False Information: FG files additional evidence against three accused Abuja-based legal practitioners – Newstrends
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False Information: FG files additional evidence against three accused Abuja-based legal practitioners

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The Federal Government has filed additional evidence against three Abuja-based legal practitioners over allegations bordering on impersonation.

The Lawyers are facing trial on a four-count criminal charge bordering on false information with intent to mislead the Court of Appeal into entering a consent judgment of N52 million in their favour.

They are:  Maxwell Opara, Gold Nwankwo and Jubilate Obasikene, who are all practising in the law firm of Maxwell Opara and Associates.

The Federal Government FG, through the prosecution agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had equally filed a list of additional witnesses it shall call in the prosecution of the case.

Upon resumed hearing Wednesday, the EFCC’s counsel, Ibrahim Buba, informed Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja about the new development.

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Buba said the list of additional evidence as well as the list of additional witnesses had already been served on the defendants.

Although the lawyer expressed his readiness to proceed with the trial, the defence counsel who confirmed that the documents were served on them, prayed for a short adjournment to enable them study the documents.

Counsel to Maxwell Okpara (1st defendant), K.C Muemeka, told the court that the said documents were just served on them in court.

Responding, Buba, who consented to the request for an adjournment agreed that indeed, the defence team needed more time to study the additional evidence.

Consequently, Justice Muazu adjourned the case to February 13 and 14 for trial.

The charged, marked CR/444/2022, followed a petition by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Chairman of the EFCC, accusing the lawyers of fraudulent representation and impersonation.

They were alleged to have fraudulently entered appearances for the CBN and Unity Bank Plc, without the consent and authorisation of the banks in an appeal marked: CA/A/18M/2017 in respect of a garnishee proceedings involving the sum of N52 million at the Court of Appeal, Abuja.

The offence, according to EFCC, is contrary to Sections 96 and 140 of the Penal Code Law of the Northern Nigeria as applicable in the FCT, Abuja. Eagle

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My husband likes sex too much, divorce seeking wife tells court

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My husband likes sex too much, divorce seeking wife tells court

Linda Stephen, a 37-year-old housewife, filed for divorce from her husband, Felix Stephen, on Tuesday at Kaduna Customary Court, citing his unreasonable sexual demands.

The petitioner, a resident of Ungwan Sunday in Kaduna, also accused her husband of hitting her after she resisted his sexual advances.

In her petition, she stated that she and her estranged spouse were married for six years.

While pleading with the court to grant her divorce from her husband, Mrs Stephen stated that she was no longer interested in the marriage because she could no longer deal with his sexual demands.

“I urge the court to dissolve this marriage because I can’t stand his excessive sexual urge. He likes sex too much, and I can’t bear it.

“Most times, he would have sex with me from midnight till early hours of the morning. Even when I am crying, he will not stop.

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“It has been three months since I moved out of his house; his relatives have been pleading with me to go back to him, but they do not know what I am facing,” she said.

She further added that her husband cannot control himself when he craves sex and that if she refuses his sexual advances, he will beat her up in front of their two children.

Stephen, the respondent, stated in his defence that he was willing to suppress his sexual urges.

He informed the court he loved his wife and begged the court to help him appease her rather than satisfy her demand.

“I took my uncles and friends to her parents’ house to plead with her. But she refused to listen to us, so she walked out on us,” he said.

He also asked the court to grant him time to figure things out and reconnect with his wife.

After hearing the couple’s statements, Court President John Dauda deferred the case until May 6, 2025, for feedback and the conclusion of the reconciliation while advising them to maintain peace.

My husband likes sex too much, divorce seeking wife tells court

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Security operatives stop another pipeline bombing in Rivers

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Security operatives stop another pipeline bombing in Rivers 

Operatives of the security agencies including the police, Army, Navy and Air Force have foiled an attempt to blow up another pipeline in the Ikwerre and Emohua local government areas of Rivers State.

The police in revealing this bombing attempt on Tuesday however vowed to protect all critical infrastructure of government and ensure total security of lives and property in the state during the emergency rule.
Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Olugbenga Adepoju, at a press briefing on Tuesday said their joint operations had led to stoping the criminals.

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He disclosed that the security team foiled attempts by criminals to take advantage of developments in the state to vandalise critical assets of government.
He added that one suspect died while attempting to detonate an explosive on the pipeline.
He said, “Over the past week, the joint efforts of the security agencies in Rivers State have, among other successes, thwarted attempts by miscreants to vandalise pipelines which led to the death of the vandal in the process of trying to detonate a pipeline at Aluu- Rumuekpe in Ikwerre LGA but for the quick intervention of security agents.”
The CP urged members of the public to provide the Police and other security agencies with credible intelligence regarding individuals or groups and their conspirators engaging in vandalism.

 

Security operatives stop another pipeline bombing in Rivers

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Constitution amendment: Reps move to stop gov’ship election cases at A/Court

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House of Representatives

Constitution amendment: Reps move to stop gov’ship election cases at A/Court

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed for second reading, a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to make the Court of Appeal the final arbiter in disputes involving governorship, National and State House of assembly elections.

The bill is among the 39 constitution amendment bills that were passed through second reading on the floor of the House.

The passage of the bills comes as the House prepares to go on Sallah and Easter breaks and on the heels of the controversy that trails the adoption of the declaration of state of emergency declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State last week.

The bills were passed after they were presented for second reading through a motion by the House Leader, Rep. Julius Ihonvbre and referred to the House Committee on Constitution Review, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, for further legislative actions.

The proposed legislation was sponsored by the lawmaker representing Ndokwa East/Ndokwa West/Ukwani Federal Constituency of Delta State, Nnamdi Ezechi.

Daily Trust reports that before now, electoral disputes involving governorship election are decided by the Supreme Court as the final arbiter, while that of the National and State Assemblies end at the Court of Appeal.

However, the proposed amendment seeks to abridge the timeline involved in deciding governorship election disputes by making the Appeal Court the final arbiter.

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Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Ezechi said the proposed legislation seeks to alter the provision of sub-section (3) of Section 246 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

He said the bill seeks to delete the existing subsection (3) and substitute a new subsection (3) to read, “The decisions of the Court of Appeal in respect of appeals arising from the Governorship, National and State Houses of Assembly election petitions shall be final.”

He said, “Mr Speaker, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Second Alteration) Act of 2010 altered Section 246 subsection (1) by providing in paragraphs (b) and (c) that appeals to the Court of Appeal shall be as of right from the decisions of the National and State Houses of Assembly and decisions of the Governorship Election Tribunals as to whether a person has been validly elected as a lawmaker or a governor or whether his tenure has ceased or his seat has become vacant.

“The second alteration specifically provided in Section 246 subsection (3) that the decisions of the Court of Appeal arising from the National and State Houses of Assembly election petitions shall be final.

“However, the amendment did not say anything about the Governorship Election Petition, thereby allowing all governorship election petitions to proceed to the apex court (Supreme Court). This bill is trying to amend the present provision of Section 246 subsection (3) by making the Court of Appeal the final appeal court for all election petitions.”

Justification for amendment

According to the PDP lawmaker, “This would enable the final winner of a governorship election to be known without delay. If the person declared as winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission wins in the Court of Appeal, it would allow him to settle down and face the business of governance without distraction.”

He also noted that terminating election disputes at the appellate court would save costs, saying, “If such petitions end in the Court of Appeal, it would reduce the financial resources being wasted by the parties in prosecuting such cases to the Supreme Court.”

He continued, “We should note that the original provision of Section 246 (1)(b) stated that an appeal shall lie as of right from the decisions of the National Assembly Election Tribunals and Governorship and Legislative Houses Tribunals on the issues mentioned above.

“Subsection (3) of the said section clearly stated that the decisions of the Court of Appeal in respect of appeals arising from election petitions shall be final.”

Constitution amendment: Reps move to stop gov’ship election cases at A/Court

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