Author: Vardiafrica

The supreme court has dismissed an appeal filed by Aminu Sule Lamido, son of Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa state. The appeal had challenged the decision of the trial court, which convicted him for failing to declare $40,000 at an airport. Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Aminu on December 11, 2012, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, as he made to board a flight to Cairo in Egypt. The prosecution stated that Aminu declared $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), but was found to have an additional $40,000, which was not disclosed…

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, rtd, has warned state governments to steer clear of any proposed peace deal with bandits. Musa issued this warning in an interview with BBC Hausa, saying that the Federal Government has consistently advised all levels of government against negotiating with armed groups. Describing such arrangements as dangerous, counter-productive, and a threat to national security, the minister stressed that bandits cannot be trusted to honour any agreement. According to him, negotiations only embolden criminal networks, weaken military operations, and prolong insecurity. “The Federal Government’s position is clear. There would be no negotiated settlements, no…

Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja to represent President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration of President Mamadi Doumbouya of Guinea-Conakry. He is also scheduled to attend the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, following his participation in the presidential inauguration in the West African country. The Vice President will represent President Tinubu at the inauguration ceremony of President Doumbouya, following his election victory. The event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 17 January, at the GLC Stadium, Nongo, Conakry. Vice President Shettima’s attendance at the inauguration of President-elect Mamadi Doumbouya is considered…

The Supreme Court has ordered that the trial of former Jigawa Governor, Sule Lamido, his two sons, and others, over alleged ₦1.35billion fraud, should continue before the Federal High Court in Abuja. A five-member panel of the apex court issued the directive in two unanimous judgments, in the two appeals filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the trial court, which dismissed the no-case submission filed by the Lamidos and held that the defendants had a case to answer. Both appeals were against the July 25, 2023, judgments of the Court…

The Rivers House of Assembly has called on the state’s chief judge to set up a seven-member panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu. The assembly members, who made the call through a unanimous vote during plenary on Friday, vowed to continue with the impeachment process despite Mr Fubara’s alleged blackmail. “In line with section 188 Sub-section 5, we’ll forward a letter to the chief judge of Rivers state calling on him to immediately set up a seven-member panel to begin investigation of the allegations against His Excellency and deputy governor of Rivers…

Nnamdi Offia, counsel to Henry Omoile, co-defendant of Godwin Emefiele, ex-governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, has alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) asked his client to provide incriminating evidence against Emefiele. Offia on Thursday appeared before the special offences court in Ikeja, Lagos, as the defence witness in the trial-within-trial of Omoile. BACKGROUND Emefiele is standing trial on a 19-count charge bordering on receiving gratification and corrupt demands as CBN governor. Omoile is facing a three-count charge bordering on unlawful acceptance of gifts by a public officer. One of the prosecution witnesses had previously told the court…

Four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have withdrawn their earlier calls for restraint and reaffirmed their support for the impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu. Addressing journalists at a press conference on Friday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, the lawmakers said the governor had failed to show remorse over the allegations brought against him by the assembly. The state legislature had last week initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy last week, following the presentation of allegations of gross misconduct. The charges were read on the floor of the house by…

In a political development filled with symbolism and far-reaching implications ahead of the 2027 general election, Abubakar Atiku-Abubakar, the son of former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has formally defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), pledging to work for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu. Popularly known as Abba, the younger Atiku was received on Thursday at the National Assembly by Deputy President of the Senate, Senator BarauJibrin, alongside top APC leaders from the North-east geopolitical zone. Party leaders described the defection as a symbolic and strategic gain for…

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court in Maitama has struck out the criminal charge instituted by the federal government against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi central. Chizoba Orji, presiding judge, struck out the suit on Thursday following a notice of discontinuance filed by the federal government. At the court session, West Idahosa, counsel to Akpoti-Uduaghan, moved for the matter to be struck out following the prosecution’s application for discontinuance. He also prayed the court to release all documents belonging to the defendant and her sureties. The prosecution counsel did not oppose the application. Consequently, the case was struck out, and Orji…

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Thursday, January 15, unveiled an upgraded passport tracking system amid widespread complaints over processing delays. The update posted by the service on X on Thursday followed rising public clamour over delays in passport issuance and collection. According to the service, it had observed that hundreds of passports produced had remained uncollected, leading to increasing complaints from applicants. The updated system introduces a new status, “Produced (Passport produced, ready for collection)”, to the existing passport tracker. The feature is intended to give applicants clearer visibility on when their passports are ready for pickup or courier delivery, thereby reducing uncertainty…