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JUST IN: Court Orders EFCC To Remove AIT Founder, Raymond Dokpesi From Watchlist

Published

4 years ago

October 11, 2021

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to remove the founder of the African Independent Television AIT, Chief Raymond Dokpesi from its watch list.

Justice Tsoho held that there was no justification for the anti-graft agency to continue to keep Dokpesi on the watchlist since there is no criminal charges or allegations pending against him.

Ruling in an application filed and argued by his counsel, Mr Kanu Agabi, SAN, the Chief Judge said that keeping Dokpesi on the watch list will amount to disobedience to the Court of Appeal judgment which in April this year quashed the N2.1B money laundering charges against him.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had on April 1, this year dismissed the N2.1 billion naira money laundering charges filed against Dokpesi by the EFCC.

The court upheld the no-case submission filed by Dokpesi and DAAR Communications in the seven-count criminal charge.

In the judgment, Justice Elfreda Oyebisi Williams-Dawodu had held that the anti-graft agency, the EFCC failed to establish a prima facie case against Mr. Dokpesi in the charges.

The appellate court had held that the ingredients of the offences were not provided by the prosecution as required by law.

The court had agreed with counsel to the appellant, Kanu Agabi that being a predicate offence, the ingredients of the offences against his client must be clearly provided, adding that it is clear that none of the offences was established in line with provisions of the Nigerian laws.

The court had further held that EFCC failed to prove that the N2.1 billion allegedly received by the appellant as payment was a proceed of breach of trust.

A federal high court in Abuja had in November 2018 dismissed the no-case submission filed Dokpesi on the grounds that a prima facie had been established against him by the EFCC in the alleged N2.1B money laundering.

Not satisfied with the ruling of the high court, Dokpesi approached the Court of Appeal and asked that the ruling of the lower court be set aside and his no-case submission be upheld.

Justice William-Dowodu in a unanimous judgment on April 1, 2021, held that there was nothing in the evidence of the 14 witnesses called by EFCC to persuade the court to compel the appellant to enter a defence in the charges where ingredients of the offence were not provided.

Headline

US Threatens Visa Overstayers With Lifetime Ban

Published

6 hours ago

July 14, 2025

Editor

The United States government has issued a severe warning to foreign nationals who overstay their visa validity.

The embassy also cautioned that such action could lead to deportation and a permanent ban from re-entering the country.

In a statement made available to the press on Monday, US immigration authorities reiterated their longstanding policy on visa compliance, saying, “If you remain in the United States beyond your authorised period of stay, you could be deported, and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the United States.”

This warning comes amid rising migration figures, especially among young Africans, many of whom travel to the United States in pursuit of better education and economic opportunity.

According to recent data from the US Department of Homeland Security, visa overstays represent a significant portion of immigration violations annually, prompting tighter enforcement measures and renewed public awareness campaigns by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

However, under US immigration law, individuals who remain in the country unlawfully for more than 180 days can face a three- or ten-year ban and, in some cases, a lifetime bar from returning.

For Nigerians seeking to relocate or study in the US, the warning serves as a reminder to comply strictly with immigration terms, especially as global scrutiny on migration grows fiercer.

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US Will Send Ukraine Patriot Air Defense Systems

Published

13 hours ago

July 14, 2025

Editor

President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States would send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine to help it fight off a Russian invasion, as his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin soured.

“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump said, without specifying how many, just two weeks after Washington said it would pause some arms deliveries to Kyiv.

“I haven’t agreed on the number yet, but they’re going to have some because they do need protection,” he told reporters.

The weapons delivery will be part of a new deal which Trump says will involve NATO paying the United States for some of the weapons it sends to Ukraine.

“We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military and they’re going to pay us 100 percent for them,” Trump told reporters.

The US president repeated that he was “disappointed” in Putin.

When he first returned to the White House in January Trump insisted he could work with the Russian leader to end the war, but grew increasingly frustrated as Russian missiles continued with no ceasefire in sight.

“Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening,” said the disgruntled Trump.

US special envoy Keith Kellogg is due to begin his latest visit to Ukraine on Monday.

Trump also said he would meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday, when he previously said he would make a “major statement… on Russia.”

Headline

Canadian Province Quebec Stops New Sponsorships For Partners, Dependents Until 2026

Published

14 hours ago

July 14, 2025

Editor

The Quebec government, one of the 10 provinces in Canada, has suspended new applications under its family reunification program for spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, and dependent children aged 18 or over until June 25, 2026.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) on July 10, the province has reached its annual cap of 13,000 family sponsorship applications. Of these, 10,400 were allocated for immediate family members, while 2,600 slots were for parents, grandparents, and other eligible relatives.

The halt, effective from July 9, is aimed at aligning immigration levels with the province’s capacity to provide housing and public services. Quebec is currently grappling with a housing crunch, particularly in urban areas like Montreal.

Applications submitted after the cut-off will be returned unprocessed. However, exemptions apply for unmarried dependent children under 18, adopted children, orphaned minors, dependents with disabilities, and additions to ongoing applications.

MIFI advised potential sponsors to prepare in advance for the next intake and monitor updates ahead of the 2026 window.