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Army urged to obey judgment, release traders
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Two lawyers – Mr Siraj Hamza and Junaid Sanusi – have called on the Nigerian Army to comply with the judgment of a Borno State High Court directing it to release 14 of their clients from illegal detention.
Hamza also called on the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to establish a mechanism to audit detention facilities across the nation.
Hamza has A. Aliyu as the second lawyer representing the detained men.
Explaining that despite the judgment which declared that detention of his clients without trial violated their rights, the Army has refused to obey court order, suggesting that it is above the law.
He said his clients were arrested and detained on their way to rural communities where they went to buy cows meant to be slaughtered and given to indigent Muslims during Sallah.
Hamza told reporters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital: “Sometimes on May 17, 2024 along Buratai-Miringa Road, our clients, 12 of them, were riding in two buses on their way to Tashan Alade Cattle Market to buy cattle which were to be used during the Eid Al-Kabir festival, an annual event being organised by a non-governmental organisation where cows in their hundreds are slaughtered and shared or distributed among the indigent members of the society. The exercise had been on for over a decade and has been impacting on the indigent members of Abuja and its environs, including the military.
“The exercise was extended to Bauchi, Yola and Maiduguri, hence the need to buy about 600 heads of cow for the exercise in Maiduguri. Before the incident of May 17, 2024; our clients had already purchased 241 heads of cow and transported them to Maiduguri and were entrusted with one Musa Mustapha Umar at the Maiduguri Cattle Market; while one Abubakar Ibrahim Murabus Potiskum was in the company of our clients assisting them to source money from Point of Sale (PcS) operators and filling stations due to impracticability of electronically transacting business in the various cattle markets.’’
“As earlier stated, our clients were stopped by the Civilian JTF who searched them without finding anything incriminating on them, save for the $88,737,200. When they discovered that our clients had over $88,737,200 with them, they demanded for gratification before they could be cleared to leave, but they declined as a result of which they were transferred to the military outpost in Buratai where they were again interrogated and detained. The following day which was May 18, 2024; they were transferred to Sector 2 at Damatur from where they were transferred to the Headquarters of Theatre Command, Operation Hadin Kai in Maiduguri which marked the beginning of their incarceration.
“It is also worthy to state that the first 12 of them came from Dei-Dei Livestock Market, Abuja, led by Danlami Muhammad Bashir, the alter ego of Fatima Meat, the company that was contracted to procure the heads of cow.
Few weeks after, when the detention of the judgment-creditor that is, our clients was becoming prolonged, the Chairman of their association, Alhaji Shagari Usman Yusuf, flew into Maiduguri to see them in company of their lawyer which was unsuccessful.
“Prior to that, Alhaji Musa Mustapha Umar too had been arrested and detained for having the audacity to visit them at the Theatre Command of Operation Hadin Kai.
Shagari was displeased with the actions of the military which prompted him to approach the popular Berekete Family in Abuja to ventilate their grievances. The president contacted the Army spokesman and Shagari was invited to the Army Headquarters twice.
“Ironically, a day to the Eid Adha festival, some armed military personnel armed to the teeth, stormed the Dei-Dei International Cattle Market where they arrested him, hooded him, tortured him and later found himself in an underground cell in Abuja before he was eventually brought to Maiduguri by one Colonel Wasiu Ademola Adegoke 18 days after,and detained with the others at the Giwa Barracks.”
The lawyers insisted that the disobedience to court order is against the rule of law, adding that the Army was free to appeal the judgment and apply for of execution if it so desires.
The August 6 judgment by Justice Babagana Karumi of Borno State High Court directed the Army to release the men or sue them within seven days if a prima facie case is established against them. Hamza said the Army was still keeping his clients in detention after over 45 days of the judgment, saying it signals danger for the society.
By Gloria Ikibah
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has convened an emergency stakeholders’ meeting to address a four-month dispute over a development project in Kuje, following allegations that a senior official demanded a N100 million bribe to facilitate approval.
The meeting follows claims made by the developer, Jacob & Co Hospitality, which alleged that the Deputy Director of South Development, Kalu Madubuike, demanded the payment in connection with the project.
In a statement issued on behalf of the company’s Director Kunle Diamond-Illori said the emergency session will bring together representatives of the developer, officials of the FCTA and other stakeholders in an effort to resolve the impasse.
According to the statement, Madubuike had admitted during an earlier meeting that he was acting on behalf of third-party interests.
“During a preliminary meeting, Kalu Madubuike admitted that he had been acting on behalf of third-party interests who asked him to represent their position before the FCTA,” the statement alleged.
The company described the emergency meeting as an important opportunity to restore confidence in the administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
“The meeting represents a major test of the government’s commitment to transparency and improving the ease of doing business. We hope it will mark a turning point in tackling corruption in Nigeria’s development sector,” the statement said.
The dispute centres on a development project in Kuje, Abuja, which the company said has been delayed for four months.
As of the time of filing this report, the allegations against Madubuike had not been independently verified, while the Federal Capital Territory Administration had not issued an official response to the bribery claims.
Efforts to obtain comments from the FCTA and the official named in the allegations were unsuccessful before publication. The report will be updated should either party respond.
The United States Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos have announced a temporary shutdown in observance of the country’s Independence Day celebration.
The diplomatic offices will remain closed on Friday, July 3, 2026, according to an official notice released by the US Mission in Nigeria on Thursday.
This announcement was made through the mission’s official social media platforms, informing the public about the temporary closure of services at both locations.
According to the US Embassy in Abuja and Consulate General in Lagos will be closed on Friday, July 3, 2026, in observance of US Independence Day.”
The closure means regular consular and embassy services, including visa appointments and other public-facing operations, will be unavailable for the day. Normal activities are expected to resume after the holiday.
US Independence Day, popularly known as the Fourth of July, is celebrated annually to mark one of the most significant moments in American history.
The day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, when thirteen American colonies formally declared freedom from British rule.
An Abuja High Court on Thursday granted the first defendant, Mike Ozekhome, permission to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment for six weeks.
Ozekhome and his co-defendant, Ponfa Useni, were arraigned on February 27 by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on a 12-count charge bordering on forgery and impersonation arising from a disputed property ownership case in the United Kingdom.
Ruling on Ozekhome’s application for the temporary release of his international passport, Justice Chizoba Oji ordered him to return the passport to the court on or before August 26.
The judge had earlier been informed on Tuesday that the prosecution had failed to deposit the defendants’ passports with the court, contrary to the bail conditions granted in February. Consequently, the court directed the prosecution to produce the passports during Thursday’s proceedings.
In compliance with the order, the prosecution presented the international passports of both defendants.
After Ozekhome confirmed ownership of the passport, Justice Oji asked the prosecution counsel, C.L. Asonta, whether there was any objection to its temporary release.
Although Asonta raised no objection, he requested that Ozekhome be directed to return the passport within three working days of his return to Nigeria.
Granting the application, the judge said: “Having considered the motion and noting that there is no objection, I hereby grant the request for the temporary release of the first defendant’s international passport to enable him to embark on his medical trip.”
Justice Oji ruled that the six-week period would run from July 9 to August 20 and ordered Ozekhome to return the passport to the court on or before August 26.
The court subsequently adjourned the trial until September 28 for continuation.
Ponfa Useni, the second defendant, is the son of the late Lt.-Gen. Jeremiah Useni, who served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during the military administration of the late Gen. Sani Abacha.
According to the prosecution, the defendants conspired in 2020 to procure a false Nigerian international passport, No. A07535463, in the name of Tali Shani.Geographic Reference
The prosecution further alleged that Ozekhome assisted Useni in impersonating Tali Shani and that both defendants also created a forged irrevocable power of attorney to facilitate Ozekhome’s claim to the disputed property in the United Kingdom.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
FCTA Convenes Emergency Meeting Over Stalled Abuja Project Amid N100m Bribery Allegation
US Embassy, Consulate in Nigeria temporarily shutdown
Forgery case: Court grants Ozekhome permission for six-week medical trip to UK
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