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Market Traders Threaten To Sue Tinubu’s Daughter, Folasade Over Alleged Contempt Of Court
The Incorporated Trustees of Computer Village Market Traders and Stakeholders Joint Management in Lagos have issued a warning to Chief Mrs. Folasade Tinubu-Ojo to cease interfering in the market’s affairs, citing a valid judgment from the Lagos State High Court.
In a pre-action notice dated August 28, 2024, the traders, represented by Falana & Falana’s Chambers, reminded President Bola Tinubu’s daughter about the December 8, 2020, court ruling that permanently restrained her and her agents from imposing and collecting levies from market members.
The traders accused Mrs. Tinubu-Ojo of multiple breaches of rights and interference, including instigating thugs and unauthorized levy collection. They demanded that she comply with the court judgment and cease further interference.
According to the traders, failure to comply will push them to pursue all available legal remedies against her, including seeking costs. The notice, signed by Taiwo E. Olawanle and Adebayo A. Oniyelu, emphasized the need for Mrs. Tinubu-Ojo to act in line with the court’s decision.
The letter partly reads: “Our client is registered under Part “C” of the Company and Allied Matters Act. Our client is the conglomeration of the Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (PAPDA), Computer and Allied Products Dealers of Nigeria, Computer Technician and Engineers Association of Nigeria (COMTEAN), Association of Computer Engineers and Technicians of Nigeria (ACETN) and Association of Computer Printers Engineering of Lagos (ACPEL),
“Others include the Association of Computers and Phones Accessories of Nigeria, the Laptop Batteries Dealers Association of Nigeria (LADAN), the Association of Mobile Communication Devices Engineers and Technicians (AMCODET), Security Gadget, Pre-Owned Phone Dealers Association of Nigeria (POP) and Ogunbiyi Community Development Association.
“It is our client’s brief that upon your several breaches of their rights, they approached an Ikeja High Court in Suit No.: ID/9039MFHR/19 to challenge your interference in their affairs. The Honourable Court, among others, restrained you and your agents from collecting any levy from our client as there is no legal basis for such.
“Despite the above final order made by a competent court, you continue to meddle in the internal affairs of our client by instigating thugs and contacting our client’s partners to obtain money from them thereby denying our client its revenue. You have also continued to use thugs to disrupt lawful gatherings of the various market associations without any justification.”
It added, “You may wish to know that Mrs Abisola Azeez, parading as the Iyaloja of Computer Village on your sanction has no shop or stake in the Village. Meanwhile, our client is not averse to a shop owner or trader obtaining the membership form if they are interested in joining the association as its membership is open to any interested person in our client’s line of business.
“However, such individuals must obtain the membership form and properly be enrolled. It is noteworthy that only the authorized members or members of the executive have the locus to interfere in our client’s affairs.
“Our client is not unaware that you have contacted our client’s several partners to make their commitments to you. We have instructions to warn against any further demand or communication to our client’s partners including but not limited to Oppo, Proview, Samsung, Big and Bold et al because the commodity association of the Women and Men Market Association which is the basis of your appointment by the Lagos State Government has no membership in Computer Village.
“A careful perusal of the Lagos State Market Advisory Council Law which you derive your power from, particularly under Section 8 does not include taking levies or interfering in the internal affairs of any market as the Council only plays an advisory role to the executive Governor of Lagos State and no more. Assuming without conceding that your office has the power to collect levies, Computer Village is not one of the markets contemplated under the law under reference.
“It is imperative to obey and act in line with the judgment of the High Court of Lagos State delivered on the 8th day of December 2020 wherein you and your agents were perpetually restrained from imposing and collecting levies under any guise from the members of our client in the Computer Village Market.
“Therefore, Take Notice that should you again continue on this subject matter, our client will pursue every legal and equitable remedy available to it against you and also claim the cost thereof from you.”
A certified true copy of the said judgement obtained by SaharaReporters on Monday, shows the judgement was delivered by Justice Y. R. Pinheiro of Court 53 General Civil Division Ikeja, in Suit No: ID/9039MFHR/19.
The court held, “…I find that the 2nd & 3rd respondents imposition of levies on the applicants is illegal, null and void and therefore amounts to a violation of their Fundamental Rights. Accordingly, it is hereby ordered as thus: ‘The 1st-5th respondents by themselves, agents, levy collectorsl howsoever called are restrained from imposing levies and/or fine and on the members of the 1st-5th applicants at the Ikeja Computer Village Market in the Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos State.’”
The suit was between the “Registered Trustees of Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), registered Trustees of Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (PAPDAN), registered Trustees of Phone Parts and Accessories Dealers Association of Nigeria, registered Trustees of Association of Caterers Food and Drinks Vendors of Ogunbiyi Computer Village Ikeja Lagos; registered Trustees of Ikeja Books Stationaries and Computer Association; and Azeez Olurin as the 1-6th Applicants and Chief (Mrs.) Folasade Tinubu-Ojo (Iyaloja General), Mrs. Bisola Azeez, Mr. Adeniyi Olasoji, Nofiu Akinsanya, Tony Ikani, and Commissioner of Police Lagos State as the 1st to 6th Respondents.”
News
59 Traff!cked Kids, Aged 4 To 12, Found In Bus In FCT
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command says its patrol and guard unit intercepted 59 male children suspected to be victims of human trafficking
According to the FCT Police Commissioner, Olatunji Disu, the children are aged between 4 and 12.
Disu, at a press briefing on Wednesday, said the incident has been classified as a case of suspected child abuse and trafficking, given the absence of proper documentation or parental consent for the movement of the minors.
Disu said a preliminary investigation revealed that the children, who came from different families, were being transported by one Idris Usman, a male resident of Nasarawa State.
He said Usman allegedly travelled to Kano State to convene the children en route to Nasarawa State under the pretext of training them.
The statement reads in part, “On 6th January 2025, at about 1530 hours, a team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sarki Umar intercepted a white Peugeot 15 bus with Reg. No. KMC 283 ZJ along the Abuja-Kano route.
“The vehicle was driven by Ali Ibrahim, a male resident of Kano State, accompanied by his motor boy, Al Hassan Ibrahim, also of Kano State.
“The bus was found to be transporting 59 male children aged between 4 and 12 years. Preliminary investigations revealed that the children, who came from different families, were being transported by one Idris Usman, a male resident of Nasarawa State. He allegedly traveled to Kano State to convene the children en route to Nasarawa State under the pretext of training them.”
“At present, the suspects, the vehicle, and all the children are in custody while a thorough investigation is underway. The Police Command is working closely with FCT Social Development Secretariat (SDS), to ensure that the children are safely reunited with their families and to bring all those involved in this act to justice,” he added.
News
Just in: FG Endorses Telcos Tariff Increase
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, says that telecom tariffs will soon increase but assures Nigerians that it will not be the 100 per cent that telecom operators are pushing for at the moment.
The Minister disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on Wednesday in Abuja. He said consultations and engagements were ongoing to arrive at an acceptable rate, assuring that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), would soon approve the new tariffs and make it public to Nigerians.
“You have seen over the past weeks that there has been agitation from some of these companies to increase tariff. They are requesting for 100 per cent tariff increase
“But it will not be by 100 per cent. We are still looking at that study and NCC will come up with a clear directive on how we will go about it.
“We want to strike the balance as a government to protect our people, but also protect and ensure that these companies can continue to invest significantly.
“We need to ensure that as a sector, we get our acts together, ensure that from the regulation side, we put the right regulations in place that can ensure the growth of this sector.”
The Minister also noted that the Federal Government would no longer leave investments on infrastructure in the sector to private companies alone
As a country, over time, we have left this investments in the hands of the private sector. They typically invest where they can see returns in the short to medium term.
“We will not want this conversation to just be about tariff increase. I think what the world is talking about today is meaningful connectivity.
“You want to have access to very good quality service.
“A part of it that the consumers may not be aware of is the investment that needs to go into the infrastructure that is used to deliver these services,” he said.
The Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC), of the NCC Dr Aminu Maida said that the meeting with stakeholders was about the sustainability of the industry.
“We have looked at all of these factors, and that is why, like the Minister said, it is not likely that we are going to approve 100 per cent tariff increase.
“I know that Nigerians are agitated to hear the exact percentage approved. There is still some stakeholder engagements that we are going through, but you will hear from us within a week or two.”
He said that the NCC had put a number of tools and instruments into place by revising its quality of service regulations for compliance service quality.
He said that the MNOs must comply simplified templates to show Nigerians charges per minute for voice calls, SMS and a megabyte of data.
“We are moving away from the regime where you will have a main rate, then you will now have a bonus which is at a different rate.
“It makes it often complicated and difficult for Nigerians to actually understand what they are being charged for.
“This is one of the things when we took a lot of time over the past year looking at data there is this agitation that the MNOs are stealing our data,” he said.
The CEO of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, represented by Femi Adeniran, Airtel media spokes person, noted that for the telecoms commitment to delivering superior connectivity and fostering digital inclusion, there is need for tariff increments.
“The economic realities of rising operational and capital costs, necessitated the proposed tariff adjustments.
This is aimed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector while unlocking significant benefits for Nigerian consumers,” he said.
News
Two Nigerian Catholic Sisters Abducted In Anambra
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Two Catholic reverend sisters, Vincentia Maria Nwankwo and Grace Mariette Okoli, were abducted by unknown gunmen on Tuesday evening in Anmbra State.
The nuns were returning from a vocational association meeting in Ogboji when they were taken along Ufuma Road in the Orumba South local government area.
Sr. Vincentia Maria Nwankwo is the Principal of Archbishop Charles Heerey Memorial Model Secondary School, Ufuma, while Sr. Grace Mariette Okoli is a teacher at Immaculata Girls Model Secondary School, Nnewi.
Their abduction was announced on Wednesday in Awka, in a statement signed by Sister Maria Sobenna Ikeotuonye, IHM Secretary General, on behalf of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ.
Although the statement did not say whether the abductors had established contact with any of the victims’ families or groups, it enjoined all priests, religious, and lay faithful to offer fervent prayers and supplications to God for the unconditional release of the sisters.
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the incident and launched a joint operation to rescue the kidnapped sisters.
Commissioner of Police Nnaghe Obono Itam visited the scene and assured that the command is working with clues to arrest the suspects and rescue the victims.
A statement issued by the spokesperson for the state police command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, on Wednesday, said, “Police-led Joint Operation is already ongoing for the possible rescue of two catholic nuns allegedly kidnapped along Ufuma Road, Orumba North Local Government.
“The sad incident occurred in the evening of yesterday 7/1/2025 when the nuns were returning from a Vocational service meeting in Ogboji.”
Unfortunately, insecurity has become a major concern in Anambra State, with frequent abductions.
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