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Woman, Judge Bicker Over Court Shooting, Alleged Partiality
A defendant, Bukola Abikoye, has accused a High Court judge in Ilorin, Kwara State, Hammed Gegele, of ordering one of his police aides to shoot at the legal assistant of her (Abikoye’s) lawyer.
She also accused the judge of denying her fair hearing in a divorce matter.
But the judge denied the allegations, stating that Abikoye and her lawyers had resorted to blackmail to intimidate him.
The woman said her husband dragged her to court after she left him over domestic violence.
She said, “He has been harassing my legal team. He has been addressing them in a condescending way and neglecting my application for fair hearing.
“When my legal team argues in my favour, he will not document it, but will be recording that of the other team.
“He is harsh on my legal team. I have written to the Chief Judge of Kwara State to report all the things I have observed about the case.
“On May 30, 2022, at the Omu-Aran High Court, he ordered that one of the members of my legal team be shot, but I thank God the gunshot didn’t hit him. It is obvious I cannot get justice. The person who was aimed at didn’t do anything to warrant being shot at. He was unarmed. This is the peak of it. Even criminals are not shot at in court, so why attempt to murder this man?”
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She wondered why the matter was being heard in Ilorin when she and her husband resided in Abuja.
Abikoye said, “If the petitioner is truly in search of justice, why travel that far to find a court of law? Are there no courts in Abuja, why Omu-Aran?”
But the judge, while reacting to the allegations, said Abikoye and her lawyers were being economical with the truth.
He said, “I have never handled a case like this in my life; but I am not intimidated and my records speak for me.
“They find it uneasy to tell you the truth and what actually transpired. They invaded the court with thugs and used phones to record court proceedings, wanting to implicate the judge and write frivolous petitions to criticise the judge, but failed to file the necessary processes expected of them.
“They wanted to delay the hearing of the matter, but the court didn’t allow them and the court resolved that the matter must be determined expeditiously according to the law. This is the reason they resorted to cheap blackmail.”
PUNCH.
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JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.
READ ALSO:Ladoja Coronation Date As 44th Olubadan Revealed
The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.
Details later…
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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.
These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.
The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.
The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.
The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.
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By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.
The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.
“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”
Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.
“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.
READ ALSO:FG Gives Mining Firms Deadline For Community Agreements
“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.
He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.
“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”
In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.
He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.
READ ALSO:FG Gazettes New Tax Reform Laws
He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.
Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.
According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.
This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.
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