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3 Lawyers Docked For Impersonating CBN, Unity Bank In N52m Judgment Debt

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The Federal Government has charged three Abuja-based legal practitioners before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on four counts of criminal charges, bordering on false information with the intent to mislead the Court into entering a N52m consent judgment in their favour.

The prosecution agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) told the court that the offences are contrary to sections 96 and 140 of the Panel Code law of Northern Nigeria as applicable in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The lawyers are Messrs Maxwell Opara, Gold Nwankwo and Jubilate Obasikene, all practising in the law firm of Maxwell Opara and Associates.

The charge filed marked CR/444/2022 and by the prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Buba followed a petition by the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, to the Chairman of the EFCC, accusing the lawyers of fraudulent representation and impersonation.

They were alleged to have fraudulently entered appearances for the CBN and Unity Bank Plc, without the consent and authorization of the banks in an appeal in respect of garnishee proceedings involving the sum of N52 million, at the Court of Appeal, Abuja division.

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The proceedings were in respect of appeal No: CA/A/18M/2017, between Mr. Godwin Emmanuel Vs Chris Obot. Ambo Top Nig Ltd, Unity Bank Plc and CBN.

The appeal arose from garnishee proceedings wherein the CBN was served with an order Nisi dated November 3, 2015, by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

The Court of Appeal had granted the CBN leave to appeal against the judgment of the lower court on the condition that the entire judgment sum of N52m be deposited to the deputy Registrar to be kept in an interest-yielding account in a commercial bank within 30 days from the date of the ruling, pending the determination of the appeal.

The CBN said it was surprising to learn that the matter came up for hearing on September 9, 2020, and that on that day, based on the application filed by counsel to the judgment creditor, Maxwell Opara, the court ordered that the judgment sum be released to the judgment creditor.

The bank asserted that its concern was the fact that neither the bank nor its counsel was served with any hearing notice in respect of the proceedings of September 9, 2020.

That it was further informed that CBN was purportedly represented by one Gold Nwankwo in the proceedings of September 9, 2020, a counsel unknown to or briefed by the bank nor affiliated in any way to any of its external solicitors.

That in the same vein, One Okechukwu Jubilate Obasikene was said not to have the authority of Unity bank and also appeared for Unity bank in the proceedings.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that the said Gold Nwankwo was listed on the letterhead of Messrs. Maxwell Opara and Associates(counsel to the judgment creditor), as one of its lawyers in chambers.

That it, therefore, appears that the counsel from the chambers of Messrs. Maxwell Opara and Associates representing the judgment creditor, might have colluded to deceive the Court of Appeal by impersonating the counsel briefed by the CBN, contrary to the legal practitioners’ rules of professional conduct.

Meanwhile, when the case was called for trial, the prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Buba informed the court about the absence of witnesses from the CBN and Unity Bank in court.

He, therefore, urged the court to grant a short adjournment to enable him produce them in court.

Following the consent of the defence of counsel, Justice Hamza Muazu adjourned the case to February 1 and 2, 2023 for trial.

The charge marked CR/444/2022, and dated August 26, 2022, reads:
“That you Barrister Maxwell Okpara and Barrister Gold Nwankwo sometime in September 2020 in Abuja within the judicial division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, did conspire to commit an offence to wit: giving false information with intent to mislead public servant and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 96 of the Penal Code law of Northern Nigeria as applicable in the FCT, and punishable under section 97 of the same law.

”That you Barrister Gold Nwankwo on the 9th day of September 2020 in Abuja within the judicial division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, did inform the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja that you were representing the Central Bank of Nigeria during the hearing of appeal No CA/A/18/M/2017 and consented to the withdrawal and striking of the motion paper dated August 29, 2020 and filed on September 1, 2020, knowing that the Central Bank of Nigeria never authorised you to represent it in the proceedings, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 140 of the Penal Code law of the Northern Nigeria as applicable in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, and punishable under section 140 of the same law.

”That you Barrister Maxwell Okpara and Barrister Jubilate Obasikene sometime in September 2020 in Abuja within the judicial division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, did conspire to commit an offence to wit: giving false information with the intent to mislead public servant and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 96 of the Penal Code law of Northern Nigeria as applicable in the FCT, and punishable under section 97 of the same law.

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”That you Barrister Jubilate Obasikene on the 9th of September 2020 in Abuja within the judicial division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, did inform the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, that you represented the Unity Bank Plc during the hearing of appeal No CA/A/18/M/2017, and consented to the withdrawal and striking out of the motion paper dated August 29, 2020, and filed on September 1, 2020, knowing that the Unity Bank Plc never authorised you to represent it in the proceedings and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 140 of the Penal Code law of the Northern Nigeria as applicable in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, and punishable under section 140 of the same law.

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Kanye West To Launch Yeezy P0rn Studio With Stormy Daniels

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Ye, the musical artist formerly known as Kanye West, 46, is considering the idea of launching a pornography studio as his latest non-musical project.

According to a new report by TMZ, Ye and his associates are reportedly now in advanced talks with Stormy Daniels’ ex-husband Mike Moz start building a supposed “Yeezy Porn” division, which would fall under the Yeezy parent company.

Moz is a veteran in the adult entertainment industry with over a decade’s worth of experience as a producer. He would reportedly be brought in to lead the new effort, which could launch as early as this summer.

Ye seems to have a complicated relationship with pornography. He wasn’t shy when it came to rapping about his fantasies with women at the start of his career but something shifted about five years ago when he confirmed he converted to Christianity.

During a 2019 interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, West—who served as creative director for the Pornhub Awards in 2018, complete with merchandize, said Playboy magazine was his gateway to a “full-on pornography addiction.”

“My dad had a full-on magazine laid out when I was five,” he told Lowe. “Playboy was a gateway to a full-on pornography addiction. … It has impacted every choice I have made in my life from age five to now.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, which was recorded ahead of the release of his Jesus Is King album featuring the Sunday Service Choir, Ye opened up about how his Christianity changed him.

“Now that I’m in service to Christ, my job is to spread the gospel, to let people know what Jesus has done for me,” said Ye, who was still with Kim Kardashian. “I’ve spread a lot of things. There was a time I was letting you know what high fashion had done for me, I was letting you know what the Hennessey had done for me, but now I’m letting you know what Jesus has done for me, and in that I’m no longer a slave, I’m a son now, a son of God. I’m free.”

In 2022, West wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post that pornography “destroyed” his family.

“Hollywood is a giant brothel Pornography destroyed my family I deal with the addiction instagram promotes it Not gonna let it happen to Northy and Chicago,” he wrote at the time, per Page Six.

A lot has changed between then and now, including Ye’s marriage to Bianca Censori, 29, which happened secretly in December 2022. She’s been photographed a number of times—by Ye and paparazzi alike—in clothing that tests the boundaries of the word “revealing.”.

On his latest album, Vultures, Ye sampled an infamous line from the 1999 film Dogma for his song “Back to Me” where he raps, “Beautiful, big titty, butt-naked women just don’t fall out the sky, you know?”

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Many Ladies Can’t Cook, Christian Movie Producer, Bamiloye Laments Scarcity Of ‘Wife Materials’

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The Founder of Mount Zion Faith Ministries, Mike Bamiloye, has expressed concern about young people who prioritise wedding ceremonies over preparation for marriage.

In a post on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Bamiloye criticised a trend of young couples rushing into marriage without adequate knowledge or skills.

He wrote, “I am so afraid of youths of this generation. Many are not preparing enough to enter into marriage. Many are very shallow in their knowledge of marriage. They prepare more for the wedding day, than for marriage. No deep studies on what marriage entails. They are too hasty and not ready to sit down and learn the principles of marital life.

“Many ladies are not qualified to be wives, even at 28. They can’t cook properly. They are used to fast food at the eateries, ice cream, indomie, and spagetti, plus boiled eggs and titus, and they spend six months studying the wedding gowns and the accessories for the bridal trails.”

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He further emphasised the importance of spiritual grounding, communication, and perseverance in navigating the challenges of marriage.

My dear sister is 26; she is still not yet wife material. She is beautiful, but she cannot cook. She is not spiritually strong in prayer. And she has a shallow knowledge of the word of God.

“How would she withstand the spiritual challenges that come against every home now? Too materialistic and with very little knowledge of home management. She spent several months preparing for her wedding day, but few moment to study what marriage life is. If love is blind at courtship, it is marriage that will open the blind eyes,” he added.

While condemning domestic abuse, Bamiloye encouraged couples to “sharpen the rough edges” and highlighted the need to address “red flags” during courtship.

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He added, “I am against abuse of women and wives. A man who beats or tortures his wife is an animal unfit to live among humans. However, we are now having too many breakings, separations, and divorces among children of God.

“No endurance, no respect, no patience. When things do not go as expected, it becomes incompatibility, and our youths, especially ladies, are being taught to walk out of marriage.

“So today, many young marriages are not fulfilled. Every marriage has its rough edges, but you have to sharpen the rough-edges.

“When you were in courtship, you ought to have noticed some little devilish behaviour in the young man, which the Holy Spirit was pointing to you as a red flag, but you were too much in love, too impatient to get into marriage. What then was the meaning of courtship?”

The PUNCH reported in November 2023, that the Christian movie producer similarly expressed concern about women who, despite appearing pleasant in church, display stubbornness, rudeness, and a lack of submission at home.

 

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FG Revokes 924 Dormant Mining Licences

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The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, has revoked 924 dormant mineral licences.

The Minister of Solid Development Minerals, Dele Alake, disclosed this information at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

The revoked licences include 528 exploration licences, 20 mining leases, 101 quarry licences and 273 small-scale mining licences.

Last November, the ministry revoked 1,633 mineral titles previously given to non-complying mining companies.

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The minister also promised to clean up the solid minerals sector for international competitiveness and urged all stakeholders who have acted wrongly in this sector to turn a new leaf.

But speaking at the briefing, Alake said the ministry decided after identifying a problem of licence racketeering among players in the sector.

He said, “In line with constitutional provisions, we ensured that adequate notice was given to the concerned parties through the official gazette of the Federal Republic of Nigeria no 227 which was published on December 27, 2023.

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“This notice gave all concerned parties 30 days to regularise their status including clarifications on what caused the licence to be dormant.

“In view of the above, which shows our adherence with due process and fair consideration and in line with the standard policy of use it or lose it, I hereby revoke the 924 dormant licences with immediate effect.

“These include 528 exploration licences, 20 mining leases, 101 quarry licences and 273 small-scale mining licences.”

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