SHOCKING: Chaos As Robbers Escape Court After Death Sentence, Judge Pick Race

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It was a chaotic scene on Monday at the Asaba High Court In Delta, when two armed0robbers escaped from the court immediately the judge sentenced them to death.

The men, who were found guilty of conspiracy and armed robbery were eventually re-arrested by two prison guards.  According to some court officials, immediately the judge announced the sentence, one of them, known as Elvis Agbofodo escaped and ran into a nearby church where the prison guard found him and shot him in the leg to keep him immobilized.

The other convict, Frank Okedema, ran in a different direction before he was apprehended by another prison guard with the aid of residents of the area.  Court proceedings were reportedly disrupted by the escape attempt as this caused the prison guards to start shooting sporadically. The judge, court officials, lawyers and other persons in the area ran for their lives to avoid being hit by flying bullets.

Court orders arrest of EFCC Boss, Lamorde

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ABUJA — Justice Peter Kekemeke of an Abuja High Court has ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar to arrest the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, for disobeying a valid court order. Justice Kekemeke directed that the EFCC boss and an operative of the anti-graft agency, Mr Friday Ebelo, should be apprehended and kept in prison custody within the next two weeks, except they apologize to a lawyer whose fundamental human rights were allegedly violated by the commission.

Meantime, EFCC, yesterday, vowed to appeal the ruling.

We ‘ll appeal ruling — EFCC

Reacting to the order, spokesman of the commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, who acknowledged that a copy of the order was served on the agency, said EFCC has perfected plans to get it vacated.

The court had on March 8 and December 5, 2012, ordered Lamorde to release the call-to-bar certificate of one Mr Innocent Onwu, apologize to him through a national newspaper as well as pay him N50, 000 as compensation.

The Thisday office was bombed to appease Allah, witness tells court

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The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, yesterday, heard how alleged kingpin of the Boko Haram sect, Mustapher Umar, bombed office of Thisday Newspaper in Kaduna State with 12 camp gas cylinders in a bid to appease Allah. Justice Ademola Adeniyi, who admitted a burnt Honda Car, with number-plate AL-306-MKA, allegedly used to perpetrate the terrorist act on April 26, 2012, further heard how the accused person cried bitterly when he was rescued from the burning car, saying they denied him the opportunity of inheriting 72 virgins in heaven.

In a bid to prove the complicity of the accused person, the Federal Government brought a senior police officer that is charged with the responsibility of keeping exhibits recovered from terror suspects to testify before the high court. The masked witness, PW-8, who told the court that the accused person had intended to carry out a suicide attack, produced the burnt Honda car, the discharged cylinders, half-charred 25 litter jerry-can that allegedly contained fuel, and persuaded Justice Adeniyi to move the court outside to inspect the terror items.

S.A court postpones Oscar Pistorius hearing to August 19

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A South African court on Tuesday postponed until August 19 the pre-trial hearing of Oscar Pistorius, who has been charged with murder, to give police time to wrap up their probe into his Valentines' Day shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Michael Adebolajo appears in court; wants to be called Mujaheed Abu Hamza

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Dressed in all white with his left arm bandaged, the 28 year old, who is accused of murdering Lee Rigby, 25, a fortnight ago, stood in the dock flanked by two police officers and a prison guard. As he arrived in the courtroom he appeared to blow a kiss to a friend in the public gallery, gripped a copy of the Koran throughout and refused to stand in the dock. He was remanded in custody and will appear at the Old Bailey within 48 hours. Earlier he was swept into Westminster Magistrates Court in an armoured vehicle led by a police convoy. A number of armed officers formed a ring of steel and shut off roads around the court in central London.

Appeal court reverses Baba Suwe’s N25m judgment

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The Court of Appeal in Lagos has set aside the judgment awarding N25m compensation to Yoruba actor, Babatunde Omidina (aka Baba Suwe) for alleged wrongful detention by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in October 2011.

Justice Yetunde Idowu of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, had on November 24, 2011 ordered the NDLEA to pay N25m to Omidina and publicly apologise to him in conspicuous pages of two national dailies for violating his rights to personal liberty.

However, in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Rita Pemu on Friday, the appellate court upheld NDLEA’s appeal against the judgment.  The three-man appeal panel held that the Lagos High Court, Ikeja lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter in the first place. The panel added that even if its decision on the jurisdictional issue was wrong, the arrest and detention, which the respondent (Omidina) had complained of was “not unreasonable.”

N6.4 Billion Fraud: You Have A Case To Answer, Court Tells Sylva

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A Federal High court in Abuja on Thursday dismissed an application by the former governor of Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva asking the court to quash corruption charges against him on grounds that evidence submitted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) does not in any way link him to the allegations laundering the sum of N6.4 billion.

The trial Judge, Justice Adamu Bello had refused Mr Sylva’s application to quash the charge against him on the ground that it lacked merit, having held that the former governor has a case to answer. Similarly, Justice Bello also refused Mr Sylva’s application for the release of his international passport to enable him travel abroad with his wife who is scheduled for surgery at a United Kingdom hospital tomorrow.

Jonathan approves appointment of 12 new judges for Industrial Court

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Abuja - President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the appointment of 12 new Judges for the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NIC).

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by Mr John Tergema, the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.  They judges are; Justices Edith Agbakoba, Anthonia Ubaka, Olufunke Anuwe, John Peters, Oyejoju Oyewumi, Kenneth Amadi, Peter Lifu, Rakiya Haastrup, Waziri Abali, Rabi Gwadu, Lawal Mani and Ebeye Isele.

The statement said the appointment was sequel to the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

Court disbands My Pikin company, jails employees 28 years

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A Federal High Court, Lagos has wound up Barewa Pharmaceutical Ltd, the manufacturer of My Pikin Baby Teething Mixture, which allegedly killed about 80 babies in 2008.

Justice Okechukwu Okeke, in his judgment on Friday, also sentenced two of company’s employees to a total of 28 years imprisonment.

Court Jails Iranian For Smuggling Arms Into Nigeria

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Azim Aghajani, a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has been found guilty of smuggling weapons into Lagos and sentenced to five years in prison by a Federal High Court in the city.

A Nigerian, Ali Jega was also convicted alongside Azim Aghajani.

The Nigerian Customs Service in 2010 made a seizure of 13 containers loaded with rockets and grenades, shipped in from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The shipment including rockets and other explosives were hidden in containers of building materials.

Gunmen kidnap Supreme Court Justice’s wife, daughter

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Gunmen on Friday night, abducted the wife, daughter, and driver of a Supreme Court Justice, Bode Rhodes-Vivour. 

The victims were travelling to Edo State, ahead of the Justice’s daughter’s wedding ceremony.

 It was learnt that they were kidnapped between Ekiadolor and Okada along along the Ore-Benin Expressway.

 

When contacted on the telephone, Edo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Moses Eguavoen, said he was unaware of the development.

 

He said, “I am not aware of that, but let me call the control room and get back to you.”

Supreme Court Upholds Phone Thief’s Death Sentence

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Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Friday in Abuja ordered that the ring leader of a notorious armed robbery gang, Mr. Salisu Isiaka, who has been terrorizing the people of Kwara state is to die by hanging for stealing a handset.

In a unanimous decision, the apex Court restored the decision of the High Court which had earlier sentenced Isiaka to death by hanging.

The convicted armed robber had pleaded not guilty at the trial court and had contested the death by hanging judgment passed on him.

Dissatisfied with the death sentence thrown at him by the High Court, Isiaka appealed the sentence at the Court of Appeal. He recorded a temporary reprieve at the appellate court as the death by hanging sentence was set aside and his release from prison custody was also ordered by the court.

His joy was however short-lived as he soon ran into yet another trouble.

Lagos State court jails 8 beggers over street begging

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The Special Offences Court in Alausa area of Lagos, southwest Nigeria, has sentenced eight beggars to one month imprisonment for begging on the streets of the state.  The beggars were arrested by officials of the Office of Youth and Social Development, Lagos State at different spots in the Lagos metropolis and charged to court.

Governor Babatunde Fashola had warned that his administration would declare total war on beggars, saying that they either leave the state or be prepared to engage in something that would contribute meaningfully to the state’s revenue earnings.

33 Year old Man in court over alleged theft of ATM card, withdrawal of girlfriend’s money

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The police in Lagos on Friday docked a 33-year-old man, Victor Agyel, for allegedly stealing his girlfriend’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card and using it to withdraw her money. Agyel, who resides at Afprint compound, Isolo Expressway, Isolo, Lagos, appeared before an Oshodi Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, on a count charge of stealing.

The prosecutor, Cpl. Kehinde Olatunde, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Nov.24, 2012 at No 2, Taiwo Koya St., Ilupeju, Lagos.

Court To Hear Al-Mustapha’s Death Sentence Appeal Tomorrow

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The Lagos division of the Court of Appeal sitting in Igbosere, Lagos Island, will tomorrow, Monday, hear the appeal filed by Major Hamzat Al-Mustapha, Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, and Lateef Shofolahan, an aide to late business man and the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola, over a death sentence passed on them by Justice Mojisola Dada.

It would be recalled that Justice Dada of the Lagos High Court had on January 30, 2012 convicted and accordingly sentenced the duo “to death by hanging until they are confirmed dead”.

Boston Bombing Suspect Asks Court For Experienced Lawyers

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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bombing suspect, has asked a court to appoint two lawyers with experience in death penalty cases to help with his defence.

Tsarnaev’s lawyer, Miriam Conrad, said in a filing in federal court in Boston that two lawyers who have defended capital prosecutions should be appointed, “given the magnitude of this case.”

The case against Jared Loughner, the gunman who killed six people and injured 13, including former Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was allowed to hire two attorneys with experience in death penalty matters, was cited by Conrad. Loughner pleaded guilty to the 2011 rampage and is serving life in prison.

HYPOCRISY: US Supreme Court Rejects Nigeria Shell Rights Case

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The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that federal courts do not have jurisdiction to hear lawsuits against foreign companies accused of human rights abuses abroad.

In a decision issued Wednesday, the justices ruled unanimously that a federal court in New York could not hear a case involving Nigerian activists who said the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell was complicit in rights abuses committed by the Nigerian government.

The case centered around the killing of Nigerian environmental activists during a crackdown on protesters in the oil-rich Ogoni region between 1992 and 1995.

Nigeria: Court Grants Nnamani Leave to Travel for Medical Check-Up

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Lagos — Justice Mohammed Yunusa of a Federal High Court, Lagos, on Wednesday granted conditional leave to Chimaroke Nnamani, to travel overseas for a medical check-up.

Nnamani, a former governor of Enugu State, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alongside seven others, on 105-counts of money laundering.

The others are: Sunday Anyaogu, Rainbownet (Nigeria) Ltd., Hillgate (Nigeria) Ltd., Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile (Nigeria) Ltd., Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.

2011 Xmas day bombing: Court sends Sokoto to prison

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• FG wants secret trial for suspect

• Lists 8 witnesses to give evidence against him

• Sokoto pleads not guilty, seeks bail

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday issued an order remanding Mr. Kabiru Sokoto, the suspected operation arrow-head of the dreaded sect, Boko Haram, in Kuje prisons.

That was moment after the federal government arraigned Sokoto before the court over alleged questionable roles he was said to have played in the bombing of St Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State and a couple of attempts to bomb police headquarters and other governmental institutions in Sokoto State.

Treason: Uwazuruike, 6 others must face trial –Supreme Court

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Attempts by the leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazurike, and six other members of the organisation to prevent their being tried for treason were quashed yesterday when the Apex Court by a unanimous judgment okayed their trial.

The order followed the dismissal of an appeal filed by all the accused persons in the case to quash the charge and terminate their trial. Lagos lawyer and Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN) teamed up at one point to prosecute the appeal.

The apex court which dismissed their appeal yesterday for want of merit also returned their case file to the Abuja Federal high court and ordered that their trial should be commenced promptly and conducted with dispatch.