried out their action which brazenly infringed upon the rights of the affected five Judges without lawful excuse or recourse to the 6th respondent.

“The 2nd, 3rd and 4^th (AGF) respondents have no right under the law and and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to discipline, infringe upon the rights of the affected Judges.

“Due process of law has not been followed in the arrest, humiliation harassment and detention of the affected Judges by the armed agents and officers of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents

“The affected Judges have not committed any crime or wrong known to law to warrant their arrest, harassment, humiliation and detention, the forceful invasion and sieging of their residential houses and the forceful seizure and confiscation of their monies and properties without any court order.

“Due process of law were not followed and carried out by the 2nd, 3rd and 5th respondents before the arrest, humiliation, harassment, embarrassment, hounding, detention and forceful, seizure and confiscation of their monies.

“The officials and agents of the 2nd, 3rd and 5th respondents have threatened and vowed to continue to use to use unconstitutional means to arrest, humiliate, harass, pillory, hound, intimidate, and detain Hon. Judges and judicial officers of superior courts in Nigeria without recourse to the 6th respondent as the constitutionally recognised body to discipline erring Judges.”

CJN says Judiciary is under attack

 

 

The Chief Justice of Ni­geria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, has described the recent in­vasion of the official resi­dences of some senior court Judges in the Country and their subsequent arrest as an affront on the independence of the nation’s judiciary.

 

The Department of State Service (DSS) had on Oc­tober 7 and 8, swooped on seven judicial officers – com­prising two Justices of the Supreme Court and Judges of the Appeal and High Courts – in several States across the Country over alleged corrup­tion and professional mis­conduct.

 

In a statement issued yes­terday in Abuja by his Se­nior Special Assistant, Ms. Hadiza Sa’eed, the CJN con­demned this onslaught and decried the antagonism from members of the public that has trailed the plight of the judicial officers.

Justice Mohammed, who is also the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), flayed the call by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for the suspension of the embattled Judges from the Bench.

He appealed to all Nigeri­ans to continue to have faith and confidence on the Judi­ciary, adding that the face-off concerning the arrest of the Judges is only between the NJC and the DSS.

The Justice, who is on the verge of retirement, contra­dicted earlier news stories claiming that the NJC failed to act on the allegations against the affected Judges following formal reports for­warded to it by the DSS.

Mohammed insisted that the DSS at no time made any complaints to the NJC, which is empowered to sanction the judges. Even at that, the NJC had already sat on the cases of some of the judges, with varying degrees of sanctions recommended against them as provided by law.

While pledging the judi­ciary’s support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption, the CJN said no indicted judicial of­ficer would be shielded from the law.

He further declared that the judiciary is not on trial in this matter even as he point­ed out that the rule of law must be followed in meting out sanctions against erring officials.

The statement reads in part: “The Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria wishes to state in clear terms that the ‘sting’ operations carried out by the DSS on 07 and 08 October, 2016 was certainly an assault on the independence of the Nigerian Judiciary.

“Nonetheless, the Ju­diciary fully supports the anti-corruption drive of the President of the Federal Re­public of Nigeria, Presi­dent Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.

“The Nigerian Judiciary has never and will never shield any Judicial Officer who is found to be guilty of corruption, however, the Hon. CJN believes that due process and the rule of law must be followed.

“The Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria is in­deed deeply concerned by the rising antagonism over the recent arrest of our judicial officers and other is­sues pertaining thereto.

“Furthermore, it must be reiterated that the current misunderstanding is only between the National Judi­cial Council (NJC), which was established by the Con­stitution and the Directorate of the State Security (DSS), in the Presidency.

“Hence, we must em­phasize that the Judiciary continues to maintain cor­dial relations with the other arms of government, that is, the Executive and the Na­tional Assembly.

“The Hon. CJN reit­erates that the Nigerian Judiciary, as an Arm of the Government of the Fed­eral Republic of Nigeria, is not a party in this matter, nor is the Nigerian Judiciary on trial.

“On the call by President of the Nigerian Bar, A. B. Mahmoud (SAN), to sus­pend judicial officers whose residences were invaded and who were subsequently ar­rested and detained by the DSS, we believe that the call was unnecessary and hasty as the said Judicial Officers are still being investigated by the DSS.

“Furthermore, the DSS is yet to forward any com­plaint or any official com­munication regarding the seven judicial officers to the National Judicial Council.

“Indeed, some of the af­fected judicial officers have already been investigated by the NJC, which found some culpable and recommended their removal from office by dismissal or retirement to the president and respective governors as provided under the Constitution.

“While some are still be­ing investigated by the NJC, in respect of others, no com­plaint against them has been received by the NJC whose powers to suspend must be exercised in accor­dance with the provisions of the Constitution establish­ing it.”

Police recover 19 cars, SUVs from former IG Arase

 

A Special Investigation Panel has recovered 19 police vehicles from former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.

This is just as the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has called for rigorous investigation into the alleged purchase and distribution of vehicles by his predecessors.

This development followed ‎the discovery that retiring officers, including former IGs and Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, were in the habit of appropriating police vehicles for their personal use.

 

Some of the vehicles recovered from Arase include assorted sedans, Sports Utility Vehicles and pick-up vans.

The vehicles, it was learnt, were apart from the four vehicles he was entitled to take away with him on retirement, Punch reports.

A senior officer, who is familiar with the investigation, said the SIP was still working to recover five additional vehicles from the former police boss.

It was learnt that the SIP, headed by Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ali Amodu, (rtd.), had also recovered a number of police vehicles from other retired DIGs.

 

The recovered vehicles were said to have been distributed to newly promoted Commissioners of Police and AIGs.

The source said, “We are making progress in our investigations. We were able to trace 24 vehicles to the former IG and we have recovered 19 already. He has yet to release the remaining five, but we won’t let up until we recover all the vehicles. We have pictures of the vehicles and they have been documented, so he can’t deny it, the recovery is a fact.”

Arase had earlier denied taking away 24 vehicles when his successor, Idris, made the allegation during an interview with journalists on July 18, 2016, shortly after he assumed office.

Arase has denied the allegations of his successor, saying he did not go away with any police vehicle.

He said, “What am I going to do with 24 cars? Do I want to open a car shop? This is a malicious accusation. There are ways of verifying issues rather than engaging in media propaganda.”

Arase said all vehicles bought by the police under him were distributed to the state commands and other appropriate units of the Nigeria Police Force.

Fani-Kayode arrested again by EFCC

Former Director of Media and Publicity, campaign committee of ex President Goodluck Jonathan and former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, was, Friday October 21, 2016, re-arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, after he stepped out of a court room at Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, where he is standing trial.

Arrested Judges: Federal Government Approves Trial

 

The Federal Government is reported to have approved the prosecution of some of the Judges recently arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, over alleged corruption.

The DSS had invaded the homes of some judges  across the country between the late hours of October 7 and the early hours of October 8, 2016.

Those arrested include: Justice John Iyang Okoro and Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court; Justice Nnamdi Dimgba and Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja; Kabiru Auta, Federal High Court, Kano; Muazu Pindiga, Federal High Court, Gombe; and a former Chief Judge of Enugu State, Innocent Umezulike.

 

However, a source from the Presidency said that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation has approved the immediate prosecution of some of the Judges, adding that the trial would be carried out in phases and handled by the National Prosecution Council, NPC, which was recently inaugurated.

 

On the nature of the charges, the top official in the Presidency said, “The charges are generally for corruption, with an isolated case of illegal possession of firearms to be pressed against one of the Judges.

“The firearms were recovered from the home of one of the suspects by the DSS during the nocturnal raid on October 7, a development that had sparked national outrage.

“I can tell you that the National Prosecution Council will lead the prosecution of the suspects, while the Director of Public Prosecution in the Federal Ministry of Justice will coordinate the team.

 

“The charges were cleared from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation only yesterday and the suspects are certainly going to be charged to court any moment from now. The Federal Government is not deterred by the refusal of the National Judicial Council to suspend the suspects from office.”

Lagos: Ambode fires finance, transport, tourism Commissioners

 

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday October 19, 2016, sacked three of his Commissioners.

The affected Commissioners are Tourism-Mr Folorunsho Folarin-Coker; Finance-Dr. Mustapha Akinkunmi and Transportation-Dr. Ekundayo Mobereola.

The sack of the commissioners was contained in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello.

 

According to the statement, Ambode directed the Special Adviser, Arts and Culture to take over as the Acting Commissioner for Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

The Special Adviser on Transportation will take over as Acting Commissioner for Transportation, while the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance takes over as the Acting Commissioner for Finance pending the appointment of new Commissioners.