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Judge’s Absence Stalls Ex-Lagos Speaker, Ikuforiji’s Trial

Published

2 years ago

November 20, 2023

The trial of a former speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, over alleged money laundering was on Monday, stalled because Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court did not sit.

The case which was first fixed for continuation of trial on November 15, could not proceed at the last adjourned date as the court did not sit and it was, consequently, fixed for November 20.

On Monday, the case also could not proceed as the court did not sit following a letter by defence counsel, seeking an adjournment of the case to a more convenient date.

A new date is, however, yet to be communicated to parties.

Justice Liman, who presides over the case, had been transferred out of the Lagos division but still comes from his division to preside over the case following a fiat.

Ikuforiji is charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alongside his former Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi.

They are being tried before on a 54-count bordering on alleged N338.8 million money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty and were allowed to continue on an earlier bail granted to them in 2012 when they were first arraigned.

On March 17, 2021, the EFCC had closed its case after calling the second witness for the prosecution.

Prosecution called a total of two witnesses in support of its case.

Meanwhile, Justice Liman was later transferred out of the Lagos division and the case suffered several set backs.

On May 4, (this year) defence counsel Mr Dele Adesina SAN, opened the case for the defence and had began calling witnesses.

Defence called three witnesses, including the first defendant (Ikuforiji).

Among others, Ikuforiji had testified how he was being prosecuted on a faceless petition.

He had told the court that the instant case arose from a petition written by an unknown person, alleging that he had stolen about N7 billion from the Lagos House of Assembly.

The matter was consequently, fixed for adoption of written addresses

The case will now continue on the next adjourned date.

The defendants were first arraigned on March 1, 2012 before Justice Okechukwu Okeke on a 20-counts charge bordering on misappropriation and money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bails.

The defendants were, however, subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Buba, following a re-assignment of the case.

Buba had granted them bail in the sum of N500 million each with sureties in like sun

On Sept. 26, 2014, Justice Buba discharged Ikuforiji and his aide of the charges, after upholding a no case submission of the defendants.

Buba had held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima-facie case against them.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC, through its counsel, Mr Godwin Obla (SAN), filed the Notice of Appeal dated Sept. 30, 2014, challenging the decision of the trial court.

Obla had argued that the trial court erred in law when it held that the counts were incompetent because they were filed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, which was repealed by an Act of 2011.

EFCC further argued that the lower court erred in law when it held that the provisions of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and 2011, only applied to natural persons and corporate bodies other than the Government.

The commission had also submitted that the trial judge erred in law when he held and concluded that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses supported the innocence of the respondents.

In its judgement, the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court, in November 2016, agreed with the prosecution and ordered a fresh trial of the defendants before another judge.

Following the decision of the Appeal Court, the defendants headed for the Supreme Court, seeking to upturn the ruling of the Appellate court.

Again, in its verdict, the apex court also upheld the decision of the appellate court and ordered that the case be sent back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge.

According to the charge, EFCC alleged that the defendants accepted cash payments above the threshold set by the Money Laundering Act, without going through a financial institution.

The commission accused the defendants of conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments in the aggregate sum of N338.8 million from the House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.

Ikuforiji was also accused of using his position to misappropriate funds belonging to the Assembly.

The EFCC said that the defendants committed the offences between April 2010 and July 2011.

The offences, according to the EFCC, contravenes the provisions of Sections 15 (1d), 16(1d) and 18 of Money Laundering Act, 2004 and 2011.

NAN

News

Benue Killings: I Expect Arrests, Tinubu Directs Security Chiefs

Published

5 hours ago

June 18, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday directed the security chief to arrest perpetrators of last Friday’s massacre in Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

“Christopher… We need to get our ears to the ground. Let’s get those criminals. Let’s get them out,” Tinubu told the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, during a town hall meeting with political leaders in Benue State.

Tinubu is visiting Benue, a hotbed of recent killings by armed herdsmen that claimed at least 100 lives.

Speaking to the Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, he said, “Your political enemies don’t want you to succeed…Are you just realising that?”

He called on leaders from across the region to work together.

“We cannot do without another. I will want us to create a leadership committee now to meet in Abuja to fashion out a strategy for lasting peace. And I am ready to invest in that peace,” he said.

Tinubu earlier visited persons recovering from last Friday’s attack by armed herders at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital.

He was received by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and the host Governor, Hyacinth Alia.

The attack claimed over 100 lives.

News

17 Million Nigerians Traveled Abroad In 2023 – NANTA

Published

5 hours ago

June 18, 2025

Editor

The National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies said over 17 million Nigerians travelled out between 2023 and 2024.

This is as the association announced that it would be organising a maiden edition of Eastern Travel Market 2025 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital from 27th to 30th August, 2025.

Vice Chairman of NANTA, Eastern Zone, Hope Ehiogie, disclosed this during a news briefing in Port Harcourt.

Ehiogie explained that the event aims to bring together over 1,000 travel professionals to discuss the future of the industry in the nation and give visibility to airlines, hospitality firms, hospitals and institutions in the South-South and South-East, tagged Eastern Zone.

He stated that the 17 million number marks a significant increase in overseas travel and tours.

According to him, “Nigerian travel industry has seen significant growth, with 17 million people traveling out of the country in 2023”.

Ehiogie further said the potential of tourism and travel would bring in over $12 million into the nation’s economy by 2026, saying it would be a major spike in the sector, as 2024 recorded about $4 million.

“The potential of tourism and travel is that it can generate about $12 million for the nation’s economy by 2026. Last year it was $4 million.

“In the area of travels, over 17 million Nigerians traveled out of the country two years ago for different purposes. This included,health, religious purposes, visit, education and others,” Ehiogie said.

While highlighting the potential of Nigeria’s tourism, he said the hospitality industry in Nigeria has come of age, saying it is now second to none.

The Vice Chairman of NANTA, Eastern Zone further said, “We are not creating an enabling environment for business to thrive. We need to support the industry and provide the necessary infrastructure for growth.”

He said the country has a lot of tourism potential, especially as the government is now showing interest in and supporting the sector.

Ehiogie emphasizes that NANTA has been working to support the industry with initiatives such as training schools and platforms for airlines and hotels to sell their products.

He added, “We now have about four to five training schools in the region, and within two years, the first set of students will graduate. We are helping airlines sell tickets and hotels sell their rooms.”

Also speaking, Stephen Isokariari of Dial Travels, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NANTA, called for more support from the industry.

Isokariari stated, “We need to work together to grow the industry and contribute to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.

“With the right support and infrastructure, the Nigerian travel industry has the potential to make a significant contribution to the nation’s economy.”

News

Why Aburi Accord Collapsed – Gowon

Published

9 hours ago

June 18, 2025

Editor

A former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has said that a key reason for the collapse of the Aburi Accord, the last major attempt to prevent Nigeria’s civil war, was a fundamental disagreement with Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu over who should control military forces in the country’s regions.

Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, Gowon explained that although both parties engaged in sincere dialogue during the January 1967 summit in Aburi, Ghana, the eastern region leader, Ojukwu, later pushed for a form of regional autonomy that the federal side could not accept.

Gowon said, “Although we said that the military would be zoned, you know, but the control… he wanted, you know, those zones to be commanded by the governor. Say you have a military zone in the north, it would be commanded by the governor of the military in the east, it would be commanded by, you know, by him.

“And, of course, we did not agree with that one”, Gowon said.

He further explained that the Federal delegation never viewed the Aburi meeting as a forum for constitutional restructuring or military devolution.

“We just went there as far as we are concerned to be able to meet as officers now, and then to agree to be able to get back home and resolve a problem at home. That was my understanding. But that is not his understanding”, he added.

Gowon also revealed that upon returning to Nigeria after the summit, he was ill and unable to immediately respond to the terms Ojukwu had publicly announced. This delay, he said, created space for misunderstanding and unilateral declarations.

“Unfortunately… I was having a serious attack of a kind of fever or whatever it is, and I could not make a decision”, the former Head of State said.

He accused Ojukwu of making unauthorised statements about the Accord without waiting for joint clarification.

“Ojukwu was one who, when he came, he went and made… a statement about the Aburi Accord”, Gowon said.

To address the confusion, Gowon said the federal government convened a follow-up meeting in Benin, inviting all regional governors to agree on the path forward — but Ojukwu declined to attend.

“We had to organise that, you know, a meeting of all the governors. And he was invited to attend so that we can deal with the Accord. And we met at Nifo in Benin. And he did not turn up”, he said.

Gowon insisted that had Ojukwu attended the Benin meeting, the parties might have been able to avoid escalation.

Gowon said the government was willing to work in the “spirit of Aburi,” but would never concede national military control to regional governors, nor accept the possibility of secession.

“The only thing that I added was that no region, you know, will, you know, can secede from the country.”

The collapse of the Aburi Accord is widely regarded as a decisive moment that led to the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War in July 1967, a conflict that lasted until 1970 and claimed over a million lives.

Gowon’s remarks shed new light on the irreconcilable differences between both sides and reveal that the push for regional military control, rather than just political autonomy, was a red line for the federal government.