JUDICIARY
Akpan Drags Gov Udom to Court over Joint LG Account Law
By Tseaa Armstrong, Abuja
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice have been dragged to an Eket High Court as co-defendants in a suit no: HEK 72/2019, dated, filed and served on 5th November, 2019 by Chief Aniekan Willie Akpan, plaintiff and one time chairman of Eket LGA of Akwa Ibom state.
The plaintiffs are praying the court to determine whether the Akwa Ibom State government has complied with the provisions of the state joint local government account law 2009.
Secondly, whether, Eket LGA of the Akwa Ibom state is entitled to projects appropriated within 15% of the derivation revenue standing to the credit Akwa Ibom state from 2009 till date.Secondly, they are seeking to know whether Eket LGA of the Akwa Ibom state is entitled to projects appropriated within 15% of the derivation revenue standing to the credit Akwa Ibom state from 2009 till date.
In a signed affidavit, the plaintiffs seek the following reliefs: a declaration that the defendants have contravened the provisions of the distributions of projects, an order of the courts for the defendants to comply forthwith with the state joint account law 2009 and thirdly, an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further contravening the provisions of the state joint local government account law.
Sections 3 of the law states inter alia: “The derivation Revenue standing to the credit of the state from the federation account pursuant to sub-section (2) of section 162 of the constitution shall be distributed between the state and local governments as follows: A minimum of 15% shall be appropriated for projects in the LGs from where natural resources are derived; 5% shall be retained by the state government as intervention fund for ecological land disaster problems in the state and the development of Uyo capital city and the balance shall be utilised by the state government for the development of all the LGAs including the LGAs from where the natural resources are derived.
JUDICIARY
Court Remands Landlord for Alleged Defilement of Tenant’s Daughter
A family court sitting at Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Tuesday ordered the remand of one Musibau Lamidi, 50, for alleged defilement of his tenant’s six-year-old daughter.
The Magistrate, Mrs S. A . Adesina, ordered that the landlord should be kept at the Agodi custodial facility pending advice from Oyo State Director of Public Prosecutions.
Adesina did not take the landlord’s plea.
She adjourned the case until April 25 for mention.
Reports says that Musibau, a resident of Olode, Ibadan, was charged on one-count of defilement.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp Gbemisola Adedeji, told the court that the defendant, on March 13, between 8. 00 a.
m. and 4.00 p.m. defiled his tenant’s daughter.Adedeji said that Musibau had an issue with the child’s mother and asked her to pack out.
The prosecutor said that when the woman went to look for a house to rent, the defendant defiled her daughter.
She said that the offence contravened Section 34 of the Oyo State Child Right’s
Law of 2006. (NAN)
JUDICIARY
4 Friends Docked for Allegedly Threatening Cleric’s Life
Four friends were on Monday docked in a Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in Ibadan for allegedly threatening the life of pastor Charles Gold.
The police charged Olatunji Musibau, 44;Abiodun Folarin, 50; Kazeem Oluremi, 60 and Yusuf Sodiq, 23, with conspiracy and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Philip Amusan, told the court that the defendants allegedly committed the offence on March 8, at about 2 p.
m., at New Bodija Area in Ibadan.Amusan alleged that the defendants and others at large, threatened violence against pastor Gold, of Echo Evangelical Ministry Ibadan.
He said the offence contravened the probisions of sections 516 and 383 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
The defendants however pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Court President, Mrs Moji Aworemi, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N150, 000 each and one surety each in like sum.
Aworemi held that the surety must be a blood relation to the defendants.
She adjourned the case until April 29, for mention. (NAN)
JUDICIARY
2 Teenagers in Court for Allegedly Stealing Sewing Machine
Two teenagers, Simor Aaron, 19, and Francis David, 18, were arraigned on Wednesday before a Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing a sewing machine and other items worth N325,000.
The defendants, both residents of High-Cost Narayi, Kaduna, are standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing, to which they pleaded not guilty.
The Prosecutor, Insp Chidi Leo, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on March 11, at Barnawa Kaduna.
According to Leo, the duo burgled a tailoring shop of one Gladys Peter and stole her sewing machine, six wrappers, and four clothing materials all valued at N325,000.
The prosecutor stated that the defendants were caught and handed over to the police by members of the vigilante group on patrol in the area.
Leo said that the offences contravened Sections 281 and 217 of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017, which stipulates a three-year jail term for stealing and two years imprisonment for conspiracy.
The Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N100,000 each with two sureties each in like sum, who must be gainfully employed.
Emmanuel adjourned the case until April 22, for hearing. (NAN)