Author: Opalim Lifted

A high court in Kwara has fixed July 22 for the arraignment of Bukola Saraki, former Senate President, after dismissing his preliminary objection challenging its jurisdiction to hear a criminal defamation charge filed against him by the state government. In a ruling on Friday, M.O. Folorunso, the presiding judge, held that the court has territorial jurisdiction to entertain the case and dismissed the seven preliminary objections raised by the defence. The judge also declined the prosecution’s application for a bench warrant against Saraki over his absence from court. The criminal charge stems from a social media post published by Saraki…

A 43-year-old security guard has been rescued alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela, eight days after two devastating earthquakes struck the country, in what rescuers and relatives described as a miracle. According to AFP, Hernan Gil was pulled from the ruins of a seven-storey building in Catia La Mar on Thursday after an intensive three-day rescue operation involving teams from Venezuela, Chile, the United States, Portugal, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Mexico. Gil, who had been trapped since the powerful earthquakes on June 24, was kept alive with more than 10 litres of water delivered through…

The trial of former Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige over an alleged N2.2 billion fraud continued on Thursday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gwarimpa, Abuja, with the court reserving its decision on disputed defence documents until October 14. Ngige is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office and fraudulent contract awards valued at N2,261,722,535.84. During proceedings before Justice M.A. Hassan, the third prosecution witness, Onwusoro Maduka Iheamelam, was cross-examined by Ngige’s counsel, P.I.N. Ikwueto (SAN). The witness requested to see documents referenced during…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has come under fire on social media following the appointment of Yusuf Cassim, an Indian-South African politician, as the country’s Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training. The Presidency announced Cassim’s appointment in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, but the announcement quickly sparked a wave of criticism, attracting more than 3,000 comments, many of which contained anti-immigrant and Islamophobic remarks. Much of the backlash centred on Cassim’s appearance in the official government portrait accompanying the announcement. In the image, he wore a blue turban, a traditional head covering worn by some Muslim…

The trial of former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, continued on Thursday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja, with a prosecution witness affirming that two key EFCC exhibits presented in court are identical in content. Agunloye is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an amended seven-count charge bordering on alleged official corruption and the fraudulent award of the 3,960MW Mambilla Hydro-Electric Power Project contract to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited, valued at $6 billion. According to the EFCC, the fifth prosecution witness, Iliya John Iyakwari, concluded his re-examination before Justice Jude…

Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye scored to seal Switzerland’s first World Cup knockout stage win since 1938 as they comfortably beat Algeria to book a last-16 place. The Swiss took an early lead in Vancouver after some brilliant wing play from Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi, who beat his man before delivering a lovely cutback for Rennes’ forward Embolo to turn home in the 10th minute. Nottingham Forest winger Ndoye then doubled their lead just 46 seconds after the half-time break with a fine finish inside the area. It was the first time Switzerland scored more than one goal in a World…

Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), has denied allegations that he is a fraudster, saying the court should determine the controversy surrounding the disputed agency. Speaking on Thursday during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels TV programme, Adeyemi said he is not a con artist, contrary to how the Presidency has portrayed him. “I’m not a con artist. Let the court decide on the matter,” he said. The Presidency had accused Adeyemi of forging documents, including an appointment letter, to present himself as the head of a non-existent government agency. Questioning…

The trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, continued on Thursday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, with an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness alleging that the release of $6.23 million for a foreign election observer mission was “pure theft.” The prosecution’s 14th witness, Commissioner of Police Okpoziakpo Eloho, told Justice H. Muazu that investigations showed the entire sum was released by the CBN on Emefiele’s instruction without sufficient details to justify the payment. Led in evidence by EFCC Director of Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the witness said investigators reviewed…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed the arrest of Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. Nnaji was arrested on Wednesday by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The former minister was subsequently handed over to the ICPC. Providing an update on the arrest, Demola Bakare, ICPC’s spokesperson, said in a statement that the commission had sent invitation letters to the former minister through multiple channels, including his residential addresses in Abuja and Enugu. Bakare said that despite being served through…

The Federal Government has clarified that no decision has been made to replace the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) khaki uniform with locally made Adire fabric, following widespread reports triggered by comments from the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande. Earlier, Olawande said the government was considering replacing the current khaki uniform with Nigerian-made Adire as part of efforts to promote local products and revive the country’s textile industry. Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, the minister said Adire and other locally produced textiles could help keep government spending within the country while supporting local manufacturers. His comments came…