Businessman sues acting CJN over ‘falsification’ of age

Tochi Michael, a 46-year-old businessman, has sued Ibrahim Muhammad, acting chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), over alleged age falsification.

In a suit filed at a federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Abuja in April, Michael alleged that the acting CJN intentionally doctored his date of birth from December 31, 1950, as stated in all his official records, to December 31, 1953 after he became a judicial officer.

In the case with suit no. FCT/HC/BW/CV/79/2019, the businessman asked the court to determine whether such act did not constitute a criminal act of perjury, falsification and forgery.

Michael asked the court to determine if by allegedly falsifying his date of birth as a judicial officer, Muhammad has not violated the constitution of country.

He also asked the court to determine if the acting CJN has not violated the code of conduct for judicial officers and as as a result reduced the image of the judiciary to a state of disrepute and odium.

The petitioner also asked the court to declare that Muhammad falsified his date of birth and has consequently breached the constitution of the country.

Michael’s prayers also include an order for the inspector-general of police (IGP) to prosecute the acting CJN for perjury.

Sam Ologunorisa, counsel to Muhammad, told the court that Michael and his counsel were absent, asking the court to dismiss the suit.

“We on our part filed a notice of preliminary objection, a counter affidavit and a written address. We urge the court to deem it fit that the originating summon has been argued,” Ologunorisa said.

“We urge the court to dismiss the suit. The case is meant to scandalise the CJN.”

Danlami Senchi, the presiding judge, said another opportunity would be given for the businessman to appear before the court to prove the allegation.

Senchi, therefore, adjourned the case till Friday and ordered hearing notices be served on the plaintiff.

- THECABLE

YAHOO BOYS : EFCC nabs 8 in Lagos, seizes cars

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, has arrested eight suspected fraudsters for an alleged involvement in internet crime.

A statement by the commission on Tuesday listed the suspects as: Adesanmi Abiodun, Olasupo Emmanuel, Segun Amudah, Aina Oladipo and Babatunde Olawuyi.

Others are: Oluwaseyi Emmanuel Fagbemiro, Felix Onyebuchi and Abdulazeez Ismaila.

The suspects were arrested on Tuesday in Forthright Estate, Magboro area of Lagos State.

“Their arrest followed intelligence report received by the Commission”, the statement added.

“Items recovered from the suspects include exotic cars, phones and laptops.”

The suspects will soon be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

- DAILY POST

PL : Chelsea ordered to pay Conte £9million

Chelsea have been ordered to pay former manager Antonio Conte £9million in compensation, the UK Mirror reports.

Conte, who won the Premier League and FA Cup during his two years in west London, has been embroiled in a bitter divorce from the club.

The Italian was sacked last summer and engaged in a legal fight with the Blues, citing unfair dismissal.

The former Juventus boss, who has held off taking another job during the past 12 months, wanted the final year of his contract paid in full.

Now, a three-person Premier League managers’ Arbitration Tribunal, has ruled in favour of Conte.

However, if Chelsea refuse to accept the Tribunal’s ruling, then the judgment can be challenged in the High Court.

- DAILY POST

2 Internet fraudsters bag 6 months jail term, forfeit property

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, on Tuesday secured the conviction and sentencing of two Internet fraudsters, Temitope Samson and Uduogwu Freeborn Eboagwu, to six months imprisonment each before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State.

The convicts were arraigned on an amended two-count charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents containing false information, an offence contrary to Section 318 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State No. 11 of 2011.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Temitope Samson, on or about the 14th day of March, 2019 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, had in your possession documents containing false pretence with the heading “Google Account Profile” , wherein you falsely represented yourself as Kaliyah Salius, which representations you knew or ought to know, having regards to the circumstances of the case, that the document contains false pretence.”

Another count reads: “That you, Uduogwu Freeborn Eboagwu, on or about the 14th day of March, 2019 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, had in your possession documents containing false pretence with the heading “Devoted”, wherein you falsely represented yourself as Fred Fernando, which representations you knew or ought to know, having regards to the circumstances of the case that the document contains the false pretence.”

The defendants pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against them by the Commission.

In view of their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel, Joy Amahian, urged the court  to convict and sentence them according to the Criminal Law of Lagos.

However, counsel to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, saying, “My Lord, they are first time offenders and will never go back to Internet fraud, if given an option of fine and/ or community service.”

- PM NEWS

Fuel pricing: Oil marketers make fresh demand, blast NNPC

The Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPMAN) says the rise in landing cost of petroleum products has renewed calls for full deregulation.

The body also blasted the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for “monopoly” and high cost of petrol it sells to marketers.

Executive Secretary of the group, Mr Olufemi Adewole, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos, that deregulation of the downstream remained the best option as the ongoing subsidy by the NNPC was not sustainable.

Adewole said that as private marketers continued to stay on the sidelines in terms of petroleum products importation, depot owners had reiterated the need for the Federal Government to fully deregulate the fuel market.

He said that NNPC had been the sole importer of petrol into the country for two years and that private oil marketers stopped importation due to shortage of foreign exchange and increase in crude oil prices, which made the landing cost of the product higher than the official pump price of N145 per litre.

According to him, if fully deregulated, it will also help the government to use the subsidy money to develop other sectors.

The DAPPMA scribe, however, lamented NNPC’s decision to sell Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to them at N117 per litre, admitting that the price was not only outrageous but not cost effective.

He added that the N111 per litre price, which NNPC was selling fuel to them was at an insignificant margin, wondering what would happen when the state-run oil firm had increased the price to N117.

Adewole said NNPC’s monopoly of fuel importation had compounded their woes.

He said: “By the time depot owners, who are mostly marketers, add other costs incurred in the course of buying fuel from NNPC and later sell the product at the pump price of N145 per litre to consumers, they will be left with little or no profits.

“More worrisome is the fact that NNPC controls fuel importation, a development which has compelled marketers to sell the product at a particular price. That is the situation we find ourselves in.

“We are praying for solutions to problems inhibiting the growth of the industry, especially the downstream sub-sector,’’ Adewole said.

He said, NNPC sold fuel only to depot owners, who had Pro-foma Invoice, a development which implied that any depot owner or marketer, who does not have a Pro-foma Invoice would not be able to buy fuel.

He said diesel price was deregulated, noting that marketers were selling the product at between N220 to N230 per litre.

“No depot owner or marketer, he said, can say he or she is making profit under the new price regime.

“More worrisome is the fact that NNPC controls fuel importation, a development which has compelled marketers to sell the product at a particular price, that is the situation we find ourselves in,” he said.

Adewole, admitted the fears expressed by depot owners over the new price regime.

According to him, the fears stemmed from the fact that depot owners made very little profit because of the current price system.

- DAILY POST

YAHOO JUDICIARY !! EFCC reacts to orders stopping probe of Saraki, Okorocha, moves against judge

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has kicked against court orders stopping it from probing Sena

The EFCC, in a letter to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, accused Justice Taiwo Taiwo, who made the orders, of bias.

In the letter by EFCC’s Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, the commission requested the transfer of the cases from Justice Taiwo

Magu also prayed the Federal High Court Chief Judge to also transfer all cases involving the EFCC from Justice Taiwo’s court.

His letter reads: “Your lordship, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is the 4th defendant in the respective cases stated above which are pending before Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo of your lordship’s court.

“The commission respectfully requests your lordship to re-assign the above-stated cases and all other cases pending before Honourable Justice O. Taiwo in which it is involved to other judges of your lordship’s court.

“This application has become very necessary because of the commission’s lack of confidence in his lordship’s impartiality to dispense justice in any matter concerning it.

“Particularly more worrisome is that the said orders were made ex parte contrary to the acclaimed judicial depreciation of abuse of ex parte orders by court’s and Rule 3.5 of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which states: ‘A judicial officer must avoid the power of issue interim injunctions ex parte.”

He said the EFCC was conducting investigation on “allegations of corrupt practices by the Senate President, Olubukola Saraki, whilst as the Executive Governor of Kwara State and also as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“It is also investigating Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the outgoing Executive Governor of Imo State for the same allegations of corrupt practices as the Executive Governor of the state.”

Magu recalled that Justice Taiwo had in the past “demonstrated obvious bias against the commission” in a matter involving former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose.

“On June 24, 2016 the EFCC applied and secured an interim freezing order from the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division wherein his Lordship, Hon. Justice M.B. ldris ordered the Manager of Zenith Bank Plc to freeze bank accounts numbers 1003126654 and 9013074033 among others operated by Mr Ayodele Foyose pending the investigation and possible prosecution of the criminal case involving the accounts.

“Your Lordship, Mr. Ayodele Foyose subsequently instituted another suit in suit number. FHC/AD/15/2016 at the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti Judicial Division praying the court for an order directing the EFCC and Zenith Bank Plc to wheeze and make operational the said accounts.

“Shockingly, His Lordship. Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo, despite being aware of the pendency of the mower before Honourable Justice M .B ldris and his said order which were duly brought to his notice, proceeded to set it aside, thereby sitting as an appellate court over the decision of a court of coordinate jurisdiction.

“It was, however, not surprising that the Court of Appeal, on appeal, held that Honourable Justice Toiwo O. Taiwo ought not to have done what he did.

“The judgment of the Court of Appeal in the appeal no. CA/EK/8C12017. EFCC V MR. AYODELE FAYOSE is attached 03 Annexure E.

“Furthermore, when the commission was conducting investigation on acts of corruption allegedly perpetrated by some officials of the Ekiti State Government. the Attorney General of the State filed suit no. FHC/AD/CS/32/2016 against it and other persons.

“His Lordship, Honourable Justice Toiwo O. Taiwo, on January 30, 2018 in his judgment in the said case no. FHC/AD/CS/32/2016 granted wholesale all the eight reliefs sought by the plaintiff in the suit which included perpetual injunctions restraining Ekiti State officials , Ekiti State House of Assembly and banks in which the accounts of the Ekiti State Government were maintained from disclosing or making available to it any document, financial statement or information relating to the public funds and accounts of Ekiti State.

“This undoubtedly frustrated its investigation. A copy of the said judgment is attached as Annexure F.

“Though the commission is not by any means positing that His Lordship, Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo should always decide cases in its favour, even when it does not deserve it. the trend of His Lordship shows unbridled bias against it which has made it difficult for it to believe in His Lordship’s impartiality.”

- DAILY POST

Court orders EFCC to seize 6 houses, 3 filling stations belonging to suspected Kaduna oil thieves

Justice M.T.M Aliyu of Kaduna State High Court, sitting in Kaduna has ordered a temporary forfeiture of six houses and three filling stations, believed to be proceeds of economic sabotage, forgery and theft of petroleum products to the federal government.

The judge gave the order while ruling on a ex-parte motion brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC against some suspected Kaduna-based oil fraudsters.

The EFCC alleged that the affected properties were proceeds of crime by some independent oil marketers and oil depot representatives, who conspired with some staffs of the PPMC/NNPC Kaduna Depot to illegally lift petroleum products.

The affected oil marketers and oil depot representatives are: Abdulkadir Mohammed Salihu, Nurudeen Abdullahi Musa, Husseini Ahmed Abdulkarim, Ahmed Adamu, Yusuf Olaide Rauf, Ahmed Sa’ad Yerima, Agbo Otache and Bala Ibrahim.

It was further discovered that Salihu, who is a sales assistant in the Kaduna Depot and Musa, an employee of Softech Computers Limited, the consultants engaged to develop and maintain a billing software for the PPMC/NNPC conspired with other suspects and lifted petroleum products worth N6, 843, 200,519. 69, using different companies and diverted the proceeds to their personal use.

The forfeited properties are: a storey building and its appurtenances, situated at No.2 Kpak Crescent, Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna; a building referred to as Eight Block “CC”TPO, 639A; National Eye Centre, Kaduna, situated on No.5 Layin Sarki Street, Mahuta  Kaduna; a building on No.5 Rano Road, Kinkinau, Kakuri, Kaduna and twin flats on Zulaihatu Daura Close, Rigachikun, Kaduna.

- PM NEWS