Judicial Reform: NBA seeks removal of CJN as head of NJC

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has faulted the composition of the National Judicial Council, NJC, which is the body responsible for disciplining erring judicial officers in the country.

Yahaya Bello: Court summons EFCC chair over contempt 

A Kogi State high court has ordered Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, to appear before it on May 13 to show why he should not be convicted for allegedly disobeying its order.

The presiding judge, Isa Jamil Abdullahi, gave the order on Friday while ruling in a suit No: HCL/68M/2024 and motion No: HCL/190M/2024, filed by former Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello.

Bello on February 8, Bello instituted a suit asking the court to restrain the commission from arresting him.

The court granted the injunction restraining the EFCC on February 9.

But the EFCC on March 12 filed an appeal against the order.

However, the commission has filed a notice to withdraw the appeal.

In the notice filed on April 22, the anti-graft agency said the withdrawal was predicated on the fact that events had overtaken the appeal.

The commission also admitted that the appeal was filed out of the time allowed by law.

Bello approached the court again, praying for an order to invite the EFCC chairman and slammed with a contempt of court allegation.

The judge granted Bello’s prayers and ordered Olukoyede to appear before the court to answer the contempt charge.

“The applicant’s application before me is to the effect that the respondent has carried out some acts upon which they have been restrained by this court on February 9, pending the determination of the substantive motion on notice before this court,” the judge held.

“That the said act was carried out by the respondent in violation of the order which was valid and subsisting when they carried out those acts. That same act of the respondent amounts to an act of contempt.

“It’s against the above facts that this court hereby grants the prayers sought in line with the principle of ‘Audi Ultra Patem’ (listen to the other side).

“This matter is adjourned to May 13 for the respondent’s chairman to appear before this court in answer to form 49 ordered to be served on him.”

Labour shuts NSITF head office over staff salary cut

Members of the organised labour, on Friday, protested and shut down the headquarters of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) over alleged cut of workers’ salaries in the agency by the management of the fund.

The aggrieved protesters, led by the President of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo and executive members of the Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFE), started their demonstrations at about 11:00am.

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Armed with placards with various inscriptions, the protesters alleged that the management led by Mrs Maureen Allagoa, the Managing Director of the Fund, had made deductions of consequential taxes from their salaries to the tune of N2.1bn which were not remitted.

Addressing the protesters, Osifo said the protest and subsequent shutdown of the Fund became imperative after efforts made by the leadership of ASSBIFE to resolve the issue amicably with the management failed.

The protesters urged President Bola Tinubu to sack the MD of the agency with immediate effect to avert “looming crises” in the Fund and called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe their claims.

Both the MD of the Fund, Mrs Allagoa and spokesman of the Fund, Mr Godson Nwachukwu could not be reached for comments at the time of filing this report.

Labour shuts NSITF head office over staff salary cut