The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to 76 individuals involved in the #EndBadGovernance protests that took place in August 2024.

Naija News reports seventy-five suspects, aged between twelve and fifteen years of age, were brought by the Police before Justice Obiora Egwuatu on a 10-count charge in relation to their participation in the protest.

On Friday, Justice Egwuatu presided over the proceedings and set bail for each defendant at ₦10 million.

In his ruling, Justice Egwuatu mandated that each protester provide two sureties, each for the same amount.

One of these sureties must be a civil servant holding a grade level of 15 or higher, who also has a verifiable address within the court’s jurisdiction. The second surety is required to be a parent of the protester.

Earlier reports indicated that the Nigerian government had temporarily dropped charges against five minors facing trial for their participation in the #EndBadGovernance protests after they collapsed in the courtroom.

These minors had been in custody for several weeks and exhibited clear signs of poor health, which worsened during the court session, necessitating urgent medical attention.

Eyewitness accounts described the situation as distressing, with some lawyers rushing to aid the young individuals who collapsed after being summoned to the dock.

In response to this incident, the prosecution sought the temporary withdrawal of charges, a request that was granted by the court, noting that the minors would be re-arraigned once their health improved.

“A couple of them fainted inside the courtroom because of maltreatment, they have not eaten for some days,” a source told SaharaReporters, accusing authorities of using hunger as a means of torture against the protesters for exercising their constitutional rights.

One malnourished minor was the first to collapse, followed by four others who also fell to the courtroom floor.

The courtroom descended into chaos as the primarily minor defendants were asked to step into the dock.

Some lawyers and court officials quickly administered aid to the minors before they were taken to the hospital, causing court proceedings to be temporarily suspended.

Following this episode, the prosecution invoked the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 to request the withdrawal of charges against the minors on health grounds.

Defence attorney Abubakar Marshal argued that the minors should be returned to their parents.

The Federal High Court in Lagos, on Friday, ruled for the final forfeiture of $2.045 million, seven premium landed properties, and share certificates tied to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

Justice Deinde Dipeolu issued the ruling after determining that neither Emefiele nor any other claimant contested the interim forfeiture order.

The forfeiture includes two share certificates of Queensdorf Global Fund Limited Trust and seven high-value properties, which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) argued were not linked to any verifiable lawful earnings from Emefiele’s time at Zenith Bank or the CBN.

Justice Dipeolu held that Emefiele had not provided documentation or any legitimate source of funds to substantiate his acquisition of the properties.

Emefiele, who has consistently denied any connection to the implicated companies through which the properties were purchased, did not appear in court to defend his ownership claims.

The companies—Amrash Ventures Limited, Modern Hotels Limited, Finebury Properties Limited, Fidelity Express Services Limited, H & Y Business Global Limited, and SDEM Erectors Nigeria Limited—also failed to challenge the forfeiture.

Justice Dipeolu held, “the conclusion that can be deduced is that there must be something dark about the acquisition of the properties which Emefiele and the companies does not want to come to light.”

The judge further held “that the interested party has failed to demonstrate any lawful interest in the properties and that they were aquired from his legitimate earnings.

“I therefore order the final forfeiture to the Federal Government of Nigeria of all those properties…which are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.”

The properties are: two fully detached duplexes of identical structures, lying being and situated at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; an undeveloped land, measuring 1919.592sqm with Survey Plan No. DS/LS/340 at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos; a bungalow at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos and a four-bedroom duplex at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi.

Others are an industrial complex under construction on 22 plots of land in Agbor, Delta State; 8 units of an undetached apartment on a plot measuring 2457.60sqm at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi, and a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land measuring 2217.87sqm at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

On August 15, 2024, the court authorized the EFCC to take custody of the cash sum of $2.045million temporarily, seven choice landed properties and shares linked to Emefiele after hearing an Exparte application filed by lead counsel to the Commission, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).

The court’s ruling followed the EFCC’s assertion that the money and other items sought to be forfeited were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

However, counsel to Emefiele, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), had urged the court to stay proceedings and not grant the final forfeiture of the properties.

Comfort Olalere Tinubu, a 33-year-old wife, has allegedly killed her own husband.

The woman stabbed her 39-year-old husband, Olusegun Tinubu, to death in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

It was gathered that the couple, who got married about three years ago, had two children from the marriage.

The incident, according to sources, occurred around the Gbeyi community in Adegbayi area of Ibadan.

Daily Post reports on Friday that the incident occurred Wednesday night around 10 p.m.

It was learned that the crisis started as a result of an argument over the wife locking the husband out of the bedroom.

This later resulted in a fight during which the wife allegedly stabbed the husband in the back.

It was learned that the matter was earlier reported at the Gbagi Police Station.

The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, Ibadan, according to a source.

Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Adewale Osifeso, when contacted, said that the case is under investigation.

He added that updates would be provided accordingly.

Osifeso, in a short statement made available to DAILY POST on Friday, said, “The case is under investigation at the Homicide Department of the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Command. Updates will be provided accordingly, please.”

A Nigerian pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Olusegun Oluleye, received lots of praises at a capacity-building workshop in Morocco for returning an overpayment of 430 Moroccan Dirhams.

Oluleye, who works at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), attended the workshop organised by North East Consultancy Limited alongside his team and colleagues.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Oluleye recounted how he inadvertently received the excess funds during a currency exchange, when the shop owner mistakenly overpaid him by 430 Dirhams.

Upon realising the error, he immediately informed Alhaji Ahmed Gombe, CEO of North-East Consultancy Limited, who confirmed the overpayment and facilitated the return of the funds to the shop owner.

“I am always content with what I have and believe in returning what doesn’t belong to me,”Oluleye stated, urging Nigerians to uphold integrity and serve as ambassadors for their nation wherever they are.

The Moroccan Tourism Agency and local police praised Oluleye’s honesty, recognising him as a “true ambassador” of Nigeria.

Gombe also acknowledged Oluleye as the workshop’s best participant, commending his exemplary conduct throughout the event.

Hussaini Magaji, Registrar General of the CAC, lauded Oluleye for representing the commission with distinction and pledged to issue a recommendation letter in recognition of his ethical behaviour.

International human rights organization, Amnesty International (AI) and a former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, have both condemned the trial of minors by the federal government.

Naija News reported that minors, between the ages of 12 to 15 years, were on Friday, arraigned by the Nigeria Police for alleged treason. The minors were said to have been arrested by Nigeria Police during the August hunger protest.

In a statement on Friday, Amnesty International accused President Bola Tinubu-led government of putting the minors through horrifying experiences for participating in peaceful protest.

“The Nigerian authorities detained these minors unlawfully — putting them through horrifying experiences — for exercising their right to peaceful protest. Government must release them all — immediately and unconditionally,” AI wrote on its X handle.

On her part, the human rights activist, Ezekwesili, accused the government of destroying the country’s democracy.

“Our Democracy has degraded to this barbaric depth? The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing.

“How did the Nigerian Constitution become so useless that the Nigerian Judiciary could allow such violations of the rights of these minors to happen at such egregious levels?” She asked.

The former Minister of Education called on the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to intervene and save the children.

“The NBA, where are you? What exactly is this, our dear Chief Justice of Nigeria? Can we the Citizens of Nigeria count on you for a clean sweep of this version of our Judiciary?

“These children must be swiftly released to their parents and guardians, and adequately compensated for the damages done them by the Nigerian State,” Ezekwesili stated on her X handle.

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has announced that seven ships are scheduled to arrive at Lagos ports on Friday, carrying various petroleum products.

NPA’s “Daily Shipping Position” reports that these seven vessels, out of a total of nine expected, will bring in diesel, crude oil, bulk urea, petrol, and aviation fuel.

According to the the News Agency of Nigeria, the remaining two vessels are expected to arrive with containers of assorted goods.

The NPA stated that these vessels will dock at multiple terminals, including Sifax, ENL Consortium Terminals, and Apapa Bulk Terminal (ABT) in Lagos.

“The remaining two vessels will berth with containers carrying different goods.

“The nine expected vessels will berth at Sifax, ENL Consortium Terminals, Apapa Bulk Terminal (ABT), among other terminals in Lagos,” it said.

Additionally, two more vessels are currently awaiting berths at the Apapa and Tincan Island Ports, carrying bulk urea and aviation fuel.

Meanwhile, three other ships are actively offloading general cargo, petrol, and containers at Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos.

Fuel Scarcity: Oil Marketers Increase Petrol Pump Price

Major oil marketers across Nigeria have raised the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly referred to as petrol, from N1,010 to N1,050 per litre, reflecting a 4% increase in Lagos and surrounding regions.

Independent marketers have also adjusted their prices, now ranging between N1,100 and N1,200 per litre, up from approximately N1,060 per litre, with prices varying by location.

An investigation by Vanguard reveals that in the deregulated market, petrol prices are not standardized, leading to minor price differences across various filling stations, although some stations maintain similar rates.