Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: High Court

  • Court jails man for internet fraud, seizes properties 

    Court jails man for internet fraud, seizes properties 

    A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta has sentenced one Festus Gbenga Ajayi to one year imprisonment for internet fraud.

    The convict was prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on one-count charge of criminal impersonation, having been arrested on October, 2019 in a raid conducted in his hideout in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

    Investigations conducted by the Commission linked him to series of internet-related frauds which formed the ground for his initial arraignment on eight-count charges, bordering on criminal impersonation and obtaining money by false pretence before the charges were amended to lone-count, to which he pleaded guilty.

    Apart from the jail term which takes effect from the day of conviction, the judge, Justice Ibrahim Watilat ordered that the convict to forfeits his uncompleted one-storey building, located in Ado-Ekiti, a Toyota Corolla car, one gold-colour iPhone, among other proceeds of and tools of crime to the Federal government.

    He had earlier refunded N1,400,000 (One Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira) to the government, through the EFCC.

    – Radio Nigeria

  • Court stops Obaseki from participating in PDP primary

    Court stops Obaseki from participating in PDP primary

    Idowu Sowunmi

    A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Monday stopped Edo State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant, Godwin Obaseki, from participating in the June 25 governorship primary of the party in the state.

    A PDP member, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, had filed an ex parte motion, praying the court to bar Obaseki from taking part in the primary.

    The applicant also sought a court order to restrain the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, and the party from allowing Obaseki to buy the forms for the primary, other than those who bought the forms within the party’s timetable initially published for the election.

    Joined in the suit are: Secondus, PDP, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), chairman of the party screening committee, Kingsley Chinda, and other members of the committee.

    Ruling on the motion, Justice E. A. Obile of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt granted the applicant’s prayers and ordered the interim injunction as requested.

    All the parties in the case were to be served via substituted means.

    Substantive hearing in the case has, however, been adjourned to June 24.

    PDP had announced a waiver for Obaseki to enable him participate in the primary election, even though he joined the party only on June 19.

    The party also reconvened the Chinda screening committee which had ended its assignment on June 5 to screen Obaseki on June 20.

    It would be recalled that one of the PDP aspirants, Gideon Ikhine, had stepped down for Obaseki on June 22 and handed over his campaign office to him.

  • Exam Malpractice: Court strikes out charges against Senator Adeleke

    Exam Malpractice: Court strikes out charges against Senator Adeleke

    A case of alleged exam malpractice instituted by the Federal Government against Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been struck out by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Friday.

    The decision of the court was based on an application for the withdrawal of charges against Senator Adeleke by the Prosecution Counsel, Simon Lough.

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    While delivering his ruling, the trial Judge, Justice Inyang Eekwo noted that Senator Adeleke was discharged in view of the prosecutor’s decision to withdraw charges leveled against the former PDP Governorship Aspirant who contested against the present Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola in September 22, 2018.

    He was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja in October 2018 alongside Sikiru Adeleke (who is said to be the Senator’s relative), Aregbesola Mufutau (the school principal), Gbadamosi Thomas Ojo (Registrar) and Dare Samuel Olutope (a teacher).

    Senator Adeleke and Mr Sikiru were accused of impersonation, both registering as students of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar school, Ojo-Aro, Osun state to enable them to sit for the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination of June/July 2017 while the other defendants were accused of aiding the commission in the alleged offence.

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    Although the prosecutor declined to speak on camera, the representative of Senator Adeleke, Dr. Alex Izinyon, however, applauded the ruling of the court.

    Following the development, Justice Ekwo has fixed June 25 and 26 for the trial of other defendants