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Forgery: Journalists Plead Not Guilty, Get Bail: Nnamdi Felix / Abuja The trial of two journalists with Leadership Newspapers kicked off before a federal high court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday. They pleaded not guilty to the amended six counts charge slammed against them by the federal government for allegedly forging a presidential directive and publishing same purporting the forged document as true. Before their pleas were taken, the lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria, mounted an intensive campaign to stall the accused persons plea to be taken by the court. Mr. Falana insisted that the written statements of the prosecution witnesses which the prosecution intends to rely upon in the course of the trial should be served on his clients to enable them prepare adequately for their trial in line with the provisions of section 36 of the constitution which guarantees his clients' right to fair hearing. He categorically demanded that the statement of Presid...

Court Nullifies Ban on National Task Force on Illegal arms importation: Nnamdi Felix / Abuja: A Federal High Court siting in Abuja Tuesday quashed federal government's ban on the activities of the National Task Force on Illegal Importation of Small Arms. The minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala had through a letter to the Inspector General of Police, confirmed the banning of the task force which was a public private partnership initiative in conjunction with Association of Importers in Nigeria, on the ground that the task force is interfering with the activities of a statutory and legitimate agency of government. The court, presided by Justice Elvis Chukwu, declared that the disbandment of the National Task Force against illegal importation and Smuggling of Small Arms and Light Weapons, by the federal government is illegal, null, void and of no effect. It wondered why the same government which accepted the proposal submitted by the importers' associati...

Nigeria’s elite make country toast of champagne sellers: By M.J. Smith: The party was just getting started at a plush club in this teeming Nigerian city, hip-hop blaring, the bar bathed in blue light — and champagne bottles on ice already adorning tables. “Too much oil money,” said a 40-year-old man at Rhapsody’s in the high-end Victoria Island district of Lagos, when asked about Nigerian spending on champagne. Two bottles of Laurent-Perrier chilled in ice buckets on the table in front of him. His company was picking up the tab, like others here, he said, declining to give his name or say what he did for a living. Recent data puts Nigeria among the fastest-growing countries in the world for champagne consumption, spending an estimated $59 million in 2012 on bubbly, according to Euromonitor International research firm. That number is up from $49 million in 2011, and the firm forecasts that the country will spend some $105 million on fizz in 2017. Analysts say oil weal...

Judgment day fixed in Nigeria’s battle of first ladies: Indications emerged Tuesday at an Abuja Court that the negotiated out of court settlement between the First Lady, Patience Jonathan and former First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’ Adua, over a disputed 1.84 hectares of land in Abuja has collapsed as the court has fixed delivery of judgment in the matter for 2nd May 2013. The court had severally adjourned delivery of judgment on the matter to enable Mrs. Jonathan and Hajia Turai Yar'Adua reach a negotiated settlement but all to no avail. It informed parties in the suit that the judgment will be delivered if they fail to settle the issue themselves before that date. The decision of the court to deliver judgment on the next adjourned date followed reports that efforts to reach an amicable settlement failed after last Monday's meeting between parties with the trial judge, Justice Peter Affen, inside his Chambers. It is not however clear whether the judgment would be deli...

Biafran Group Flays Amnesty to Boko Haram: A pro-Igbo socio cultural group, the Biafra Liberation Council, BLC, on Friday in Abuja flayed federal government proposed offer of amnesty to members of the dreaded Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram, and urged government to reconsider its plans on the matter The sect had claimed responsibility for several bombings and killings in the northern part of the country. The Biafran group warned that any amnesty to the terror group would be counter productive as it would encourage other groups to carry their own arms and begin to unleash mayhem on innocent people and threatened that it government goes ahead to grant amnesty to the sect members, it would no longer continue to restrain militant Igbo groups from embarking on reprisal attacks against northern elements within the territory of Biafra or anywhere else for that matter. The group however suggested that government should give them a sharia country, not amnesty. In a state...

Alleged N43.558 Billion Pension Thieves Re arraigned: Nnamdi Felix / Abuja: Former Police Pension Officials were on Wednesday re arraigned before Justice Hussain Baba of an Abuja High Court on an amended twenty counts charge of criminal breach of trust and conspiracy involving a total sum of N43.558 billion. They had earlier been arraigned before Justice Mohammed Talba who sentenced one of the accused persons, Mr. John Yakubu Yusufu, to a two years jail term with an option of N750,000 fine, a sentence that angered the nation and drew uncomplimentary remarks against the nation's judiciary in the fight against corruption. Following public outcry, the trial of the alleged pension thieves was re assigned to another court presided by Justice Hussain Baba. At Wednesday's proceedings, one of the accused persons, Mrs. Uzoma Cyril Attang, who was absent form court while her former colleagues were docked, was present in court. Mrs. Attang who is a serving Director of Fina...

Police Boss Orders Manhunt For Cop Killers: By Nnamdi Felix / Abuja: Published by pmnews: In a reaction to the killing of 12 policemen at Azuzama, in Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa state, South- South Nigeria, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, on Monday in Abuja, ordered a massive manhunt for the police killers. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, had  claimed that its fighters killed the policemen whose boat was ambushed, to teach the security forces a lesson for ignoring its warning. At a meeting with his Police Management Team at the Force headquarters in Abuja, the police boss issued an order to the rank and file to hunt for the killers and bring them to justice. Mr. Abubakar stressed that only the arrest and prosecution of the police killers will be the best posthumous honour that can be given to the fallen police men. Speaking to journalists through the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, the IGP stressed that ...

Former British Prime Minister, Baroness Margaret Thatcher is dead. She died at 87 after suffering a stroke. British Prime Minister David Cameron described the late Thatcher as a great leader. "Today is a truly sad day for our country. We've lost a great Prime Minister, a great leader, a great Briton. As our first woman Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds, and the real thing about Margaret Thatcher is that she didn't just lead our country, she saved our country. I believe she'll go down as the greatest British peacetime Prime Minister. "Today most of all we should think of her family. We've lost somebody great in our public life but they've lost a much loved mother and grandmother and we should think of them today. Her legacy will be the fact that she served her country so well and that she saved our country, and that she showed immense courage in doing so, and people will be learning about what she did and her achievemen...

EKITI DEPUTY GOVERNOR, MRS FUNMI OLAYINKA PASSES ON The Government of Ekiti State announces with sadness but with gratitude to God, the passing of the State Deputy Governor, H.E. Mrs Olufunmilayo Adunni Olayinka, aged 52, after a tough but courageous battle with cancer. She died on Saturday evening. Mrs Olayinka, an accomplished banker and corporate sector player worked in the financial industry for 21 years before heeding the call of service in her home state of Ekiti when she was selected to serve on the ACN Governorship ticket in 2007. She demonstrated exemplary courage and dedicated service to Ekiti people both during the struggle to retrieve the stolen mandate and in her position as Deputy Governor. She is survived by her husband and children as well as aged parents and siblings. Further details shall be provided later. Signed: Hon Tayo Ekundayo ...