The Court of Appeal in Abuja has halted the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.
Justice Danlami Senchi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Jabi, Abuja, had on March 4, 2020, made an order suspending Oshiomhole.
But in a bench ruling delivered by a three-man panel of the appellate court led by Justice Abubakar Yahaya, on Monday, ordered a stay of execution of the FCT High Court’s order.
The court ruled that the order would remain binding pending the hearing of Oshiomhole’s motion for interlocutory injunction slated for Friday.
The panel also unanimously restrained the respondents including the Police and the Department of State Services from further giving effect to the suspension order.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Office, on March 16, 2020, secured the conviction of 15 oil thieves and two Vessels before Justice Rilwan Aikawa of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
MV Ekpere Amaka Crew
Justice Aikawa found them guilty on all three counts, and sentenced them to one year in prison on each count, which will take effect from the day of their arrest.
Furthermore, Justice Aikawa ordered the forfeiture of the vessels to the Federal Government and imposed a fine of Six Hundred Thousand Naira on each convict aboard MT Zeebrugge and the sum of Nine Hundred Thousand Naira on each convict aboard MV Ekpere Amaka.
The convicts are: MT Zeebrugge (vessel), Kapilarathana A.J, Yapa, Ramanayaka Appuhamilage Maithripala, Labunu Hewage Udayanga Silva, Shashika Yomal Palipana, Amarasinge Arachchige Dasman Chaml, Kariyawasan Wijewardbana and Joseph Felsianus Fernando.
Others are: MV Ekpere Amaka (vessel), Eliaja Agoso, Assayomo Julius, Godwin Ajimosun, Jerome Nwaobi, Ukpe Wisdom, Bayonle-Jude Olawunmi, Vincent Antai and John Zola.
They were first arraigned on three counts of illegal oil dealing in petroleum product on March 4, 2020 and they pleaded “not guilty” to the charge.
However, at today’s sitting, the defence counsel, Paul Ejiga intimated the court that they had the intention of changing their pleas.
The charge was read to them and they all pleaded “guilty” to the charge.
Subsequently, counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo called two witnesses to give evidence and placed some documents before the court.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Oyedepo, an operative with the EFCC, Moses Awolusi told the court that on the 23rd of December 2019, the commission received a letter of notification from the Nigerian Navy, NNS Beecroft notifying them of the arrest of seven oil thieves and a vessel, MT Zeebrugge.
He said: “They were arrested on December 12, 2019 with 838.5 metric tons of crude oil on board the vessel.
“On the 3rd of January, 2020 we went on board the vessel with officials of Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR to take samples of the products on the vessel in the presence of the convicts and was forwarded for laboratory analysis.
“On the 9th of January, 2020, their statements were recorded under caution.”
Moses also told the court that the commission wrote a letter to the DPR to ascertain if the vessel had license to deal in petroleum products and a response was received.
Letters were also sent to Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA to confirm if they had a permit to sail on Nigerian Waters and a response was received as well.
Furthermore, he revealed that investigations showed that the convicts did not have a license to deal in petroleum product and that they loaded from a wooden boat around Forcados Terminal without appropriate license.
Another witness, Seun Ogunduyile, an operative with the EFCC, who was also led in evidence by Oyedepo, told the court that the commission received a letter dated December 30, 2019 from NNS Beecroft on the arrest of eight oil thieves and a vessel, MV Ekpere Amaka.
Giving her evidence, Ogunduyile told the court that during the course of investigation, her team alongside DPR officials went to where the vessel was located and found 85 Metric Tons of petroleum product.
Investigations revealed that the convicts did not have the license to deal in petroleum products.
Ogunduyile also told the court that letters were written to the DPR and NIMASA and responses were received.
Oyedepo, sought to tender all evidence before the court and they were admitted as exhibits.
One of the counts reads: “That you, MV Ekpere Amaka, Eliaja Agoso, Assayomo Julius, Godwin Ajimosun, Jerome Nwaobi, Ukpe Wisdom, Bayonle-Jude Olawunmi, Vincent Antai and John Zola, on the 25th of December, 2019, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: dealing in 85 metric tons of petroleum products without appropriate licence; and you, thereby, committed an offence contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under Section 1(17) of the same Act.”
The Abuja Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested eight suspected internet fraudsters at different locations within Owerri, Imo State.
The suspects were rounded up by the operatives of the Advance Fee Fraud Section, AFF of the Zone following an intelligence report on the illegal activities of suspected cyber criminals in and around Owerri city.
Several Smartphones of different models, laptop and two motor vehicles were recovered from the suspects during the operation.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, National Executive Council, NEC, meeting slated for Tuesday has been suspended indefinitely.
The suspension of the NEC was one of the agreements reached during the meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and Governors on the platform known as the Progressive Governors’Forum (PGF) at the State House today.
The newly appointed chairman, Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) Prof. Mkpa Agu Mkpa has again insisted that the Commission under his leadership will conduct the freest and fairest local government election in the state.
This is even as the opposition party in the state, the APC and other political parties accuse the state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu of appointing a card-carrying member of the PDP to conduct an election the PDP is contesting in.
In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onyebuchi Ememanka, Prof. Mkpa made this assurance during his swearing in ceremony by the Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.
According to Prof. Mkpa, the Commission will before long propose the date for Local Government elections to the government. He thanked the Governor for finding him capable of undertaken the assignment. Prof Mkpa disclosed that he belongs to no political party and therefore would be fair to all and sundry.
Earlier, the State governor who was represented by his deputy, Sir. Ude Oko Chukwu charged Prof. Mkpa to treat all individuals and political parties fairly, equally and equitably.
He added that the appointment of Professor Mkpa followed the expiration of the tenure of the former ABSIEC boss, noting that there was need to fill the gap and rejig the Commission.
He said that government considered Prof. Mkpa’s pedigree, capacity and ability knowing that he is a man that treats everyone fairly.
The Deputy Governor also charged Prof. Mkpa to try and fix the date of Local Government elections as soon as possible, noting that Local Government elections in the State has always been free and fair.
Secretary to Government, Barrister Chris Ezem, some members of the State Executive Council, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr-acb Agbazuere and key officers of ABSIEC were part of the brief ceremony which took place at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House Umuahia this morning.
A couple who died in the Lagos explosion on Sunday in the Abule Ado community in the state, are reported to be the only son and daughter of their parents.
Reports also have it that the lady identified as Chisom Udoakonobi was a 1st class graduate of accounting with many awards to her name.
The number of people who died in the Explosion this morning will look like statistics until you have a friend or family member in the number , I'm so pained tonight !!!
Nigeria would test your strength , RIP Chisom and RIP to your husband too 😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/iawfjaAoGk
Henrietta Alokha, the Principal at Bethlehem Girls College, Abule Ado, was among those who lost their lives in the explosion which occurred on Sunday morning.
The National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) put the death toll at 17 as of Sunday evening.
A mass celebration was ongoing in the school when the incident happened and Alokha was reportedly among those who assisted trapped students to escape from the scene but when it was time for her to leave, she could not make it out alive.
A couple of years ago, there was a less severe fire incident at the secondary school and the Rev. Sister was also there to evacuate students.
Barely three hours after it adjourned proceedings for the day, the Court of Appeal in Abuja, has notified parties that it would hear the appeal challenging the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, by 4pm today.
The court had earlier on Monday, said it would hear the two separate appeals marked CA/A/187/2020 and CA/A/188/2020, at a date that would be communicated to all the parties.
A three-man panel of Justices of the court led by Justice Stephen Adah, had after they concluded hearing on other appeals on the cause list, told Oshiomhole’s legal team that another panel would return to hear his case.
However, about five minutes after the Justice Adah-led panel retired to their chambers, a clerk of the appellate court came back and informed all the parties that they would be notified of the new hearing date.
Meanwhile, a member of Oshiomhole’s legal team, told Vanguard that the appellate court subsequently made a U-turn and summoned all the parties to return by 4pm for the appeal to be heard.
Oshiomhole had in his four grounds of appeal, applied for an order to set-aside the interim injunction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory that suspended him from office on March 4.
President Muhammadu Buhari is currently meeting with governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the State House.
The meeting, which started at about 3pm, was believed to have been called as a prelude to the scheduled National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party, which is expected to hold on Tuesday (tomorrow).
The Nation was unable to lay hold on to agenda for the meeting as at the time of filing this report, it was learned that it might be a meeting for ironing out plans and agreeing on positions.
Of the twenty members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), which is the platform on which APC governors converge, 16 were cited interning the meeting.
Those seen entering the President’s office included: Bornu, Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Kebbi, Jigawa, Osun, Imo, Gombe, Niger, Kastsina, Plateau, Ondo, Kano, Kwara, Nassarawa governors.
Those yet to arrive were: Kaduna, Ekiti, Yobe and Kogi governors.
Results of the 312,000 candidates that sat for Saturday’s 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) nationwide have been released, says Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The Board’s Head, Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.
Benjamin urged all concerned candidates to check their profiles for the results.
According to him, the board is optimistic that the entire exercise will be hitch-free, as it has worked assiduously to ensure that this year’s examination process will be one of the best ever conducted in recent times.
“I want to say that the Board is happy with the conduct of the examination on its first day, Saturday, March 14.
“This is not to say that we did not register one or two technical hitches.
“There is no way anyone can embark on such massive exercise without a few hitches.
“However, the good thing is that, as soon as our attention is drawn to such hitches, we tackle them immediately.
“So, the Board is fully on ground to take on these hitches as they come, but in all, I must tell you, that we are happy with the conduct of the examination so far,’’ he said.
Benjamin assured that the Board would continue to ensure quality service delivery in a bid to give every deserving candidate an opportunity to excel.
NAN reports that, in continuation of the exercise, a total of 469, 670 candidates on Monday sat for the examination in various centres across the country.
The JAMB Head of Media and Information said by Tuesday, March 17, such candidates’ results would also be ready.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has arrested thirteen Nigerians (7 Yoruba, 6 Igbo), over alleged $30 million money laundering scheme in the United States.
Disclosing this in a statement obtained by Thecable, the US department of justice said federal agents arrested 24 suspects for their involvement in the large-scale fraud which targeted citizens, corporations, and financial institutions throughout the country.
Those arrested and charged to a federal court in Atlanta include:
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, has tendered his resignation from office.
The resignation comes...
