Category: News

NJC’s Deputy Director (Information), Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, announced this in a statement on Friday.

The NJC, chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CIN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, took the decisions at its meeting held in Abuja between Wednesday and Thursday.

The council also cleared judges of allegations contained in petitions sent against them. Some petitioners withdrew their petitions against some judges.

The council also recommended 38 candidates for various judicial appointments, mostly to High Courts of various states.

Read the excerpts from the statement capturing the clearance of some judges, the recommendations for appointments, and other relevant issues below.

Federal High Court judge cleared of four petitions

The Council also deliberated on 4 petitions against Hon. Justice Peter O. Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja as follows:

Petition by Mr Douglas W. Chukwu, the Secretary of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission against Hon. Justice Lifu was discountenanced, as the petitioner who had earlier indicated interest to participate in the hearing of his petition failed, neglected and refused to appear before the Committee.

The Council also finds that the allegations of inducement to the tune of $1 million, a bullet-proof car and gift of a plot of land to Hon. Justice Lifu by Chief Emeka Beke, Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC), Rivers State, were not substantiated in any form.

It was also found that the same parties who appeared before the High Court in Rivers State, also appeared before Hon. Justice Lifu at the Federal High Court in Abuja, but failed to disclose or bring to the notice of the Hon. Judge the existence of a sister case at Rivers State High Court.

The Council noted that the acts of misconduct alleged were actually perpetuated by the petitioners who filed the case at the Rivers State High Court, after the case at the Federal High Court, Abuja had been instituted, suggesting forum shopping.

Council finds that Hon. Justice Lifu neither exhibited personal interest in the matter nor misconducted himself in the procedure and noted that the complaints contained in the petition are now subject of appeal by the petitioners.

Similarly, Council dismissed the two petitions by Abednego Oli Benjamin, Chairman, Boot Party, Rivers State Chapter against Hon. Justice Lifu, as it finds the allegations of bribery and other corrupt practices against the Subject Judge were unsubstantiated. It also finds that there is no proof of misconduct in the ex parte orders made by the Subject Judge. Council also noted that the ex parte orders are now the subject of appeals.

On the petition by Dr. G. M. Giles-West Clark, Rivers State House of Assembly against Hon. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, the Council finds that the petition was not supported with a verifying affidavit and was therefore, discountenanced.

On the petition against the Court of Appeal by Aham Eke-Ejelama, SAN, Council finds that the matters were cases that were commenced during vacation. It also finds that they were urgent matters assigned to vacation Justices and that vacation Judges sit in Abuja.

Council also finds the assertion that the Appellants’ counsel applied to be heard in Abuja, is not correct as only a Head of Court can assign vacation cases. Consequently, Council dismissed the petition for lack of substance.

Council thereafter directed the President of the Court of Appeal should deal with the assignment of the appeals administratively in the normal course of business.

Petitions discontinued against judges

Also, the petitions against Hon. Justice Peter C. Obiora, JCA, formerly of Anambra State High Court and Hon. Justice I. S. Yerima, Chief Judge, Oyo State, were discontinued by the petitioners through notices of discontinuance served on the Council.

Petitions dismissed

The petition by Hon. C. Oforma Agbo JP against Hon. Justice Comfort C. Ani of the Enugu State High Court, was investigated and no evidence of judicial misconduct was found against the Judge.

The petition against Hon. Justice Kabir Dabo, High Court of Justice, Kaduna State, by Alhaji Samaila Musa, was dismissed for being unmeritorious, as the Judge did not violate any law by issuing a bench warrant for the arrest of the petitioner.

Furthermore, the petition by Hopeson Dike against Hon. Justice Stephen Dalyop Pam of the Federal High Court was discountenanced as the petitioner abandoned it and failed to honour Council’s invitation.

Lawyers referred for discipline over filing of frivolous petitions against judges

While the NJC is ready to sanction erring Judicial Officers, it has a duty to protect them against unfounded allegations.

The Council resolved that Legal Practitioners who by themselves or in collusion with litigants write frivolous petitions to blackmail the Judicial Officers will be reported to the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) or the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) for appropriate action.

36 candidates recommended for judicial appointments

Also, at the meeting, the Council recommended Thirty-six (36) candidates for judicial appointment to their various State Governors.

Those recommended for appointment are as follows:

EIGHT (8) JUDGES, HIGH COURT, OYO STATE

Opayinka, Adeniyi Gabriel
Oyediran, Oloyede Semiu
Oladejo, Olusoji Moses
Ademola-Salami, Oluwaseun Toluwanimi
Adesina, Jimoh Adam
Adekunle, Yemi Saubana
Adepoju, Olutola Jolade Adenike
Muraina, Olayemi Rasaq

FOUR (4) JUDGES, HIGH COURT, KEBBI STATE

Muhammad, Kwaido Hassan
Ibrahim, Umar Halima
Jagwadeji, Suru Lauratu
Muhammad, Nuruddeen

SEVEN (7) JUDGES, HIGH COURT, SOKOTO STATE

Haruna, Dogondaji Mariya
Sahabi, Jaredi Hadiza
Ahmad, Sha’aibu
Hassan, Fatima
Mohammed, Sa’idu Fatima
Muhammad, Nura Bello
Moyi, Abubakar

SIX (6) JUDGES, HIGH COURT, AKWA IBOM STATE

Ekanem, James Bassey
Umohandi, Mfon Winifred
Essien, Bassey Iwakaowo
Morrison, Henry Comfort
Ntekim, Edet Ekpo
Eddie, Julius Sharon

SEVEN (7) KADIS, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, SOKOTO STATE

Muhammad, Abdulazeez Yar’Abba
Lawal, Isa Abubakar
Bello, Sokoto Ibrahim
Imam, Abubakar Bello
Muhammad, Abibu Lawal
Ibrahim, Bodinga Umar
Kabiru, Marnona Umar

TWO (2) KADIS, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, KEBBI STATE

Aliyu, Kabir, SAN
Bello, Muhammad Atiku

TWO (2) JUDGES, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, OYO STATE

Oyediran, Safiya Amope
Ojekunle, Ojeyemi Ademola

All recommended candidates are expected to be sworn in by their respective State Governors.

Premium Times

The apex court described the suit as “selfish,” supporting not only the establishment of the anti-graft agencies but also their powers to investigate and prosecute financial crimes across the federation.

A seven-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, passed the judgment on Friday in cases filed by the Attorneys General of Kogi State and others against the Attorney General of the Federation.

Nairametrics reports that the EFCC was established by an Act of the National Assembly on December 12, 2002; however, the act was repealed and reenacted by lawmakers in 2004 and was signed into law on June 4, 2004, by President Olusegun Obasanjo, twenty years ago.

In his oral argument, Mohammed Abdulwahab, SAN, counsel for Kogi State, who originally instituted the action, drew the apex court’s attention to a previous Supreme Court observation that a United Nations Convention Against Corruption was incorporated into the EFCC Establishment Act, contrary to Section 12 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Section 12 partly states, “No treaty between the Federation and any other country shall have the force of law except to the extent to which any such treaty has been enacted into law by the National Assembly.”

“A bill for an Act of the National Assembly passed pursuant to the provisions of subsection (2) of this section shall not be presented to the President for assent and shall not be enacted unless it is ratified by a majority of all the Houses of Assembly in the Federation.”

Abdulwahab argued that the constitutional provision required a majority of the states’ Houses of Assembly to agree with their federal legislators in passing the EFCC Act and other related laws.

He alleged that this requirement was not met in the establishment of the EFCC Act, urging the apex court to rule that the creation of the anti-graft agencies contravened the law.

“I seek your Lordship’s indulgence to adopt the processes. We urge your Lordship to grant all the reliefs sought. We are also challenging the foundation of those laws that created NFIU, EFCC, etc., to avoid creating a constitutional crisis. We urge you to allow our suit and award heavy costs in favor of the Plaintiff on record,” he said.

He also asked the apex court to determine whether the EFCC Act, ICPC Act, and NFIU Act can be used to criminalize the use of funds belonging to the states and local governments and if the EFCC, NFIU, or any agency can investigate, invite, or arrest anyone involved in the management of funds belonging to the states or local governments.

Several states aligned with Abdulwahab’s submission, while some withdrew from the matter.

On his part, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, stated that the establishment of the anti-graft agencies had been favorably settled by several previous Supreme Court verdicts.

He argued that granting the states’ reliefs would generally be interpreted as the apex court halting the agencies created to engage in a nationwide fight against corruption across the federation. He urged the court to dismiss the suit.

The Supreme Court, having observed that the issues raised by most of the states against the establishment and constitutionality of the anti-graft agencies were similar, held that its judgment on the main appeal by Kogi State would apply to all the states before them.

What the Supreme Court Said 

On Friday, Abba-Aji began by addressing the preliminary objection of the AGF regarding jurisdiction.

She said that while the EFCC Act had been challenged in the previous case cited by the parties, the present case seemed to have brought in some agencies that were not part of the previous case.

She, however, held that the plaintiff’s case was against the AGF (the defendant) and not against any agency of the federal government; hence, the Supreme Court had jurisdiction to determine the case.

“Moreover, the non-joinder of a party does not affect the jurisdiction of this court. In matters of public interest, the AGF has the legal right (locus standi) to institute actions or defend same,” the judge held.

Determining the merits of the case, she said the NFIU Act was enacted by the National Assembly with the intent to combat money laundering and other associated crimes.

“By Section 15 of the 1999 Constitution, and the decision of this apex court in AG vs Ondo, the National Assembly has the powers to enact laws relating to fighting corruption, irrespective of whether the funds belong to the federal, state, or local governments,” she said, adding that the states are constituents of the federal government.

She said that where a guideline is made pursuant to an act established by the National Assembly, its constitutionality and legality cannot be challenged.

She added that in respect of other agencies mentioned in the case, they equally have powers to investigate financial crimes.

“Indeed, the effect of the provisions of the EFCC Act leaves no doubt that it has the power to investigate and prosecute financial crimes,” she said.

The apex court held that the first plaintiff (Kogi AG) and others “opened the can of worms and skeletons in its cupboard” when it deposed that the EFCC had invited and investigated officials of the state government and not the federal government.

This revealed “the selfish reasons of the plaintiff’s suit,” Abba-Aji said.

She said that as much as Kogi State has the right to enact laws, any of its laws that contradict the EFCC Act, NFIU Act, and ICPC Act, which have been enacted by the National Assembly, cannot have the force of law.

“No state has the right to enact a law that is inconsistent with the laws enacted by the National Assembly,” she said, faulting the AG of Kogi for acting as a “puppet” for corrupt practices.

She concluded that there was nothing in the NFIU Act that interferes with the powers of states to manage their funds.

“I resolve these issues against the plaintiffs,” the apex court held.

On the EFCC Act, the apex court held that the inclusion of the UN Convention in the act was aimed at addressing global issues, and the National Assembly can make laws on corruption without ratification by the Houses of Assembly.

The apex court concluded that the EFCC Act is competent, as it was enacted by the National Assembly within its legislative competence.

“The plaintiff’s suit fails and is hereby dismissed in its entirety,” she said, in a unanimous judgment. Nairametrics

The federal government on Thursday celebrated Nigeria’s achievement of a 1.8 million barrels per day crude oil and condensate output, after struggling for at least four years to meet the quota allocated to it by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Also on Thursday, the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, claimed the feat marked his happiest day in office yet, stressing that looking beyond the 1.8 million bpd crude production, 2.5 million bpd was achievable by December.

In its own reaction, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited headed by Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, lauded the achievement, describing it as a collaborative effort among all the stakeholders.

In his remarks on the announcement, Tompolo through his spokesman, Dr Paul Bebenimibo, said the target of 2 million barrels can be exceeded, noting that it was deploying new technologies against oil theft and vandalism in the Niger Delta.

At an event in Abuja to intimate the press about the landmark, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) announced that the feat was achieved alongside its partners, explaining that a 7.4 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscfd) gas output had also been hit.

Commenting on the development, Lokpobiri stated that if Africa must make progress in terms of harnessing its God-given resources, Nigeria must take the lead.

“Today is perhaps my happiest day since I was appointed as Minister of State Petroleum Resources. Why do I say so? I returned from South Africa a few days ago. And in South Africa this week, the discussion was basically about what Nigeria can do as the leader of the industry on the continent.

“The consensus was that what Nigeria cannot do, Africa cannot do. Today, I’m excited that our very hardworking team led by the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, has been able to deliver on the mandate given to them,” Lokpobiri stated.

After years of underproduction, in June this year, President Bola Tinubu gave the marching order to all the security forces in collaboration with the NNPC as well as local security groups like Tantita to ramp up production in months. The directive now appears to be yielding results.

Lokpobiri added: “ We set up a war room, with a view to ramping up production. And the rest of the world is ramping up production. Only Africa is lagging. But Africa is looking for Nigeria’s leadership. Once Nigeria leads, the rest of the continent will follow.

“That was the consensus in Cape Town. And I was very happy to be there. Chairman of the Board said that he is expecting that by December, 2-3 million bpd. And I’m not going to make any statement as to figures. But I know that you guys can get it done.

“You’ve done it before. And you can do it even better. I’ve always contended that during the COVID, we did 2.5 million barrels, with no additional investments, we did that. I believe that that’s possible.

“As I said over December, we are expecting a minimum and I repeat, a minimum of 2 million barrels per day . We are still moving steadily towards that 2.5 million barrels, which we have capacity to do,” the minister added.

Lokpobiri further challenged Kyari and the management team to continue to push for 2.5 million bpd, stressing that they have his full support and pointing out that “everybody wants to play towards achieving that 2.5 million barrels per day by the end of this year.”

Also speaking on the development,  Kyari congratulated the ‘Production War Room Team’ that anchored the crude oil production recovery process.

“The team has done a great job in driving this project of not just production recovery but also escalating production to expected levels that are in the short and long terms acceptable to our shareholders based on the mandates that we have from the President, the Honourable Minister, and the Board,” Kyari explained.

Kyari stated that the NNPC was ready to increase production both in the short term and in the long term, to levels that are acceptable to its shareholders as a company.

According to him, aside from the NNPC, other partners have been given specific targets that must be achieved.

“And we have met nearly all the targets that we have set for ourselves. And we have a line of sight of what will happen tomorrow. It is possible to achieve the higher production.

“And with all the help and support that we have across board, from the Minister to Mr. President to the government security agencies, we have a line of sight of what progress means and will achieve progress” Kyari added.

Separately, in his intervention, Tantita, which is leading the charge among the local security groups manning Nigeria’s oil assets in the Niger Delta, expressed its elation over the feat.

Its spokesman, Bebenimibo said: “This milestone, as you know, was achieved in collaboration with the NNPC, the security forces,  and of course Tantita, which has been at the forefront of oil pipeline protection in the Niger Delta. We are determined to take it to 2 million barrels per day before the year runs out, as directed by the President of the Republic of Nigeria, working through the NNPC.

“All the needed machinery has been put in place to ensure that the target is achieved. No effort will be spared to ensure that the economy of Nigeria is galvanised.

“This will lead to a boost in government revenue, thereby making more funds available for the President and his team to run the country effectively. I can assure you that we are not going to rest on our oars until the target is achieved and even exceeded.”

Besides, he noted that new technologies were being deployed to ensure that the theft of Nigeria’s commonwealth is halted.

“It is a mark that we have been working towards this for a while now. From the beginning of this year, we have been saying that, by God’s grace, we will get to the 2 million barrels per day production.

“And we have actually put more measures in place. We’ve acquired more technologies to monitor the facilities, so that there won’t be any disruption and  production will continue to increase.

“So the 1.8 million barrels per day that it has got to, certainly, by the end of the year, we’ll work to get to the 2 million barrels per day. We are working.

“The National Security Adviser (NSA) actually confirmed it yesterday too, that the Niger Delta  is very peaceful, things are working out fine there, and it’s a result of what we are putting in place that they have brought out this result.

“So we are fine, we are fine with it. We’ll continue to work towards this and get to the 2 million barrels per day, and even surpass it,” Ekpemupolo added.

Also, giving details of the efforts of the Production War Room, the Chief War Room Coordinator and Senior Business Adviser to the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lawal Musa, disclosed that the feat was achieved through the collaborative efforts of Joint Venture and Production Sharing Contract partners, the Office of the NSA, as well as government and private security agencies.

He said the interventions that led to the recovery of production cut across every segment of the production chain with security agencies closely monitoring the pipelines.

He stressed that when the production war room team was inaugurated on the  June 25, 2024, production was at 1.430 million bpd, but the team swung into action, culminating into it sustaining the production recovery to 1.7 million bpd in August and hitting the current 1.808 million bpd in November.

“We are confident that with this same momentum and with the active collaboration of all stakeholders, especially on the security front, we can see the possibility of getting to 2 million bpd by the end of the year,” he stated.

Also speaking on the development, Chairman of the NNPC Board of Directors, Chief Pius Akinyelure, who congratulated the team, said he was happy to be part of the production recovery process, adding: “today, I will leave this place with my heart full of joy”.

He charged the company’s management to come up with a cash flow projection based on the new production figures to facilitate planning, stressing that he was looking forward to further production increase to 3 million bpd. Arise News

Adeniyi said the service would exceed its target by 10 per cent by December 31, 2024. He said this achievement was due to better stakeholder collaboration, improved processes, and modernised systems. He also credited reforms like the Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) scheme and 24-hour cargo clearance, which have helped increase revenue and improve trade facilitation.

The Comptroller-General added that NCS made seizures valued at NGN 28.1 billion, including high-risk items such as wildlife products, arms, narcotics, and illicit pharmaceuticals. A state of emergency at key ports also led to the interception of 48 containers carrying prohibited pharmaceutical items and drugs.

Although Adeniyi attributed the revenue surge to improvements within the service, some Nigerians believe it is due to ongoing forex challenges and higher tariffs. Some others also questioned the NCS’s conduct and methods.

“Customs hitting its 2024 revenue target of N5.1trn by November raises a red flag; either they’re overcharging or exploiting the public in some way. No Govt agency should be designed to be so focused on meeting revenue targets. Their role is to serve the people, and earn a reasonable compensation for doing their job, not to be driven by revenue goals”, a social media user @ayemojubar stated.

Another user, Hamma, said:

‎”Customs are being clever by half. Nigeria’s highest-ever collection was $6 billion in 2014. This year’s collection of 5 trillion Naira is just $2.9 billion…. At the current exchange rate, they would need to collect 10.2 trillion Naira to match 2014’s performance.”

In the first half of 2024, vehicle imports into Nigeria dropped by 60 per cent, mainly due to high exchange rates and increased import duties. The rising cost of clearing vehicles has made them unaffordable for many Nigerians. Beyond the automobile sector, fluctuations in customs duties have widely affected importation businesses in Nigeria.

On February 26, 2024, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued a directive requiring the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to use the foreign exchange closing rate on the day Form M is submitted for clearing goods and assessing import duties. This was aimed at reducing forex market volatility.

However, the NCS has faced criticism for disregarding the directive and using a higher exchange rate for import duties and clearance.

Nigeria’s ongoing currency crisis remains a persistent and troubling challenge. The depreciation of the naira has contributed to increased Customs revenue, as it raises the value of imported goods in naira, leading to higher import duty payments. However, this has also resulted in higher import costs, placing additional financial pressure on consumers and businesses. WAW