Court

Reporters barred as Tribunal delivers judgement in Abia

Kano Tribunal: Judges Goes Digital, Delivers Judgement Via Zoom

September 20, 2023 Rhoda Gistlover 0

Judges of the Kano governorship election tribunal were not physically in court as they set out to deliver judgment via Zoom in a petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to challenge the victory

Gay Wedding: Court Grants N5 Million Bail to All 69 Suspects

September 20, 2023 Rhoda Gistlover 0

Sixty-nine LGBT suspects who were detained on August 27 during a gay wedding ceremony in Ekpan Community, Uvwie Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta, have been released on bond. In Warri on Tuesday, the suspects’

Court Sentence ten ‘yahoo boys’ for fraud,Theft On September 14, 2023, Justice O. A. Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, found ten individuals guilty of separate counts of internet fraud. Ikyegh Senenge Bobo, Anum Cyprian Sesugh, Boniface Udoo Aondofa, Utor Stanley Torkuma, Obande Emmanuel, James Ekere, Tony Ochekwu Moda, Ochaje James, Shadrach Ugbu Aondona, and Odumu Michael are the defendants who were brought to justice by the Makurdi Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The prisoners were taken into custody in Makurdi at various locations for allegedly participating in cybercrime. According to the investigation, they used various aliases to deceive people into entering into phony social relationships so they could steal money from them. Senenge was found guilty and given a one-year prison term with the possibility of a N500,000 fine by Justice Egwuatu. He was told to hand over two plots of land in Phase 1 of Makurdi's Gboko Road, an iPhone 13 Pro, a Pontiac Vibe 2009 model, and other items to the Nigerian federal government. Cyprian was given a one-year sentence with the possibility of a fine of N500,000. Additionally, he gives up an iPhone 11 Pro Max to the Federal Government of Nigeria. Aondofa was given a one-year prison term with the possibility of a fine of N200,000.00 and was ordered to give up an iPhone 7 to the Nigerian federal government. Stanley was given a one-year prison term and given the option of paying a fine of N200,000.00 or forfeiting an iPhone to the Nigerian federal government. In addition, he must give the victim N97,900 (Ninety Seven Thousand Nine Hundred Naira) in restitution. James received a one-year sentence with the option of a N100,000 fine and forfeited an iPhone 14 Pro Max to the Federal Government, while Emmanuel received the same punishment. Ochekwu and Ochaje received sentences of one year in prison with a possible fine of one million naira and 500,000 points, respectively. Ochaje was given orders to forfeit one iPhone 6 and one HP laptop to the Federal Government of Nigeria, while Ochekwu must forfeit an iPhone 3 and an iPhone 8. Michael and Shadrach were given the option of paying a fine of N200,000 and N300,000, respectively, in addition to their one-year sentences. Shadrach was told to give the federal government an iPhone XR. Some of the charges read: “That you, Ikyegh Senenge Bobo “M” sometime between December, 2022 to May, 2023 in Makurdi, Benue State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, sent an electronic message to one Daniella Alias Nagako, a female Japanese citizen based in the United States of America vide an Online App where you disguise yourself as a male citizen of Texas, United States of America with the name Nakamora by procuring Apple iTunes Cards valued at N5,662,200.00 from her and converted the proceeds into your Opay Limited wallet, Ikyegh Msendoo Mercy’s GT and Keystone Bank accounts respectively and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22 (3) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under same Section of the Act. “That you, Obande Emmanuel “M” (22 years) sometime between March and April, 2022 in Makurdi, Benue State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently obtained the sum of $1000 USD from unsuspecting foreign nationals by using Instagram account “taratwithdephina” through which you claimed to be a fortune teller offering consultancy and palm reading service to help them succeed in life and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (1) (iv) of the Act. “That you, Abah James Ekere “M” (33 years) on or about 22 June, 2021, in Makurdi, Benue State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud knowingly sent electronic messages to Access Bank Plc and GT Bank that materially misrepresented the fact that a transaction of N1,500,000.00 (One Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira) and N400,000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) failed from your Access Bank account No. 0025620094 and GT. Bank account No. 0642871829 (from PoS terminal) which the Banks relied upon by making a chargeback to Accelerex Network Nigeria Limited who suffered a loss and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14 (2) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under same Section of the Act. “That you, Shadrach Ugbu Aondona on or about February, 2022 in Makurdi, Benue State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, used the identity of one Caitlyn Anderson, an America social media model and created a Gmail account, caitlynaanderson2012@gmail.com linked with your Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat accounts and sent fictitious messages to unsuspecting foreign nationals and obtained the sum of $2,000 (Two Thousand Dollars) only, which was converted and transferred to your Opay Account number 8073746212 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(a) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22(2) (b) (iv) of the same Act”.

Court Sentence 10 ‘yahoo boys’ for fraud,Theft

September 16, 2023 Rhoda Gistlover 0

On September 14, 2023, Justice O. A. Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, found ten individuals guilty of separate counts of internet fraud. Ikyegh Senenge Bobo, Anum Cyprian Sesugh, Boniface Udoo Aondofa,

Court Sentence 5 ‘American Citizens’ to Jail over N251,000 Internet Fraud

September 14, 2023 Rhoda Gistlover 0

The Kaduna State High Court has imprisoned five people, including one woman, who claimed to be white American citizens of internet fraud. The court also convicted four others, all males, who similarly claimed they were

Atiku files 35 Petition against Tinubu at Supreme Court Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP's presidential candidate, filed 35 grounds for appeal with the Supreme Court on Tuesday in an effort to overturn President Bola Tinubu's election. Through a group of attorneys led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN, Atiku is pleading with the Supreme Court to overturn the decision the Court of Appeal issued on September 6, which recognized Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as the legitimate victor of the presidential election that took place on February 25. He claimed that the President Election Petition Court's (PEPC) five-member panel's decision to dismiss his petition challenging the results of the presidential election was not only perverse, but also led to a serious miscarriage of justice against him. This was stated in his statement to the Supreme Court. The PDP candidate, a former vice president, argued that the PEPC panel committed a legal error by failing to declare the presidential election invalid on the grounds of non-compliance with the Electoral Act of 2022, despite the fact that evidence presented to the panel showed that the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, had violated the laws and regulations governing the conduct of elections. He claimed that the Electoral Act of 2022 and the 1999 Constitution, as amended, were both grossly misconstrued and misrepresented in the PEPC's unanimous decision.

U.S. Court Adjourns Atiku Petition as Chicago University Refutes Knowledge of Certificate Tinubu Submitted to INEC

September 13, 2023 Rhoda Gistlover 0

Shortly after Chicago State University (CSU) denied knowledge of a certificate the Nigerian president submitted to the nation’s electoral commission INEC to run for office, the institution asked the court to adjourn its decision on

Nigerians react to Yul Edochie ‘bravely’ fights sleep during the ongoing election tribunal [Watch]

September 6, 2023 Gistlover Stella 0

Yul Edochie, a Nollywood actor, recently gave some much-needed humorous relief in the ongoing electoral tribunal. Yul Edochie is one of the well-known celebrities who attended the electoral tribunal, which has made news today. He

BREAKING: Tribunal Dismissed Petition of Peter Obi/LP on 25% of FCT

Peter Obi failed to provide claims of election irregularity- Tribunal

September 6, 2023 Rhoda Gistlover 0

The Presidential Election Tribunal is now ruling on a petition filed by Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi. Obi is contesting President Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer, in the February 25,

BREAKING: Tribunal discharges APM’s petition against Tinubu, Shettima The complaints filed by the Allied Peoples Movement against President Bola Tinubu and his Vice President, Kashim Shettima, were dismissed by the Presidential Election Petition Court for lack of merit. The PEPC dismissed and labeled APM's case to overturn Tinubu's election as "incompetent." The court ruled that the APM's appeal concerned pre-election issues that could only be resolved by the Federal High Court. The verdict was read aloud by the panel's chairman, Justice Haruna Tsammani. The APM petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission and four others was also dismissed by the tribunal. INEC, the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettima, and Kabiru Masari are among the first to fifth respondents. The panel made decisions on all of APM's arguments. Tsammani stated that the petitioners failed to show their allegations and that the petition lacked merit. The judge also upheld all of the Respondents' preliminary challenges to the petition's competence. Tsammani ruled that because the petition was about Tinubu's eligibility to run for president, the APM should have gone to court within 14 days following Tinubu's nomination by the APC. He argued that because the cause of action was pre-election, the APM lacked locus standi to dispute Tinubu's candidacy. Tsammani further argued that the legislation did not permit one political party to question the method used by another political party in nominating its candidate.The judge also held that invalid nomination or double nomination did not qualify as a ground for disqualification in respect of presidential election as provided in sections 131 and 137 of the Constitution. Details later…

BREAKING: Tribunal Cancels APM’s petition against Tinubu, Shettima

September 6, 2023 Rhoda Gistlover 0

The complaints filed by the Allied Peoples Movement against President Bola Tinubu and his Vice President, Kashim Shettima, were dismissed by the Presidential Election Petition Court for lack of merit. The PEPC dismissed and labeled

September 6 not official: Presidential Tribunal Speaks on Date To give Final Judgement

September 4, 2023 Rhoda Gistlover 0

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has refuted the widely reported trending September 6 date as the day chosen to give decision on the petitions contesting President Bola Tinubu’s election victory. This is taking place as

Presidential Tribunal: Over 100 Nigerians Sign Petition Demanding Justice from the judiciary

August 31, 2023 Rhoda Gistlover 0

A petition for fairness and openness in the present presidential electoral tribunal procedures has received at least 100 signatures from Nigerians. The action is being taken as the petition against President Bola Tinubu, the All

Presidential Tribunal: Court Reportedly Picks Date to Deliver Election Petition Judgement

August 28, 2023 Rhoda Gistlover 0

According to reports, the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) has set Saturday, September 16 as the date for the announcement of its ultimate decision regarding the results of the 2023 presidential election. In the lawsuit

Peter Obi’s phone allegedly stolen in courtroom

August 2, 2023 Gistlover Stella 0

The Labour Party candidate Peter Obi’s cellphone was reported stolen on the grounds of a Nigerian courtroom by an unidentified person or people. In a video posted to Twitter, he was seen looking for the

Drug Trafficking: US-based Nigerian Man bags 40 years jail term

UK-based Nigerian doctor loses custody of 16-year-old son to Govt. over flogging

July 27, 2023 Gistlover Stella 0

The UK government reportedly takes custody of a 16-year-old teenager after reports of him being flogged by his doctor father. According to reports, the adolescent had formed a study group with two of his friends

"We are transforming into an authoritarian & repressive regime" - Peter Obi raises alarm over threats to life

You’re too unprepared – Court slams Peter Obi for presenting illegal documents in his petition against Tinubu’s victory

June 1, 2023 Gistlover Stella 0

The Labour Party (LP) and Peter Obi, its presidential candidate, have come under fire from the presidential election petition court for their lack of preparation in the suit filed to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s

Ademola Adeleke affirmed as Osun Governor by Supreme Court

May 9, 2023 Gistlover Stella 0

The Supreme Court has affirmed Senator Ademola Adeleke as the legitimate governor of Osun State. As reported by TheCable, the apex court said the plaintiff and former governor of the state Gboyega Oyetola and All