NEWS
Court Sets Aside Warrant To Arrest, Remand Businessman Akintoye Akindele
An arrest and remand warrant against Dr Akintoye Akindele, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Duport Midstream Company Limited, has been dismissed by the Nasarawa State Chief Magistrate Court.
TORI reported on Wednesday that a Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, granted the Lagos businessman N500 million bail.
The Police had arraigned Akindele on Tuesday on one count of bribery so that he could escape abroad.
According to the police prosecution team, the defendant offered a N150 million bribe to police officers investigating a case of fund diversion brought against him. and made a partial payment of N50 million.
The prosecution said the alleged offence is punishable under Section 118 of the Penal Code Law.
Akindele, however, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him, after which his lawyer applied for bail.
In a ruling on Tuesday, Justice Hamza Muazu rejected the request by the lawyer for the prosecution, Simon Lough (SAN), to further detain the defendant to enable the police to conclude their investigation.
Justice Muazu agreed with the defence lawyer, Henry Eni-Otu, that the offence with which the defendant was charged is ordinarily bailable.
He granted Akindele bail to the tune of N500 million with two sureties in like sum, adding that one of the sureties must own a landed property within the jurisdiction and should be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory.
This platform, however, gathered today that Akindele, through his lawyers, had approached the court praying for an order to set aside a warrant of arrest and a warrant of commitment to prison on remand earlier made for being a nullity on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction and non-disclosure as well as suppression of material facts.
In Suit No: CMC/MG/CR/175/2023, the court, on August 23, 2023, gave the order in the case between Akindele (defendant) and the Inspector General of Police (the complainant).
A copy of the court order was made available by one of the lawyers of the defendant, Pelumi Olajengbesi, and sighted by Nigerian Tribu revealed that the court subsequently ordered the “setting aside and discharging the warrant of arrest, warrant of search and warrant of commitment to prison on remand against the defendant (Dr Akintoye Akindele).”
Commenting on the development, Olajengbesi said, “The implication of the court order is to nullify the basis upon which he was arrested in the first place, which means that the arrest and search were wrongfully made without proper order from the court.
“The standard in our criminal jurisprudence is investigation before arrest. It is worrisome that the Nigeria Police Force will have to approach a magistrate court in Nasarawa State, where the court has no jurisdiction to obtain such a warrant, and after the court said it lacked jurisdiction on the matter and invited the police to defend it, the police failed to show up having recognised their error in the whole unnecessary drama.”
Akindele had opened up on a business dispute with the family of the late MKO Abiola.
The businessman alleges that his business rivals are trying to weave unfound fraud allegations around him through cronies, describing all fraud allegations against him as false.
The Federal Government has declared Wednesday, Thursday and Jan.1, 2025 as public holidays.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Ministry of Interior’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Magdalene Ajani, on Monday in Abuja.
According to Ajani, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said that the public holidays were to enable citizens to celebrate Christmas, Boxing Day and the New Year respectively.
“The Christmas season is a good moment for both spiritual reflection and national renewal.
“As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, let us demonstrate kindness and extend goodwill to one another, irrespective of our differences,” the Minister.
Tunji-Ojo emphasised the importance of the season as a time to foster harmony and to strengthen bonds across families and communities.
He assured citizens of the federal government’s continued commitment to ensuring peace, security, and prosperity across the nation.
He further expressed confidence in the renewed hope agenda of President Tinubu’s administration for a better and prosperous economy in 2025.
The Minister, on behalf of the federal government sent warm greetings to all Nigerians, urging them to use the festive period to reflect on the values of love, peace, and unity that the season signifies.(NAN)
Some suspected hoodlums on Saturday attacked the palace of Etsu Lokoja, Chief Emmanuel Dauda-Shelika, Nyamkpa IV, burning properties within the premises, including a vehicle.
The palace, located on plot 306, New Layout, Lokoja, was allegedly attacked by hoodlums at about 1:00 am on Saturday.
The Nupe Natives of Lokoja Development Union were planning to host the 2nd edition of the Nupe Natives end-of-the-year event, tagged “Lokoja ’24 Nupe Cultural Fiesta,” on Dec.
21, 2024, before the incident occurred.The event was, however, aborted due to the unfortunate attack.
Dauda-Shelika said this on Monday in Lokoja that he heard a big bang on my door at around 1 am.
“I woke up to check through the window, wondering what could have happened.
“Then, I suddenly saw wildfire coming out of my car that was set ablaze by attackers.
“I knew it was an attack on the palace, and therefore I could not come out because of fear of being attacked. So, I managed to come out through the back door and scaled the fence to escape for my life.
“Thereafter, I came out to the road and realised that all my neighbours in the community were on the ground trying hard to quench the fire, but unfortunately the car was burnt as well as other properties inside it.”
The traditional ruler appealed to the government and security agencies to investigate the cause of the attack and bring perpetrators and their sponsors to justice.
He admonished Nupe natives in Lokoja to avoid any reprisal attack but continue to remain peaceful and law abiding and allow the government and security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation of the attack.
“We are appealing to Gov. Ahmed Ododo and security agencies to please use their good offices to investigate this unfortunate incident and bring to justice whoever is concerned, whether directly or indirectly.
“We also want the government to kindly visit our issues by recognising and grading the stool of Etsu Lokoja, which had been in existence before colonisation,” he said.
He stated that the Lokoja Local Government Area chairman and his security team came for an on-the-spot assessment that Saturday morning, as well as the police and other security outfits.
The National President, Nupe Natives Union Lokoja, Alh. Abubakar Ndashite, said the event scheduled for Saturday was a celebration of Nupe cultural heritage and not any form of coronation as being insinuated from some quarters.
Ndashite, who doubles as the chairman of the planning committee, said the aborted event was to project the Nupe spirit and culture as well as the rich history of the diversely composed Lokoja community and the peaceful and harmonious coexistence among her.
He expressed his displeasure over the aborted cultural event, noting that the union had expended so much on it, and urged the government to bring perpetrators to book. (NAN)
The Abia Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of eight persons with two others injured in a road traffic crash that occurred along the Bende-Ohafia Road.
A statement by the Sector Commander, Mrs Ngozi Ezeoma, on Monday in Umuahia said that the crash occurred on Sunday along the Mmuri River axis of the road in Ohafia Local Government Area of the state.
She said the crash involved a Trailer carrying chippings which hit and fell on a Sharon Volkswagen vehicle with 10 persons on board.
“At the time of the crash eight persons had died including a woman standing by the roadside and three were injured.
“The injured victims were taken to the hospital while the dead ones were deposited at the morgue,” she said.
Ezeoma said that preliminary investigation revealed that the crash was caused by dangerous driving and excessive speeding. (NAN)
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