The absence of the counsel representing convicted billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, also known as Evans has stalled his re-arraignment before Justice Adenike Coker of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.

When the matter came up before the court on Thursday, Justice Coker asked the defendant, Evans about his lawyer.

Evans simply responded, “I’m not sure if my lawyer is coming”.

Evans and his co-defendant, Joseph Emeka, were to be re-arraigned before the court on an amended five counts charge of murder, attempt to murder, conspiracy to commit felony to wit: kidnapping and attempt to murder.

When Justice Coker asked the counsel to the second defendant, Nelson Onyejaka, about Evans’s lawyer, Onyejaka explained to the court, “My Lord I tried his number and it’s not going. Even this morning I tried his number and he is not based in Lagos.”

The State Prosecutor, Yusuf Sule, then told the judge that the matter for the day was supposed to be for re-arraignment, but owing to the absence of the first defendant’s counsel, he asked the court to grant an adjournment.

Sule said, “It’s been a trend from the onset. From the beginning of the institution of this matter, the first defendant is the one who has been delaying this matter.
“It’s high time he gets a lawyer in Lagos or brief another lawyer to stand in for him so the matter can go on.”

Sule added that the matter is a 2017 matter and also told the court that the defendant applied for a plea bargain but he doesn’t know if he is still interested in going on with it.

After his submissions, Justice Coker ordered the prosecution to ensure that the Office of the Public Defender, OPD, is on the ground on the next date of adjournment.

The judge said, “OPD can represent the first defendant if his counsel is not present in court because the arraignment must go on at the next date of adjournment”.

The judge adjourned the case to January 30, 2025, for re-arraignment and ordered the first defendant to ask his lawyer to be in court on the adjourned date.

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), Bode George, has advised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to jettison any plan of contesting the 2027 presidency.

Speaking on Thursday during a press conference to mark his 79th birthday, George told Atiku to step down from the race and allow the younger ones to contest.

According to the former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, it is time for Atiku to act like an elder and stop contesting for the presidency, which he has been doing since 1993.

“Now to Atiku, my advice is this: you will be 81 years old in 2027, and you have been contesting for the presidency since 1993. This is the time for you to calm down and act like an elder. I appeal to you in the name of the almighty Allah that you serve, take it easy and leave everything for prosperity,” – Bode George said.

Earlier, Naija News also reported that the PDP chieftain had expressed concern over the state of the opposition party, attributing its challenges to selfish interests among its members.

George called for urgent steps to rescue the party ahead of its forthcoming National Convention.

The PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) member said that while the party leadership was trying its best to ensure all members had a sense of belonging, some ‘desperados’ were doing everything possible to thwart their efforts.

Calling for a united PDP, George said that the party’s founding fathers, who had gone to the world beyond, would be crying in their graves because PDP has become “a shadow of itself due to selfish interests of some members.”

He described as disheartening and pitiable a situation where some pretentious members were already working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the build-up to the 2027 elections.

The Defence Headquarters and a coalition of civil society organisations, CSOs, led by a Tinubu support group, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors of Nigeria, RHAN, and the Centre for Action Against Corruption, CAAC, on Thursday faulted claims made by ex-Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, concerning oil theft in Nigeria.

Tompolo, the Chairman of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, which is executing the pipeline protection contract awarded by the Nigerian government, had while receiving the national leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, on Monday, accused the military, particularly the Nigerian Navy, of involvement in oil theft.

He accused the Navy of working at cross purposes with other state actors and private security outfits tasked with checking oil theft in the Niger Delta.

However, speaking at a biweekly update on military operations on Thursday in Abuja, Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, dismissed Tompolo’s claims, describing it as ‘cheap blackmail’.

The Defence Headquarters spokesman said: “As to the question regarding the Nigerian Navy and the CEO of Tantita, you see, I’m almost laughing because it’s laughable. But what I want to say about this situation is this: We seek cooperation, not conflict.

“But all this cheap blackmail has to stop. Come on, we should move faster. We need to act in the best interest of our nation, particularly at this time when we need that revenue. We will work together with our partners.”

Also speaking on the issue on Thursday, the CSOs, led by RHAN and CAAC, condemned Tompolo’s allegations, which they described as unsubstantiated, baseless, frivolous and lacking in merit.

At a press conference in Abuja, the CSOs insisted that Tompolo lacks the moral justification to denigrate the Nigerian Navy, highlighting his antecedents, including his history as a wanted fugitive and member of a militant coalition that terrorised and kidnapped oil workers.

Abdullahi Bilal and Olayemi Isaacs, leaders of RHAN and CAAC, respectively, who addressed journalists, noted that under the leadership of the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Nigerian Navy has achieved significant milestones, including the destruction of illegal refining sites, arrest of sea pirates and reduction in maritime crimes while clocking over 21,630 hours of patrol, resulting in numerous arrests and seizures.

Warning that unsubstantiated allegations could lead to chaos and increased criminality, the CSOs urged the Nigerian Navy to remain focused and resilient in the fight against oil theft.

They added: “It is our collective responsibility to fight against those forces and interests which try to undermine our very collective existence and interests and ensure we annihilate them. This is why we are here today.

“This, to us, is an apt opportunity to take the bull by the horns and conscientise the public on the evil intentions of Tompolo and the sensitive nature of his allegation, as it tries to undermine the Nigerian Navy and also reduce the morale of the fighting gallant men in the field.

“We must also warn of the chaos, destruction and upsurge in criminalities if such misinformation and mischief continue unchecked and unmitigated. Our interest is the national interest.

“We believe that lifting this curtain of secrecy and mischief will move the nation forward, encourage the Armed Forces and indeed the security forces all over the nation, as the sacrifice to secure us.

“We, therefore, call on all lovers of peace and workers with God to join us to condemn this orchestrated onslaught against those men who have decided to haphazard their lives so that we can live in peace and quiet.”

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has expressed concern over the state of the opposition party, attributing its challenges to selfish interests among its members.

Speaking at a news conference in Lagos on Thursday to mark his 79th birthday, George called for urgent steps to rescue the party ahead of its forthcoming National Convention.

He said, “As a loyal party man who lives, thinks, talks, breathes and defends the PDP, I have never left this party since it was formed, so today gives me a great opportunity to deliberate on the future of our party.

“Even as elders of the party are preparing to meet on Nov. 28 in Abuja to chart the way forward, I owe it a duty to declare openly that all is not well with our party. In fact, our party is derailing.

“This is unfortunate because the crisis in our party has further complicated the present tragedy in the socio-economic indices of our dear nation.

“I am raising the alarm today that our party is at the precipice of a dangerous looming crisis, if pending critical party issues are not urgently addressed.”

The PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) member said that while the party leadership was trying its best to ensure all members had a sense of belonging, some ‘desperados’ were doing everything possible to thwart their efforts.

Calling for a united PDP, George said that the party’s founding fathers, who had gone to the world beyond, would be crying in their graves because PDP has become “a shadow of itself due to selfish interests of some members.”

He described as disheartening and pitiable a situation where some pretentious members were already working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the build-up to the 2027 elections.

George said, “They have one leg in PDP and another leg in APC. Such chameleonic characters are the ones trying to dictate the direction of this party.

“In the name of everything that is dear to our great party, this pretension must be stopped immediately by patriotic members of this party.

“Since the first elective convention of our party in 1999, when PDP was handed over to some of us as national officers, we have never had it this bad.

“If the PDP must rescue Nigerians from the vicious grip of APC in 2027, this must be a major agenda item during our NEC meeting in Abuja.”

Expressing the belief that the PDP was the only party that could save Nigeria, George said that the party must be ready to seize the opportunity to move the country forward.

According to him, the party must not allow disloyal elements to continue to use the platform for their selfish interests, saying “disloyalty is a very grave offence.”.

He added, “Unless we are united, with equity, fairness, and justice being the pedestal for any political decision taken, this party will be heading to disaster in 2027.

“If we want to win the 2027 presidential election, we should not allow ourselves to be divided, and those with divisive tendencies should be told in clear language that ‘Enough is Enough’.

“We must change the narratives now so that we don’t embark on a suicide mission, a self-destructive journey for our party in 2027.

“With the suffering in the land and the mismanagement of the economy, Nigerians are waiting for us in 2027 to kick APC out of Aso Rock.”

He urged the party members and leaders from the North to the South to use the forthcoming PDP’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting as a golden opportunity before the next general elections in 2027 “to bury our differences and put on our thinking caps.”

According to him, the party should do everything humanly possible to ensure that the PDP does not go into the dustbin of history in 2027.

On the political crisis in Rivers and the feud between Gov. Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor and Minister of FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, the PDP leaders urged Wike to “cool off immediately.”

Urging party leaders not to treat Fubara like an outcast, George called on all party leaders to rise in defence of the general interest of the party and sanity.

He said, “We should not allow the collective unity of this party to be fragmented. How we collectively address the issues at stake will be a major determinant of the fate of this party in months and years to come.

“It is our determination to ensure that the PDP returns to the Presidential Villa in Abuja on May 29, 2027, but, we can only go back to Aso Rock if we are united, not divided.”

He urged party elders such as Bamanga Tukur, Jim Nwobodo, Ahmadu Ali, Prof. Jerry Gana, Jonah Jang, Peter Odili, James Ibori, former President Goodluck Jonathan, and ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo to rise to the challenges.

The PDP chieftain also urged Victor Attah, Donald Duke, Okwesilieze Nwodo, Ibrahim Shema, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Saka Balogun, Ebenezer Babatope, Bello Haliru, Sen. Adolphus Wabara, Ahmed Makarfi, and others not to keep quiet.

George called on the Chairman of the PDP BoT to invite all the afore mentioned elders for a meeting on the way forward before the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

He said, “We cannot afford to fail and disappoint our founding fathers. Let me state categorically that Nigerians are waiting for us in 2027, but we must put our house in order.

“As leaders, we must not allow anybody to destroy our party because PDP is the only true national party.”

A former vice president Atiku Abubakar has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s newest request for a loan, describing it as “bone-crushing”. 

The Senate has approved the ₦1.77 trillion ($2.2b) loan request of President Tinubu after a voice vote in favour of the request.

But Atiku has slammed the move and believes the loans do not favour Nigerians.

“These @officialABAT’s loans are bone-crushing to Nigerians and bringing insufferable pressure on the economy, especially when they are not properly negotiated and utilized,” Atiku wrote on his X handle on Thursday.

“It is concerning that the voracious appetite for these humongous loans is powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. A report by Budgit, a budget watchdog, has disclosed that the 2024 Budget is a mess because of the level of pork associated with it.”

He accused the National Assembly of being “an accomplice once more”.

“Nigeria is sinking further into debt, and the National Assembly has become an accomplice once more. In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the @FIRSNigeria and @CustomsNG under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the Budget,” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election said.

“Why are they still borrowing? There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”

“I feel a sense of personal agony seeing that just a few years after the administration of President Obasanjo took our country out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” the former vice president added. “It is time to apply more caution and arithmetic to the loan frenzy.”

The ECOWAS Court of Justice has ordered the Federal Government to pay ₦10 million in compensation to Glory Okolie, a Nigerian student, for her unlawful detention and maltreatment by the police.

Delivering its judgment on Thursday, November 21, 2024, the court also directed the government to implement measures to prevent future human rights violations.

Okolie was arrested on June 13, 2021, and detained without judicial authorization. During her detention, she was reportedly denied legal representation, subjected to forced labour, and physically abused.

The case, filed by Okolie alongside the One Love Foundation and the Incorporated Trustees of Behind Bars Human Rights Foundation, argued that these actions violated provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Revised ECOWAS Treaty.

In its defence, the Federal Government claimed that Okolie was associated with the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and argued that her detention was necessary for national security.

However, in the ruling, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves stated that Okolie’s prolonged detention without judicial oversight breached her fundamental rights to liberty and a fair trial as enshrined in Articles 6 and 7 of the African Charter.

“The court found her treatment to be a clear abuse of human rights,” the judgment read.

The court ordered the government to pay ₦10 million in damages, cease all forms of harassment against Okolie, and introduce safeguards to prevent similar violations in the future.

The two co-applicant NGOs were not awarded damages due to procedural issues, the court noted.

The three-member panel presiding over the case included Honourable Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, Honourable Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma, and Honourable Justice Edward Amoako Asante.

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old man, Bukola Olabode, who allegedly defrauded Point of Sale operators and residents of Ihunbo in the Ipokia Local Government Area while impersonating a police officer, Punch Metro reports.

Our correspondent learnt on Thursday that residents apprehended the suspect on Tuesday, and subsequently handed over to officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, who later transferred him to the police at the Idiroko Division.

The Ogun State Police Command revealed to PUNCH Metro that the suspect’s modus operandi involved wearing a police camouflage shirt paired with jeans to execute fraudulent transactions using PoS machines.

The suspect met his Waterloo when he attempted a similar fraudulent act at the PoS stand of an operator named Mary Midoyin.

When his deception was discovered by the operator, the suspect was said to have fled the scene.

PUNCH Metro however gathered that the residents pursued him, leading to his eventual capture.

Odutola said, “The suspect was dressed in a police camouflage shirt, cap, and jeans when he committed the crime. Upon realising his cover had been blown, he quickly made a fake transfer to Mary Midoyin, a PoS operator, and collected N60,000 before fleeing the scene.

“Residents pursued and apprehended the suspect, handing him over to the NSCDC office in Ihunbo before he was transferred to the Idiroko Police Division. He has since confessed to defrauding PoS operators in the community.

“A Samsung phone, a black Itel phone used for the fraud, and a police constabulary warrant card were recovered from the suspect. Additionally, a round-neck T-shirt was found in his possession. He has since been detained.”

In a similar case reported by PUNCH Metro in 2022, a 38-year-old man, identified as Akinyemi Thomas, was arrested for allegedly impersonating a police officer.

The suspect was apprehended on Thursday while wearing a full police camouflage uniform beneath the bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan Motorway.

The Southwest chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has slammed the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, over a threat to ‘take over’ Osun and Oyo states in the forthcoming electoral processes.

Recalls that Ganduje, while speaking in Akure on Sunday following the victory of Ondo State Governor and APC candidate, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, had said, “Our next target in the South-West geopolitical zone is Osun and Oyo states. You know we are good at hitting our targets. We will do whatever is necessary to bring them into the fold so that we can gain more political opportunity in the South-West.”

Reacting to Ganduje’s statement, the PDP Southwest Executive Council, in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, by the party’s Zonal Publicity Secretary, Sanya Atofarati, urged President Bola Tinubu to caution Ganduje over the threat.

Atofarati said, “The PDP urges President Bola Tinubu to rein in the unwarranted threats made by APC National Chairman Ganduje to manipulate the electoral process in Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, using the APC’s trademark of rigging.

“We affirm, without equivocation, that Ganduje lacks the moral authority to speak on matters of credibility or democracy.” 

The party also expressed disappointment in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the poor conduct of the Ondo governorship election.

PDP alleged defects in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and delays in the arrival of election materials in their strongholds and urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate claims of misconduct by security personnel during the election.

He said, “We call on the Inspector General of Police to uphold the integrity of his office by investigating these allegations and ensuring that those responsible face justice.” 

The PDP commended the efforts of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the party’s national leadership for their support before, during, and after the Ondo election.

The party further urged its members to remain law-abiding despite alleged intimidation, assuring that it would explore all legal avenues to seek justice.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Thursday, arraigned, three men Saka Olubamishe, Omogoye Olusegun and Olumuyiwa Adesina, before the Ikeja Special Offences Court for allegedly obtaining N29,386, 500, under pretence of transferring dollar to Copart Auto Auction in America.

The defendants, who were arraigned before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe, are facing three counts bordering on conspiracy, stealing and obtaining preferred against them by the EFCC.

The anti-graft agency’s prosecuting counsel, B. M. Isha, told the court that the defendants committed the offences sometime in July 2023 in Lagos.

Isha told the court that the trio conspired amongst themselves and fraudulently converted the sum of N29, 386, 500, property of Awolaja Sherri Ajibola and Akintoye Ganiyu, to their use.

The prosecutor said the defendants allegedly defrauded the victims by obtaining the cumulative sum of N29, 386, 500, under the false pretence that they had the dollar equivalent of the said sum at the rate of N750 per dollar to transfer to Copart Auto Auction in America which pretence they knew was false.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 411, 280(2), of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015, 1(1) (a) and 1(3), of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Given their plea, the prosecutor, Isha, prayed to the court for a trial date.

But, counsel for the defendants, S. T. Ladokun, S. A. Oseni and T. F. Makinde, informed the court about the pending applications for bail on behalf of their clients and pleaded with the court to grant them bail in the most liberal terms.

Consequently, Justice Abike-Fadipe granted them bail in the sum of N10, each with two sureties each in like sum.

The judge said the sureties must show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

She adjourned the case to January 23, 2025, for the commencement of trial.

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has suspended its National Chairman, Mamman Mike Osuman over an unauthorized statement.

The Forum announced the development in a statement issued by the Chairman of ACF Board Trustees, Bashir Muhammad Dalhatu and National Secretary, Murtala Aliyu on Thursday.

ACF said, “In particular, Mr. Osuman was quoted as saying that the North will back a northern candidate for the presidency, come 2027.”

The statement noted that “Our attention has been drawn to widely reported statements credited to Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman, SAN, OFR, Chairman, ACF National Executive Committee (NEC), which were made during the meeting of the NEC, held on Wednesday, November, 2024, at ACF Headquarters, Kaduna.

“The statements were made by the NEC Chairman without consulting or discussing with other leaders and members of the ACF and thus, reflected Mr. Osuman’s personal opinion only.

“ACF rejects Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman’s statements in their entirety. For this reason, the leadership of the ACF’s Board of Trustees (BOT) and that of its NEC has decided to place Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman on suspension with immediate effect.”

The statement declared, “A Committee has been constituted for further investigations.”

Your Government Is Partial To Northerners, You Only Carry Igbos Along – Arewa Chair Slams Fubara

Meanwhile,  the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum in Rivers State and Southern Nigeria, Musa Saidu, has expressed disappointment over the non-representation of northerners in the state.

He lamented that northerners were not represented in the recent appointment of commissioners, with an Igbo man from Abia State being the only non-Rivers State indigene on the list.

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, Saidu condemned the persistent marginalization of Northerners in the state, and called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to reverse the trend and ensure inclusivity in his government.

The Northern leader criticized Fubara’s government for being “entirely partial” against Northerners, accusing him of only favouring the Igbo community.

He said: “The biggest problem we are facing is because the government does not give us contracts. They pass through the Muslim community and these people in turn give us small.

“Since Governor Siminalayi Fubara held sway we have not benefited anything, we did not see rice, we did not see appointment and the marginalisation has continued from the Nyesom Wike era.

“We did not do bad to Governor Fubara. What we are seeing is that the policy of Wike has continued. We do not have any representative in the Rivers State Government House on behalf of the North.

“I am the only Elected leader and head of the Traditional Council. What I am saying is that the marginalisation has continued.

“We are calling on Fubara to reverse the marginalization of the Northerns in Rivers State and I have reported this matter to Chief Edwin Clarke that we are still marginalized.”

He called on the Governor not to, by his actions, create a divide in the Northern community, accusing him of sowing “deep animosity” amongst them.

“I am also calling on the governor not to divide our people. We did not stop the governor from appointing Commissioners but he should not do that on behalf North community without meeting the legitimate leadership.

“Until we see the governor and sit with him because we feel that the Governor is not running an all-inclusive government, his government is entirely partial against Northerns. He is only carrying the Igbos along because if he puts an Edo man I would have hope.

“Our position is that we are supporting him as governor because if Rivers State progresses we will progress,” he added.