ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Last night, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, hosted friends and family members for a dinner to celebrate his daughter, Jazmyne, who bagged the University of Southampton Bachelor of Laws (Upper Second-Class Honours) on Wednesday.

See photos 👇

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The Court of Appeal in Lagos has affirmed the final forfeiture of N293.97 million, several properties and investment assets linked to a retired Major-General, Emmanuel Atewe, to the federal government.

In a unanimous judgement delivered on Wednesday, Justice Boloukuromo Ugo dismissed Mr Atewe’s appeal against the judgement of the Federal High Court in Lagos, which had ordered the final forfeiture of the assets following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The appellate court upheld the judgement of a trial judge Chukwujekwu Aneke, holding that the appeal lacked merit.

The assets include N293.97 million, 30,000 MTN-linked units in Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited and several properties in Abuja and Bayelsa State.

They include plots of land along the Outer Northern Expressway, Jahi, Sabon Lugbe, Kuje, Gaube Farmland Extension II Layout and Sector Centre B Layout, all in Abuja, as well as a commercial property in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

The EFCC stated that its investigation linked the assets to funds allegedly diverted from money released for the operations of the Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield.

The commission alleged that about N8.537 billion released to the task force was diverted through a network of companies and individuals acting as proxies.

According to the EFCC, billions of naira were transferred to companies for services that were never rendered, while portions of the funds were later used to acquire assets allegedly linked to Mr Atewe through companies associated with him.

The case formed part of a wider fraud investigation involving the alleged diversion of funds meant for Operation Pulo Shield.

The investigation also led to the prosecution of former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi, and others.

The EFCC specifically noted that N297 million traced to Cisco Nobots Limited was used in a property transaction in Port Harcourt, from which N290 million was later recovered by the commission.

The Federal High Court initially granted an interim forfeiture order over the assets. It later made the order final after finding that Mr Atewe had failed to satisfactorily explain their legitimate source.

It was that decision that Mr Atewe challenged before the Court of Appeal.

He argued, among other things, that the forfeiture proceedings were incompetent because he was entitled to the protection provided under Section 123 of the Armed Forces Act.

He also argued that the proceedings should not have commenced while criminal charges against him were pending and that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the EFCC’s application.

The Court of Appeal, however, rejected the arguments.

On the protection under Section 123 of the Armed Forces Act, the court held that the provision did not apply to Mr Atewe because he was a retired military officer when the forfeiture proceedings were instituted.

The court noted that Mr Atewe had admitted his retirement in an affidavit filed before the trial court and held that the statutory protection applied only to serving members of the Armed Forces.

The appellate court also held that Mr Atewe failed to sufficiently demonstrate how he legitimately acquired the assets.

It said his explanations, which referred to honoraria, did not establish a lawful source for the assets.

The court further rejected his argument that the forfeiture proceedings amounted to an abuse of court process because they were instituted while his money laundering trial was pending.

It stated that the commencement of civil forfeiture proceedings during the pendency of criminal proceedings did not, in itself, constitute an abuse of judicial process.

The Court of Appeal consequently dismissed the appeal and affirmed the lower court’s order for the final forfeiture of the assets to the Federal Government.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has pledged to quit office if credible proof surfaces that the election which brought her into office was manipulated.

Speaking during an interview on TVC News on Thursday, Badejo-Okusanya rubbished allegations by some contestants and members of the legal profession that the 2026 NBA presidential election was rigged in her favour.

She maintained that the electronic voting process underwent extensive public scrutiny and showed no indication of electoral malpractice.

“The process that they say they cannot trust, my opponents are saying that it was rigged in my favour and thankfully, this electoral process has come under the greatest scrutiny that any of our elections have come under since we started universal suffrage and electronic voting,” she said.

According to the senior advocate, the voting pattern remained consistent throughout the exercise, with no irregularities such as sudden surges in votes that could indicate manipulation.

“From the time that I led, I led the election throughout consistently. There was never a time that I dropped down. There was never a time that any of my opponents passed me. I led consistently and the gap kept widening.

“The votes were trickling in organically. There was no evidence of dumping, which is what they say happens when there’s rigging going on. You didn’t suddenly see 20, 30, 50 votes coming.

“This election was the most watched. We have a system that refreshes every 10 seconds. People were watching and reposting. It was clear that there was no rigging,” she said.

Responding to comparisons with former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who acknowledged that the election which brought him to office was flawed, Badejo-Okusanya said she would not remain in office if the legitimacy of her own election was successfully challenged.

“I had no desire to be a president whose electoral process, the process that brought me to power, was being questioned.

“I told my co-contestants in public that if there was any indication or allegation that the process that brought me to power was flawed, I wouldn’t even discuss it with anyone before I resigned. That still remains my goal,” she said.

Addressing claims that she received the backing of the outgoing NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, Badejo-Okusanya said he never informed her that she was his preferred candidate.

“As a matter of fact, he never told me that.

“If he said it to anyone else, he never said it to me. I don’t know whether the cordiality and civility that he showed to me, whether I don’t have any impression that he wasn’t showing it to anyone else,” she said.

The NBA president-elect also rejected suggestions that her family connections to the Federal Government would compromise the association’s independence.

“How can I be the candidate of the Tinubu administration when the Tinubu administration is not a member of the NBA?” she asked.

She stressed that her allegiance would remain with members of the legal profession.

“The constitution of the NBA is very clear. I read it very closely before I offered myself to serve. I’m well aware of the responsibilities of the president of the NBA, and I have the mandate of members of the NBA to lead them. My obligation is to them,” she said.

Badejo-Okusanya said her administration would prioritise improving the NBA’s professional relevance to lawyers while strengthening its role in promoting justice and defending the rule of law.

“For the members, I want them to remember my presidency as one that made the NBA more relevant to them professionally.

“For Nigerians, I want them to remember the NBA as one that took its responsibility to protect and promote the rule of law, to be the watchdog of society and to defend those who are less able to speak for themselves very, very seriously,” she