By Francesca Hangeior.

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has withdrawn from the treason trial of the self-acclaimed leader of the separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Justice Nyako announced her withdrawal on Tuesday shortly after Kanu demanded that the judge recuse herself from his trial.

At the mention of the case on Tuesday, September 24, Kanu’s lawyer, Alloy Ejimakor urged the court to postpone the planned commencement of trial, claiming that his client was denied the opportunity to adequately prepare for his defence.

But, before Ejimakor could conclude his submission, Kanu rose from where he sat in the dock and told his lawyer to sit down.

Kanu told his lawyer: “Sit down! I say you should sit down.” Then, turning to the judge, he said: “My lord, I have no confidence in this court anymore and I ask you to recuse yourself because you did not abide by the decision of the Supreme Court.

“I can understand it if the DSS (Department of State Services) refuse to obey a court order, but for this court to refuse to obey an order of the Supreme Court is regrettable.

“I am asking you to recuse yourself from this case,” Kanu said.

Prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) urged the court to ignore Kanu and proceed with the trial.

Awomolo noted that contrary to Kanu’s claim, the Supreme Court ordered that the defendant (Kanu) should be tried on the seven counts left in the 11 counts contained in the original charge on which he was first arraigned.

He said: “The Justices (of the Supreme Court) ordered this court to proceed with the hearing of the charge against the defendant.

“My lord, you should not recuse yourself based on this mere observation, which does not have anything to do with the Supreme Court.

“It is an incompetent observation. We urge this court to proceed with the hearing.”

Kanu, again, stood up and held out a document he claimed was the subsisting judgment of the Supreme Court.

Without seeking and obtaining the judge’s permission, Kanu proceeded to read a portion of the document where he said the Supreme Court found that actions of the trial court in the case “rendered the impartiality of the judge suspect.”

Kanu said: “But my lord, you know that I love you. It is just that this court is allowing the prosecution to railroad me into a trial that is at variance with every provision of the Constitution.”

The defendant then sat down, following which Justice Nyako expressed displeasure about his conduct.

Justice Nyako subsequently announced her decision to withdraw from the case, saying: “I hereby recuse myself and remit the case file back to the Chief Judge.”

By Francesca Hangeior.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has removed all compromised food and drugs valued at over N5 billion from the shelves in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, following the recent floods that ravaged the city.

The comprehensive mop-up operation was carried out across several key markets in Maiduguri at the Gamboru Drug and Food Market, Monday Market, Open Air-Theatre Drug Market, and Gwange Drug Market.

The operation which was directed by the agency’s Director General (DG), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, was conducted by officials drawn from Borno, Yobe, Gombe, and the NAFDAC area laboratory that meticulously inspected and removed the compromised items.

The initiative, according to the DG, was aimed at removing drugs and food items contaminated by recent floodwaters to prevent their re-introduction into sales as part of our market control strategy, thereby preventing possible outbreaks of diseases.

The agency also provided guidelines to market vendors and the public on how to identify and handle potentially contaminated products in the future.
Furthermore, all manufacturing facilities engaged in the production of regulated products located within the flood-affected areas have been closed down to allow for GMP reassessment before production begins again.

By Francesca Hangeior.

Oil marketers have assured that Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) prices will drop once they start directly lifting products from the Dangote Refinery.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is the sole entity lifting products from the refinery, which led to a significant surge in petrol prices.

Prices in Lagos have skyrocketed to ₦950 per litre, with consumers in northern areas paying up to ₦1,000 per litre.

The sharp increase has placed an additional strain on businesses and households already dealing with rising inflation.

However, in a move expected to provide relief to Nigerians facing soaring petrol prices, the Spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, yesterday, provided an optimistic outlook during an interview on National Television, monitored by The Nation.

He confirmed that discussions between marketers and the Dangote Refinery for direct product lifting are underway, and expressed confidence that prices will drop once these arrangements are finalised.

Ukadike emphasised the critical role independent marketers could play in stabilising petrol prices across the country.

“It is just very simple. It shows that the liberalisation of the market is on the course because there is no way Dangote refinery will be producing petrol in Nigeria without considering IPMAN as one of its strategic stakeholders,” he remarked.

Highlighting IPMAN’s extensive network of filling stations, which account for approximately 85 percent of the country’s distribution outlets, Ukadike suggested the involvement of independent marketers in product lifting from the refinery could resolve current pricing disparities.

He said: “We were even thinking that one of his first points of call was to discuss with IPMAN and not NNPCL because we can distribute every single drop of products produced by Dangote Refinery.”

He noted that competition and independence in sourcing products would drive down petrol prices, saying, “Immediately after we discuss and commence direct lifting of product from Dangote, the issue of pricing and differential in pricing will be gone. What we are seeing here is price disparity. But if IPMAN becomes independent, prices will drop.”

Drawing from the successful reduction in diesel (AGO) prices when independent marketers began sourcing directly from Dangote, Ukadike expressed optimism for a similar outcome with petrol.

“Dangote also opened up to IPMAN when he started producing AGO, diesel. We entered the market and started buying it, and prices of AGO came down from N1,600 to between N1,000 to N1,100,” he explained.

He concluded by calling for an inclusive market, noting, “This is a deregulated economy, and every stakeholder and player should be given equal opportunity.”