Author: Staff Editor
Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, May 22, 2026, ordered the final forfeiture of properties recovered from Chinese nationals and Nigerians involved in illegal mining activities in Ogun State to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The forfeited assets include a mining site located behind the Baale’s Palace on Ileposo Street, adjacent to 59 Street, Ode-Remo, Ogun State; a Toyota 4Runner SUV with registration number AWE 261 AE; two trucks laden with substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones; and a 40-foot container containing substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones. The judge…
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Monday, May 25, 2026, adjourned the trial of Ali Bello and Dauda Sulaiman till June 2, 2026. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Ali Bello, a nephew of former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, alongside Dauda Sulaiman on an amended 16-count charge bordering on misappropriation and money laundering to the tune of ₦10,270,556,800.00. At Monday’s proceedings, the 17th Prosecution Witness (PW17), Ahmed Audu Abubakar, while being cross-examined by defence counsel, A.M. Aliyu, SAN, gave testimony regarding the transactions that led to the purchase of properties in…
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 63-year-old Chinese grandmother, Ting Hung Kiong, following her attempt to smuggle a large consignment of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria. The Chinese national, who is naturalised in Malaysia, was arrested on May 17, 2026, upon her arrival in Nigeria from Thailand via Dubai, UAE, aboard an Emirates Airline flight. She was intercepted by NDLEA operatives attached to the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. A statement by the NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday said investigations revealed that the suspect travelled…
Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has described the donation of a Bar Centre to the Ondo Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) by Chief Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, as a major milestone in the advancement of the legal profession and democratic governance in Nigeria. Speaking at the unveiling and commissioning of the Bar Centre in Ondo City on Friday, the governor commended the legal luminary for what he described as an extraordinary demonstration of generosity, vision, and commitment to institutional development. Aiyedatiwa said the imposing structure represents far more than a physical edifice, noting that it embodies intellectual discipline,…
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Friday, May 22, 2026, adjourned till June 23, 2026, the alleged ₦8.7 billion money laundering trial involving former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami. The defendants are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing, and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities to the tune of ₦8,713,923,759.49 (Eight Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirteen Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand, Seven Hundred and…
A Second Prosecution Witness (PW2), Michael Eyo, in the trial of Victor Ekpong Thompson, has told a Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, presided over by Justice Maurine Adaobi Onyetenu, that the defendant forged his mining licence and used the forged document to defraud three American investors: Tammy Jensen, Kenneth Blad, and Peter Jensen, to the tune of $525,276. Thompson was first arraigned on January 29, 2026, on eight counts bordering on conspiracy, advance fee fraud, criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation, and stealing, to which he pleaded “not guilty”. One of the charges reads: “That you,…
Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, adjourned further hearing in the alleged ₦76 billion and $31.5 million fraud trial involving a former Managing Director of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Ahmed Kuru, and others till June 25, 2026. Kuru, alongside Kamilu Alaba Omokide, Roy Ilegbodu, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and Super Bravo Limited, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and abuse of office. One of the counts reads: “That you, Union Bank Nigeria…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Segun Aina as the new Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), succeeding Professor Is-haq Oloyede. Aina, who will be 40 in July, is, according to a statement by Tinubu’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, a distinguished academic and systems expert with extensive experience in national examination systems, digital infrastructure, and public-sector institutional reform. “He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Kent, an MSc in Internet Computing and Network Security, and a PhD in Digital Signal Processing, both from Loughborough University, United Kingdom. He has also…
Justice Ambrose-Lewis Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday adjourned until May 22, 2026, for the hearing of committal proceedings filed against the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) over the alleged breach of a court order suspending the enforcement of the Digital Electronic Online and Non-Traditional Lending Regulations. The suit was filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria Ltd/GTE (WASPAN) against the FCCPC in relation to the controversial regulations. During the proceedings, counsel to the plaintiff, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, drew the court’s attention to what he described as the FCCPC’s contemptuous conduct…
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Apo, Abuja, on Monday, May 18, 2026, sustained the arrest warrant he issued against former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, on April 16, 2026. The former minister, alongside two others — Bashir Nura Alkali and Sani Nafiu Mohammed — is to face prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, and diversion of public funds to the tune of $1.3 million and ₦746.7 million. At Monday’s proceedings, counsel to the prosecution, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, informed the court…