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Costal Project: Court Strikes Out Suit Filed By Indigenes Of Okun-Ajah Community

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The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has struck out a suit against the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Costal Road project, filed by some indigenes and other concerned property owners of Okun-Ajah Community in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the state.

Justice Akintayo Aluko ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction and promptly transferred the suit to the Lagos State High Court as the appropriate court to hear the case.

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The plaintiffs in the suit are Chief Saheed Olukosi (Akogun of Okun-Ajah Community); Noibi Issa Afolayan, Yussuf Odunuga Sulaiman, Olufemi Fasehun, and Adeola Tokunbo, all representing Okun-Ajah Community and other concerned property owners in the community.

The defendants/objectors are the Honourable Minister, Dr. Dave Umahi; Engineer Olukorede Keisha; Federal Ministry Of Works & Housing; Attorney-General Of Lagos State; Commissioner For Waterfront Infrastructure Development; Surveyor-General Of Lagos State; General Manager, Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority; General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency and Hitech Construction Limited.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: Tinubu Arrives In Lagos To Inaugurate Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway

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Through their lawyers, the plaintiffs had asked the court to stop the project on several grounds.

They sought the following reliefs: “An order to set aside acts of encroachment on their landed properties, setting aside designs, plans of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road on their parcels of land.

“An order restraining the 1st-3rd and 9th Defendants from encroaching, trespassing, and diverting the construction of the Lagos – Calabar Coastal Road into their land.”

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The project will be completed in eight years, according to the Federal Government.

The plaintiffs also made claims for damages for acts of trespassing on the land in dispute.

But the defendants/objectors asked the court to strike out the suit for lack of jurisdiction.

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READ ALSO: [BREAKING] Coastal Highway: FG To Pay N2.75bn Compensation Today

Specifically, the first, second, third, and ninth defendants/objectors, in their separate preliminary objections filed through their lawyers, asked the court to strike out or dismiss the suit for want of jurisdiction.

The defendants/objectors premised their preliminary objections on seven grounds, supported by eight eight-paragraph affidavits.

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Based on the defendants/objectors’ preliminary objections, the plaintiffs filed a counter affidavit of 11 paragraphs.

Delivering his ruling on the arguments canvassed by parties, Justice Aluko held that: “… coming from the foregoing, the issues in the two NPOs of the 1st – 3rd defendants and that of the 9th defendant are resolved in favour of the objectors against the plaintiffs.

“Counsel to the plaintiffs made an alternative submission in his written address urging the court not to strike out this suit if the court finds that it lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate over the case.

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READ ALSO: FEC Approves $11.17bn Rail Project To Link All Coastal Cities

“Counsel urged the court to transfer this suit to the State High Court instead of striking out the same.

“I agree with counsel on this request as this court possesses the needed power and jurisdiction to accede to such prayer.

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“This court is fortified under Section 22(2) of the Federal High Court Act which provides thus: ‘No cause or matter shall be struck out by the court merely on the ground that such cause or matter was taken in the court instead of the High Court of a State or of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in which it ought to have been brought, and the Judge of the court before whom such cause or matter is brought may cause such case or matter to be transferred to the appropriate High Court of a State or at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in accordance with Rules of Court to be made under section 44 of this Act.”

“The Objections of the 1st – 3rd and 9th Defendants/Objectors are therefore sustained. This court has no jurisdiction to adjudicate over the subject matter in this case.

Pursuant to section 22(2) of the Federal High Court Act, this suit is accordingly transferred to the Lagos State High Court as the appropriate court for adjudication.” Justice Aluko held.
(Channels TV)

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Police Pension Scheme Violates Constitution, IHRC Tells Tinubu

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The International Human Rights Commission, Nigeria, has thrown its weight behind the renewed push by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for a comprehensive reform of the Contributory Pension Scheme, as it affects retired officers of the Nigeria Police Force.

This is contained in a diplomatic memo addressed to President Bola Tinubu and titled “A Diplomatic Appeal for Police Pension Welfare Reform in Line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

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In a statement signed on Saturday by IHRC’s Head of Media and Strategic Communications, Fidelis Onakpoma, the commission said the current pension arrangement for police personnel amounts to a constitutional breach and urged the President to take urgent corrective action.

The Head of Mission, IHRC , Ambassador Duru Hezekiah, was quoted in the statement as saying, “The commission firmly supports the Inspector-General of Police’s ongoing advocacy for a just and equitable pension scheme for retired police officers.

“We call on President Tinubu to urgently address the systemic flaws in the Contributory Pension Scheme, which violate constitutional provisions guaranteeing dignity and adequate social support for public officers.”

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Citing Sections 17(3)(f) and 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), IHRC said the Nigerian state is legally bound to ensure the welfare and dignity of its retired officers, a responsibility it is currently failing in.

According to the commission, thousands of retired police officers are living in hardship under a pension system that disregards the realities of law enforcement service.

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The Constitution mandates the state to ensure the wellbeing of retired officers, not to abandon them to a broken system.

“The current structure of the CPS as applied to the police is inadequate, unfair, and incompatible with Nigeria’s constitutional values. These officers spent their lives in service—often in the face of extreme danger—yet they retire into poverty and indignity,” the IHRC stated.

The commission’s intervention follows a high-level meeting convened by the IGP on July 1, 2025, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

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READ ALSO:Police Arrest Cleric Over Alleged Defilement Of Underage Girl In Osun

The meeting brought together delegations from the National Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria, led by AIG Paul O. Ochonu (retd.), and the Coalition of CPS Retirees, led by CP Henry Njoku (retd.), to address mounting concerns over pension inadequacies.

During the meeting, Egbetokun reiterated his resolve to push for a more just and practical pension structure, describing the current system as a gross injustice.

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Our retirees deserve dignity, support, and a structure that reflects their sacrifice and service to Nigeria.

“We cannot continue to subject our heroes to a pension scheme that is clearly unfit for the nature of their work and the risks they bore,” the IG declared.

Egbetokun’s comments echoed sentiments he had expressed earlier in February during an interactive session with retired officers at the Police Resource Centre in Abuja, where he criticized the CPS as “deeply flawed and unfit for the realities of Police service.”

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READ ALSO:NMA Gives FG 21 Days To Avert Doctors’ Strike

The IHRC amplified this concern, highlighting what it described as an unjust disparity between Police and military retirees.

While the latter are exempted from the CPS and benefit from a more suitable pension arrangement, police retirees, the commission said, continue to suffer from a scheme that fails to provide basic security in old age.

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The military has rightly been removed from the CPS because of the peculiar nature of their job. The same logic applies—if not more so—to police personnel.

“Our police officers risk their lives daily, and they deserve a pension structure that reflects that reality. Anything less is an affront to justice, equity, and national security,” said Hezekiah.

In line with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the IHRC urged the Presidency to act decisively in addressing the disparity and upholding the constitutional and moral obligations of the state to its law enforcement agents.

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Reforming the police pension structure is not merely a policy issue—it is a constitutional and moral obligation. We believe this government has the opportunity to right this historical wrong and restore dignity to our Police retirees,” the statement read.
(PUNCH)

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FG To Spend N17bn On Lagos Bridge Damaged By Fire

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The Federal Government has negotiated the cost of the Iddo Bridge rehabilitation from an initial N27bn to N17bn.

The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, made this known to journalists during an inspection of the bridge on Friday in Lagos.

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He said, “Julius Berger quoted, I think, N27 billion or thereabout, but after much negotiation and discussion, we now arrived at N17 billion.”

Umahi commended Julius Berger Nig. Plc. for demonstrating a sense of cooperation under its new leadership.

He described the company as a “born-again Berger”, attributing the breakthrough in negotiation to the understanding and openness of its new managing director.

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READ ALSO:FG Gives Overstaying Foreigners Ultimatum To Regularise Visa

The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to prudent spending, insisting that all contractors must align with the ministry’s standards and directives.

Umahi noted that the project had been reviewed from mere rehabilitation of the burnt section to a major work.

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He expressed concern over the poor condition of the bridge, blaming it on years of neglect and human abuse, including illegal occupation and collisions by heavy-duty trucks.

He said that three spans of the bridge were severely damaged by fire, which he attributed to activities of illegal occupants who had built makeshift homes under the bridge.

READ ALSO:FG Closes Case In Alleged Terrorism Trial Against Nnamdi Kanu

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They brought in chemicals, built block walls and set up homes. Then, they set up fire that burnt the bridge and damaged three spans. Now we are going to fix the bridge completely,” Umahi said.

The minister said the Iddo Bridge, now with a headroom of about 4.5 metres, had suffered significant structural damage due to continuous hits from trucks and illegal structures beneath it.

He announced that the ministry would be creating a headroom of at least 5.6 metres.

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He said that the Federal Ministry of Works was committed to restoring the bridge for the safety of all Nigerians and ensuring such incidents would not occur again.

READ ALSO:NMA Gives FG 21 Days To Avert Doctors’ Strike

On the issue of displaced persons, the minister said that no one would be allowed to return under the bridge.

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“Nobody will stay under Iddo Bridge again as long as I remain the Minister of Works.

“The lives of the people are more important,” he said.

He warned that the government would no longer tolerate any abuse of national infrastructure.
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Ex-Army Chief Proposes Mandatory Military Training For Nigerians

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Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika (retd.),

A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika (retd.), has called for the introduction of mandatory military training for all Nigerians, beginning with the National Youth Service Corps.

This, he said, is a way of promoting national unity, discipline, and resilience in the face of growing security and social challenges.

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Ihejirika made the call on Friday night at the 50th anniversary of the Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 18 Alumni Association in Abuja.

He reflected on his early days in military service and the camaraderie built over the years with fellow officers.

READ ALSO:FULL LIST: Nigeria Emerges As Africa’s Third Most Formidable Military Force

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The former Army chief said the discipline and patriotism instilled in them during training were instrumental in shaping their careers and national contributions.

Given the current situation of things in our country, I believe it’s time we start thinking about mandatory military training for our citizens.

“We can start with the National Youth Service. This will help us build a generation of Nigerians who understand sacrifice, responsibility, and patriotism,” he said.

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Ihejirika praised the government’s decision to restore the old national anthem, saying it reinforces the spirit of unity.

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He emphasised that the line “Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand” perfectly captures the essence of national service and shared identity.

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He also expressed concern over how the national anthem is now reduced to mere fanfare at official events.

It should be a daily reminder of our oath of allegiance. It must return to schools, communities, and national ceremonies,” he said.

Drawing from his own life experience, Ihejirika recounted his humble beginnings from his village in Abia and how military discipline transformed him.

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He credited the support of colleagues and mentors for his successful career, which culminated in his appointment as Nigeria’s 22nd Chief of Army Staff.

READ ALSO:542 Senior Military Officers Retire

Beyond his advocacy, the retired general also commended the current leadership of the Nigerian Armed Forces, describing them as highly experienced and well-trained.

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Many of the officers leading today served in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and other conflict zones.

“They have earned their stars through real battle experience and are doing remarkably well,” he added.

He urged Nigerian leaders at all levels to prioritise peace and stability, reminding them that no office or position is sustainable in the absence of national unity.

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The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the dinner had in attendance the Minister of State for Defence, Chief of Defence Staff and representatives of service chiefs amongst other dignitaries.

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