A 44- year-old woman, Oluwatoyin Falade, on Wednesday prayed to an Orile Agege Customary Court to dissolve her 11-year-old marriage on grounds of infidelity on the part of her husband, Segun.
The petitioner, who lives at 23, Tunde Davids Close, Agege, Lagos has two children for Segun, ages, eight and 11.
“My husband is a flirt, he runs after anything in skirt.
”I had two girls before I married him and those girls are 15 and 18. They stay with me and I don’t trust my husband because he chases everything in skirt.
“My husband changes women anyhow and he doesn’t respect me. If the court doesn’t dissolve the union, I will run away with my kids,” she burst to tears.
Oluwatoyin said that people mock her in the neighborhood because of her husband’s infidelity.
” I am fed up, Segun cannot change, chasing after women and ladies has become the order of the day for him,” she said.
She alleged that he doesn’t take care of her and the children.
In his response, Segun, 46, a Lagos State Judiciary worker, admitted to infidelity.
“I will not lie, I bring in different women to the house but I am ready to change. I have been begging her to please forgive me,” he said.
He said he takes care of the children and his wife.
“My Lord, you can see that my wife is robust and fresh. It is obvious that she is not suffering.
“I bought her a phone recently and I pay the children’s school fees,” he said.
Segun said that he was not ready for the dissolution and promised to make things right if given another chance.
The Court’s President, Mr Adewale Adegoke, told both parties to be at peace with each other.
Adegoke adjourned the case until May 30 for alternative dispute resolution mechanism.
There was palpable tension on Wednesday at the Court of Appeal premises, venue of the Presidential Election Petition Court as two factions of the Labour Party clashed.
NIGERIA ANCHOR had reported earlier how both factions engaged in a war of words over who was the authentic Labour Party (LP) representative in court.
Trouble started when Lamidi Apapa, factional chairman of the party, walked into the court premises alongside some of his supporters.
Apapa, who is locked in a battle with Julius Abure, suspended chairman of the party, had arrived the court for the case of a petition that Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the party, filed against the victory of President-elect Bola Tinubu.
He made an attempt to sit where Labour Party officials were and a shouting match ensued.
“Who are you?” a party official asked Apapa, who fired back saying, “You don’t know me? Look at the way you are talking, who are you too?”
As the argument continued, Apapa raised his voice, saying, “Get up, you can not sit down here!”
Secretary of the Presidential election court, Josephine Ekperobe, quickly moved in to ensue normalcy.
Later when the Labour Party matter was called, Obi and the party’s Women Leader, Dudu Manoga, introduced themselves on the record of the court.
But when Apapa stood up to introduce himself as the National Chairman, the presiding justice of the court, Justice Haruna Tsammani, requested him to stop the introduction as the court would not recognise the ‘National Chairman’ on record.
Abure, who sat next to Obi, did not, however, attempt to introduce himself.
Apapa had earlier vowed to take control of the party and to withdraw the petition and motions before the court ahead of the sitting following the ruling of an FCT High Court sustaining Abure’s suspension. The LP has since appealed the ruling.
During Wednesday’s sitting, the LP’s lawyers, the lawyers to Bola Tinubu, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are expected to show the extent of their harmonisation of non-contentious issues and motions to be relied upon during the main hearing.
Shortly after the proceedings, as journalists were about to conduct an interview with the factional Chairman of the Labour Party, Lamidi Apapa, they were met with stiff resistance from loyalists of Julius Abure, another factional leader of LP.
The faction loyal to Abure shouted and dragged Apapa up and down, shouting “You must not talk, you are an impostor, thief, thief, thief…”.
It took the intervention security operatives to contain the pandemonium as they battled to liberate Apapa from the irate Abure loyalists.
At the time of this report, Apapa had been taken into protective custody by the police.
Signs of trouble started when Apapa wanted to announce his appearance in court after the LP National Women Leader, Mrs. Dudu Maluga had announced her name.
However, when the Chairman of the PEPC, Justice Haruna Tsammani noticed the faction in the courtroom, he refused to record their appearance again.
25 million people, more than half the population of Sudan need humanitarian aid and protection
The United Nations humanitarian response plan is seeking nearly $2.56 billion to help people affected by the crisis in Sudan, a senior U.N. official said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the U.N. refugee agency is also seeking more funding to assist those forced to flee.
“Today, 25 million people, more than half the population of Sudan, need humanitarian aid and protection.
This is the highest number we have ever seen in the country,” said Ramesh Rajasingham, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva and director of the Coordination Division
“The funding requirements of nearly 2.6 billion dollars are also the highest for any humanitarian appeal for Sudan.’’
The plan, a revised version of the annual humanitarian plan for 2023, is designed to target 18 million people in need.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has caused a humanitarian crisis that threatens to destabilise the region, displacing more than 700,000 people inside Sudan and forcing about 200,000 to flee into neighbouring countries.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),is making a joint appeal with the aid agency on Wednesday, said it was seeking 472 million dollars to assist more than 1 million people over the next six months.
“Sadly, we once again need to call on countries and individuals with the means to step up for innocent people who have lost everything through no fault of their own,’’ said Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations at UNHCR.
Labour Party Factions clash in Court on Wednesday morning over who is the authentic party
There seems to be more legal fireworks brewing as factions of the Labour Party (LP) were at each other’s jugular this morning at the Presidential Election Petition Court, engaging in war of words over which faction is the authentic one.
The Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the LP was questioning why members of the party loyal to the Julius Abure are in court for the suit against Tinubu
They insisted that the ruling of a High Court of the FCT, suspending the Abure-led faction remains in force as consequently, they have no business being in Court this Wednesday morning.
The court rose on the last adjourned date for continuation of pre-hearing of the Peter Obi’s petition, however, with this melo-drama, and the mood in court already, there seem to be more fireworks brewing.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Ministry of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) says the Federal Government has recorded tremendous achievements in the Justice sector.
According to Malami, the modest gain recorded was worth relishing, adding that it has expounded the legal jurisprudence.
Speaking at the day two conference of the body of Attorneys General, held in Abuja, Malami who praised the AGs from the 36 states of the Federation added: “With dedicated public servants and some of the best legal minds present here in this room. I can say with all sense of responsibility, that we have strived within humanly possible limits to discharged meritoriously the onus and duties of the position of leadership which providence bestowed on us as Attorneys-General.
“We have been able to guide our principals and shape public governance towards advancing the course of justice, rule of law and deepening our democratic practices.
He further noted that over time salient issues which includes payment of pension for judicial officers, sharing of Stamp Duties collections, Value Added Tax, NFIU Guidelines, regulation of the mining and gaming industry and other issues relating to policing and security have been addressed and will continue to get government attention.
Other areas of mutual evaluation and collaboration mentioned are combating and prosecution of terrorism and other violent crimes.
Making a remark, the President Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, described the legal body as the bedrock of the nation’s existence, charging stakeholders to continue to extend their dexterity and sagacity for a better Judiciary sector.
In a short speech, Chairman, Legal Counsel, Mr. Emeka Ngige, SAN observed that the future of legal education has become a topical issue, saying all stakeholder including NBA must come together, raise the standard and salvage the situation.
Justuce Nwite had, on March 22, dismissed an application filed by Kyari and others seeking an order dismissing the NDLEA’s charge against them.
Journalists covering the ongoing trial of the suspended DCP Abba Kyari and others were, on Tuesday, restrained from coming into Court 10 of the Federal High Court, Abuja, venue of the proceeding.
Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order following an application to the effect by Mr. Sunday Joseph, counsel for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Joseph, a director of the Legal and Prosecution Department of the NDLEA, had applied for the protection of the next witness listed to give evidence in the trial.
The lawyer prayed the court that other lawyers, litigants, and visitors, including journalists, who were in the court should not be allowed to be in the courtroom while the hearing lasted.
Justice Nwite then stood down the matter to allow non-parties in the anti-narcotic suit against the suspended police officers to move out.
However, when the judge came in for the matter, a lawyer, Emmanuel Oluwabiyi, whose case was number 11 on the cause list, told Nwite that he was in the court for another matter.
Oluwabiyi said he observed that before the judge rose, counsel for the NDLEA made an application.
“I understand that it was directed that everybody in the courtroom should step out because of the instant matter. The bar is also meant to be vacated.
“ The feedback I am getting is that when this matter is going to be made, no lawyer should be in court. I am embarrassed by the application my lord,” he said.
Justice Nwite then pleaded with lawyers who were not in Kyari’s matter to bear with the court in the interim.
He said their matters too would be heard as soon as the hearing was over.
“In the meantime sir, I want to know when to come back my lord,” Oluwabiyi asked.
“You can hang around. We are not going to take the matter throughout the whole day. Please bear with,” the judge responded.
Another lawyer, Mr Ramiah Imhanaede, also aligned with Oluwabiyi’s submission.
However, when the newsmen asked the NDLEA’s lawyer on reason for the application, he said it was to give protection to the witnesses, who are intelligent officers, in the matter.
When asked about his reaction to the opinions of other lawyers in court, Joseph said “there is a doctrine of state privilege in the interest of national security.”
He said it had been observed that members of the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) who were loyal to Mr Kyari, were still coming to court
“And you don’t know who is who; so, it is for the witness’ protection
“We are now going into the nitty-gritty of the matter and there have been allegations that we are just witch-hunting them,” he alleged.
Joseph said though the agency had been calling witnesses, he said the present witnesses cannot be exposed to the public.
The hearing is still ongoing as at the time of filing the report
Justuce Nwite had, on March 22, dismissed an application filed by Kyari and others seeking an order dismissing the NDLEA’s charge against them.
Kyari and three other co-defendants in the suit bordering on drug offence had filed the application.
The applicants are Kyari, ACP Sunday Ubia, Insp Simon Agirigba and Insp John Nuhu.
They had prayed the court to quash the criminal charge against them, in fresh motions on notice filed by their lawyers on the grounds that the suit was incompetent.
They urged the court to stop their trial because they had not been subjected to the internal disciplinary action of the Nigeria Police Council (NPC) and the Police Service Commission (PSC), as provided by the constitution.
They said that the failure of the complainant (NDLEA) to await the disciplinary action against them rendered the charge incompetent and deprived the court of jurisdiction to entertain the charge.
The Embassy of Nigeria in Cairo, Egypt is to facilitate the transfer of Nigerian students from Sudanese universities to Egyptian universities.
The embassy, in a statement on Sunday, said this was in the light of requests by both parents and students caught in the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
The embassy said that it was collaborating with the Central Administration for International Students (Wafeden), under the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to achieve this.
“In this regard, Nigerian students from Sudanese Universities who are interested in transferring to Egyptian Universities are expected to send their full names, faculties required, academic level/year completed, transcripts of the academic years completed.
“(They should also send) passport data pages and contact details (phone number and email) to enable the embassy and the Wafeden start working on them, before the portal for international transfers opens.”
The embassy cautioned students that any of them that transfer to Egyptian government universities would not be eligible for an Egyptian Government Scholarship.
It also provided a link for the transfer for interested students to fill and attach the required documents between May and June in order to join the 2023/2024 academic session commencing in September.
“After filling the above form, interested students should also send their below details and documents to this email: nigembegysch@yahoo.com with the following:
“a. Full Name: “b. Faculty required: “c. Academic Year/Level Completed: “d. Transcripts of the Academic Years/Level Completed (attachment) “e. Passport Data Page (attachment) f. Contact Details: Phone number(s) and email address.”
The Federal Government has so far evacuated 2,371 Nigerians stranded in war-torn Sudan.
Director of Special Duties, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Dr Onimode Bandele gave the figure in Abuja on Saturday when 125 stranded Nigerians arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The batch was the 15th set of Nigerians airlifted by the Federal Government back to the country.
They were airlifted from Port Sudan.
Bandele, who welcomed the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government, said there were no more stranded Nigerian women and children in Sudan.
He said arrangements were already made to airlift the remaining Nigerians stranded in Sudan who are mainly male, adding that another batch of evacuees would arrive later on Saturday.
Representatives of the Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs, Foreign Affairs, NEMA, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, among others were on ground to receive the returnees.
*Plaintiffs apply for restraining order against CJN
With barely 17 days to the scheduled swearing-in of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, five residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have approached the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court for an order to halt the ceremony.
The plaintiffs, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/578/2023, applied for an order, restraining the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, any other judicial officer and/or any other authority or person from swearing in any candidate in the February 25 presidential election as President or Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, until it is judicially determined with finality or in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution that such candidate has fulfilled the requirement of Section 134(2) (b) of the Constitution.
They further want a declaration that, “the plaintiffs and other FCT residents have a legal interest and constitutional rights to be heard on the question of whether a President-elect must secure at least 25% of votes cast, on the first ballot, in the FCT, Abuja.”
“A declaration that no state of the country is at the same time the FCT for any propose whatsoever, including, in particular, under section 134 (2) (b) of the Constitution.
“A declaration that no candidate in the February 25 presidential election in the country may validly be declared elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without that candidate obtaining at least 25% of the votes cast in the FCT, Abuja.
“A declaration that no candidate in the February 25 presidential election may validly be sworn in as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, without such candidate having obtained 25% of the votes case in FCT, Abuja.
“A declaration that following the February 25 presidential election and until a successor is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and sworn in, the term of office of his Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCON, as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria subsists and endures in accordance with the provisions of section 135 (1) (a) of the Constitution”.
As well as, “An order setting aside or suspending any declaration and/or issuance of a Certificate of a Return to any candidate in the February 25 presidential election in the country as having been elected, save and except it is judicially determined with finality that such candidate fulfilled the conditions stated in section 134(2) (b) of the Constitution.
The five plaintiffs behind the suit, who identified themselves as “registered voters of the FCT, Abuja are; Anyaegbunam Okoye, David Adzer, Jeffery Uche, Osang Paul and Chibuike Nwachukwu.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and the CJN were cited in the matter as 1st and 2nd defendants, respectively.
An Ondo State High Court has sentenced a 63-year-old pastor, Ajayi Famakinwa, to 18 years imprisonment for raping and impregnating a teenager.
The 15-year-old victim is the daughter of one of the convict’s tenants.
Pastor Famakinwa was said to have carried out the act on the pretense of healing the victim of the demonic spirit tormenting her
Famakinwa was said to have also had sex with the victim at the market at night.
Presiding Judge, Justice Yemi Fasanmi, sentenced Famakinwa after he found him guilty of rape and defilement of his tenant’s daughter. The convict was first arraigned on February 2022 on two counts of rape and defilement along with sexual abuse and exploitation.
The Prosecutor, H.M Falowo, informed the court that the defendant had unlawful sexual intercourse with the victim which resulted to pregnancy.
The victim had told the court that Famakinwa sexually abused her three times in his room and in the market stall at night.
Justice Fasanmi, in his ruling, held that the denial of the convict of being responsible for the pregnancy was an afterthought.
The Judge condemned the convict’s act for impregnating the poor girl and turning her to a struggling single mother.
“The defendant’s conduct, his admission of the crime to the Divisional Police Officer at Ayede Ogbese on October 17, 2021 in his voluntary confessional statement to be responsible for the pregnancy and other evidence of the prosecution amounted to sufficient corroboration that the defendant committed the offence.
“Based on the above and in strict adherence to the provisions of the law, I have no alternative than to sentence the defendant accordingly and I so hold.”
“Though the defendant appeared remorseful in court, he is convicted as charged and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment.”
