The Court of Appeal Abuja has affirmed the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organization.

In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel led by Justice Hamma Barka, the appellate court affirmed the judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which outlawed the IPOB.

The court held that it found no reason to set-aside the order the Federal Government got against the group.

According to the court, the FG acted lawfully by proscribing the organization whose activities threatened the nation’s security and continued existence.

It resolved all the issues against the IPOB and dismissed its appeal for want of merit.

The late former Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdul Abdu-Kafarati, had in a ruling he delivered on September 15, 2017, outlawed the activities of the IPOB in Nigeria.

The proscription order followed an ex-parte motion the former Attorney-General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Mister Abubakar Malami, filed on behalf of the Federal Government.

Specifically, Justice Kafafati declared as illegal, all activities of the group, particularly in the South-east and South-South regions of the country.

He further restrained “any person or group of persons from participating in any of the group’s activities”.

The Judge directed the AGF to ensure that he published the proscription order in the official gazette, as well as in two national dailies.

In a follow-up ruling on January 22, 2018, the court dismissed a motion IPOB filed to challenge the legal validity of the proscription order which it said was surreptitiously obtained by the AGF.

Dissatisfied with the decisions, the IPOB approached the appellate court to set them aside.

The organization, in its appeal which it filed through its team of lawyers led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mr. Chukwuma-Machukwu Umeh, urged the appellate court to set aside in its entirety, the ruling/final decision of the high court.

It alleged that the then AGF suppressed and misrepresented facts in the affidavit evidence he tendered before the court, maintaining that the proscription order was tantamount to declaring over 30million Nigerians of Igbo extraction as terrorists.

The Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, on Thursday criticised the economic policies of the Federal Government, claiming they are imposing severe hardship on Nigerians.

He made the statement during a meeting of the National Reconciliation Committee of the People’s Democratic Party with governors from the North East and other key stakeholders in Bauchi. Attending the meeting were the Governors of Bauchi and Taraba, as well as the acting PDP National Chairman.

Fintiri expressed frustration with the state of the nation’s economy, stating: “Nigeria is bleeding, we are suffering, there is too much anger, and the economic policy is not working. That is why we always call on the Federal Government to reconsider some of these economic policies that are only putting hardship on Nigerians.”

He further emphasized that holding a position of power is a privilege given by God, and therefore, the country must be governed based on trust and responsibility.

The governor also urged the Federal Government to focus on policies that do not bring further pain to Nigerians, adding: “Whatever will make us cry must not be part of your policy because the country belongs to us. It does not belong to the World Bank, IMF, or the international community,” he said.

In his remarks on party unity, Fintiri assured that the three governors from the North-East would work together to strengthen the PDP in the region.

The governor also highlighted the importance of unity in the region, which he believes contributed to the party’s victory in all states of the region during the last presidential election.

“There is no state in the zone that PDP lost. Even the one we lost in Borno, up until now, we are still wondering how we lost that election because we know we did not lose that election in Borno,” he said.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, acknowledged the factors that led to the party’s loss in the last election.

He identified disunity within the party as a key reason and expressed the committee’s commitment to addressing these issues.

“We are here to interact with our leadership and membership of our great party so that we can discuss where we are falling short of what we were supposed to do, which led to the outcome we witnessed,” Oyinlola said

About 30 members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday stormed the Department of State Security office in the Magodo area of the state.

Their visit appears to be connected to the detention of two of their colleagues who were invited on Wednesday for questioning relating to issues of the state assembly.

The two lawmakers invited for questioning are Hon. Lanre Afinni and Hon. Sylvester Ogunkelu. According to sources, one of them has been released, while the other lawmaker is still in DSS custody.

The lawmakers currently within the premises of the DSS include: Hon. Abiodun Tobun Representing Epe constituency on, Hon Gbolahan Yishawu representing Eti-Osa constituency two, Hon Kehinde Joseph representing Alimosho constituency two, Hon. Solomon Bonu representing Badagry constituency one and some others.

After six hours of questioning, 30 members who visited the DSS office have been released.

The lawmakers refused to comment after been released.

The invitation is related to the removal of the former Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, who was removed on January 13 over allegations of financial misconduct, and other issues.

The embattled former Speaker wrote a petition to the DSS concerning the process of his removal.

The lawmakers said they will react to the issue at the appropriate time

Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos has upheld the penalties and interest amounting to $87.9 million imposed on MTN Nigeria Communication Plc by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The court gave the verdict while delivering judgment in an appeal filed by FIRS against the Tax Appeal Tribunal’s (TAT) decision of October 20, 2023.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the Tax Appeal Tribunal had awarded a principal sum of $71 million on MTN but did not grant the penalties and interest that FIRS had requested.

But dissatisfied with the TAT’s ruling, FIRS had approached the Federal High Court in an appeal marked FHC/L/1A/2024, urging the court to set aside the decision of the Tax Appeal Tribunal.

FIRS specifically prayed the court for an order setting aside the decision of TAT and an order directing the Appellant to pursue all penalties and interest arising from the principal sum awarded by the Tribunal in its judgment dated October 20, 2023.

In its brief of argument, FIRS posed two key issues for determination before the court, asking whether the Tribunal was correct in refusing to grant the Appellant the accumulating penalties and interest after determining that the goods and services purchased by the Respondent were subject to value-added taxes.

The tax agency also asked the court to determine whether the Tribunal was right to apply the provisions of the Company Income Tax Act (CITA) to address assessments related to the penalties and interest arising from the operations of the Value Added Tax Act,

In response, MTN raised one main issue for determination on whether the Tribunal erred in law by setting aside the penalties and interest imposed by the FIRS on the Respondent’s principal value-added tax liability.

MTN also contended that the Tribunal correctly dismissed the penalties and interest imposed on its alleged principal VAT liability and that the Tribunal accurately interpreted Sections 13(2) and (3) of the 5th Schedule to the FIRS Act.

They further asserted that the Appellant’s arguments regarding the applicability of these sections do not align with the Notice of Appeal and are, therefore, ineffective.

In his judgment, Justice Faji resolved all the issues canvassed by the parties against MTN Nigeria Communication Plc.

He held, “The decision of the TAT contained from page 750 of the record to the effect that interest and penalty are not due to be paid by the respondent to the appellant is hereby set aside.

“This appeal, therefore, succeeds. I grant the three reliefs sought, as prayed,” the judge held

The convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, has been granted bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja to the tune of N10m and one surety in like sum.

According to the ruling of the court, the surety must be a responsible individual with landed property valued in like sum.

The surety is expected to deposit the original documents of a landed property and a passport photograph to the Registrar of the court.

The trial judge, while ruling on the bail application on Thursday, ordered Sowore to also deposit his International Passport with the Registrar of the court.

The trial judge, however, gave Sowore 24 hours to perfect the bail conditions or be remanded by the Police until the bail is perfected.

LEADERSHIP reports that Sowore, founder and two-time presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 general elections, respectively, is being prosecuted by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on 17-count charges bordering on cybercrimes and deliberately calling the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, ‘illegal IGP’.

Cristiano Ronaldo might be the Great Of All Times (GOAT) to many fans across the football world, but not everyone in his household agrees, with the Portugal star admitting that his own son prefers Real Madrid star’s Kylian Mbappé.

Ronaldo has scored a club-record 450 goals for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018.

Mbappé has the chance to continue his hot streak later on Wednesday against Brest, while Ronaldo is next in action against Al Raed on Thursday.

Ronaldo who scored twice in Al Nassr’s comfortable Saudi Pro League win at the weekend to move to the top of the division’s goal-scoring charts, but that was not enough to impress his 5-year-old, Mateo.

In an excerpt from an upcoming interview with Spanish outlet La Sexta, Ronaldo admitted the France captain has surpassed him in his son’s eyes.

“Mateo, he really likes Mbappé,” Ronaldo said. “He sometimes tells me: ‘Hey dad, Mbappé is better than you,’ and I reply by saying: ‘No, I am better than him, I have scored more goals.”

Mbappé, who is known to have idolised Ronaldo in his youth, has started to emulate some of his feats at the Bernabéu in recent weeks after his high-profile move from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

It was reported that after his hat-trick against Real Valladolid on Saturday, Mbappé now has 15 goals in LaLiga, second in the Pichichi race behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.

Emefo Etudo, the lawyer representing suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, popularly called Evans, has told a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday that his client has repented from his criminal ways and has applied to the Lagos State Government for mercy.

Emefo Etudo, the lawyer representing suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, popularly called Evans, has told a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday that his client has repented from his criminal ways and has applied to the Lagos State Government for mercy.

Etudo told the court presided over by Justice Adenike Coker, that despite the amended charge and the plea of his client, he (Evans) has applied to the Lagos State Government through the Attorney-General’s office for a plea bargain.

The defence counsel stated this after Evans pleaded not guilty to an amended five-count charge bordering on murder, attempt to murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

Billionaire Kidnapper ‘Evans’ Seeks Plea Bargain

“Our focus in this matter is the plea bargain which we have submitted to the state government. My client is now a repentant person. He was a young man consumed by crime, but he is now remorseful. Presently, he is a 200-level student of the National Open University. In fact, he made A1 in all his papers in NECO while in prison. All these were made possible through a scholarship given to him by the Federal Government.

“My Lord, we have asked the Lagos State government to give him the opportunity to go round schools in the state to talk to youths about the dangers of crime,” Etudo said.

State Prosecutor, Y.A. Sule, confirmed Evans’ application for plea bargain, saying that the appropriate authorities would consider it, adding that the business of the day was for the re-arraignment of the defendant to enable the matter to start de novo

Former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has cautioned the government against plans to scrap the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

He warned that such a move would have devastating consequences for universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Wabba’s warning comes amid deliberations on tax reform bills at the National Assembly, which propose a reduction in TETFund allocations. The bill suggests that starting in 2025, only 50% of the Education Tax will go to TETFund, with the remainder allocated to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). It also outlines plans to phase out TETFund entirely by 2030, redirecting all education tax proceeds to NELFUND.

Speaking at the National Leadership Retreat organized by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) in Abuja, Wabba emphasized TETFund’s vital role in sustaining universities, particularly in infrastructure development and staff training.

“For some time now, the major funding for our universities and other tertiary institutions has come from TETFund, especially for critical infrastructure, which has become dilapidated. Even in training and retraining university staff, TETFund had to intervene,” Wabba explained.

He added that scrapping TETFund would return Nigerian universities to “zero level,” as the national budget is already inadequate to meet their needs.

Wabba noted that state governors and trade unions have also opposed the proposed scrapping of TETFund, recognizing its importance in sustaining higher education.

“The budget system is already limited, with many competing demands. Education is critical, and it used to be one of the government’s top priorities. We need to return to the basics and strengthen TETFund because they are doing a good job,” he said.

On the issue of labour disputes, Wabba highlighted the need for strong collective bargaining as a solution.

“In the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) decent work agenda, prioritizing collective bargaining is essential. Once unions have grievances, whether at the branch or national level, the government should engage them in good faith and implement agreements. Workers do not want to strike; it is a last resort,” he explained.

Wabba acknowledged that while strikes cannot be completely eliminated, they remain a necessary tool in some cases due to the attitudes of certain employers.

On concerns about internal sabotage within unions, Wabba assured that unions have mechanisms to address such challenges. Maintaining unity within unions is essential to protect workers’ interests, he stressed.

Wabba addressed reports of reduced salaries for some workers, advising them to report such cases to their unions.

“If any worker’s salary has been reduced, they should first report to their union. Salary is a legal agreement between an employer and a worker. An employer cannot unilaterally reduce a worker’s salary — that is illegal and unacceptable,” he said.

Wabba assured workers that unions would escalate such issues to labour centers for appropriate action.

Immediate-past Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai has reaffirmed that his stance on the President Bola Tinubu-led administration would not have changed even if he were still part of the government. 

El-Rufai’s response came after the President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, questioned whether the former governor would have been critical of the administration if he held a cabinet position.

LEADERSHIP reports that el-Rufai had described governance and opposition in Nigeria as a “national emergency” at a conference in Abuja on Monday.

He also criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for its lack of internal democracy, stating, “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.”

His remarks drew sharp criticism from the APC, which accused him of treachery and claimed that el-Rufai was undermining the government and the party he helped build.

Reacting to El-Rufai’s comments, Bwala took to his X handle, querying if the former governor would have expressed the same views if he were part of the government:

“My senior brother, if you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position? History is replete with examples. It is a government you participated in its formation, that you now want to unseat. Haba Mallam, a Ji soron Allah mana.”

El-Rufai on Thursday responded to Bwala via his X handle, dismissing suggestions that he ever sought a ministerial role in the Tinubu administration and criticising what he described as “latter-day converts” to the government.

“Good morning, #BwalaDaniel, I was cabinet minister 22 years ago and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government. The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility.”

He further stated that had he remained in the Tinubu government, his criticisms would have remained unchanged.

“If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder, and the government that emerged from it—first in private sessions with those concerned, and then go public if no remedial actions are taken. Go and check my public service record from 1998.”

El-Rufai also took a swipe at some pro-government voices, alleging that certain individuals were being paid from security votes to defend the administration’s actions online.

“I am only responding to you because I still think you are a decent person who may need a job, and not in the class of Wendell Simlin and that Kaduna pretender that our voters retired in 2019—these clowns are political mercenaries that receive humongous monthly stipends from the security vote to be the first to jump on X and other platforms to defend everything the Asiwaju government does or fails to do, no matter how indefensible it may be.”

Ending his statement, he advised the presidential aide to put his loyalty to ‘God and country’ above political allegiance.

“Enjoy your special adviser position, my brother, but remember that allegiance to God and country comes first in the human scale of accountability, before any person or authority,” el-Rufai said.

The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested a man and his girlfriend for solemnising their marriage at Banana Restaurant on Zoo Road, Kano.

The board’s Deputy Commander General of Operations, Dr Mujahideen Abubakar, confirmed the arrest to PUNCH Online on Thursday, stating that Hisbah personnel raided the restaurant on Wednesday night following a tip-off.

“It’s very unfortunate to tell you that the solemnisation of the purported marriage was conducted in the restaurant by friends of the man without the consent of the parents of the couple,” he said.

He warned that the board would not fold its arms and allow some undesirable elements to continue to violate the shari’a in the state.

According to him, the board had since launched a manhunt for all the guests who participated in the illegal solemnisation of the marriage.

“We arrested the couple. We are trailing friends of the groom who fled the restaurant after our personnel stormed the place,” he added.

The deputy commander said the couple violated all the marriage conditions, which is a flagrant violation of the Shari’a.