COURT ORDERS SGF, AGF, OTHERS TO FILE DEFENCE IN SUIT AGAINST TENURE EXTENSION FOR BABANDEDE – NATION PG.21

THE Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and other defendants in a suit seeking to void the purported extension of the tenure of the Comptroller General of Immigration (CGI), Muhammed Babandede by President Muhammadu Buhari, have been ordered to file their defence.

Justice Olufunke Anuwe of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in Abuja gave the order when the suit, marked: NICN/ABJ/196/2020 came up for mention on November 3, 2020.

GOVS LACK POWER TO SET UP JUDICIAL PANELS, SAYS EX-AGF – PUNCH PG.11

A former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), has faulted the establishment of judicial panels of inquiry by the various state governors in the aftermath of the recent #EndSARS protests. Agabi, who served as the AGF during the first term of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, said the executive arm of government lacked the power to set up any body and describe it as “judicial”.

RESIST PRESSURE FROM POLITICAL LEADERS — TAMBUWAL ADVISES ICPC – DAILY TRUST PG.8

“I am appealing to you to continue to resist any pressure from some of us, political leaders. ‘Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state has advised the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to resist pressure from Political Leaders. Commissioning the Zonal office of the agency in the state, Tambuwal maintained that fighting corruption was everybody business in view of its negative impact in our society. Police, phone sellers join forces to tackle handset snatching in Kano “I am appealing to you to continue to resist any pressure from some of us, political leaders.

CJN BEMOANS DELAY IN JUSTICE DELIVERY – DAILY TRUST PG.44, THISDAY PG.12, PUNCH PG.9

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, on Monday expressed concern over the delay in Nigeria’s justice delivery system. He spoke at the virtual opening ceremony of the 2020 all Nigeria Judges’ Conference of lower courts, holding at the National Judicial Institute, Abuja.

FG TO PROSECUTE 629 CHILD LABOUR OFFENDERS – DAILY TRUST PG.44, NATION PG.34

The Federal Government says 287 and 342 offenders who committed child labour infractions in 2018 and 2019 respectively are being prosecuted. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday at a workshop for media practitioners on child labour reporting and the presentation of the national advocacy strategy on elimination of child labour.

ICPC QUIZZED US OVER EXCAVATORS PURCHASED BY AJIMOBI – LG CHAIRMEN – PUNCH PG.9, DAILY TRUST PG.6

The Forum of Chairmen of Oyo State Local Governments has said the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission is not investigating its members over alleged diversion of funds. The forum, in a statement by its Chairman, who is also the Chairman of Ibadan South-East Local Government, Emmanuel Alawode, said contrary to a report in the media, the ICPC was currently investigating the purchase of excavators for the local government councils under the immediate past administration of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

WIKE, DAUDU, OTHERS SEEK REVIEW OF STATE POLICE, JUDICIAL AUTONOMY – DAILY TRUST PG.34, SUN PG.28

overnor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has joined the call for the review of the Nigerian Constitution to allow states greater say on issues such as state police and judicial autonomy. Wike made the call at the Third Annual Criminal Law Review Conference of the Rule of Law Development Foundation on Monday in Abuja with the theme ‘Updates and Developments Within the last 13 Months on Criminal Justice Procedure and Evidence in Nigeria’.

EX-FIRS BOSS, FOWLER, RETURNS TO EFCC OVER ALLEGED DIVERSION OF N5BN – THISDAY PG.5

Former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Babatunde Fowler, yesterday returned to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further questioning over his stewardship and alleged diversion of N5 billion. Fowler is also accused of allowing gaps in the auditing of the agency’s accounts and other allegations of financial impropriety during his headship of the revenue agency.

NIGERIANS IN GHANA: FED GOVT ACCUSES GHANA OF DOUBLE STANDARD – NATION PG.7, THISDAY PG.16

The Federal Government has said the ill-treatment meted out to Nigerian traders in Ghana did not emanate from Nigeria’s border closure. It said the forceful locking of shops belonging to Nigerians doing business in Ghana was a sign of double standard.The Nigerian government said the action was carried out by authorities who demanded evidence of their Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) registration.

KIDNAPPERS BLOCKED KADUNA-ABUJA ROAD 4 TIMES ON SUNDAY – VILLAGERS – DAILY TRUST PG.5, NATION PG.8

People living in villages and towns along the Kaduna-Abuja highway told Newsmen on Monday that an unspecified number of people have been killed by kidnappers who blocked the road four times at different points on Sunday. Scores of people including eight students of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria are still missing after they were kidnapped on the highway, it was learnt.

BLASPHEMY: ATHEIST SPENDS SIX MONTHS IN DETENTION WITHOUT TRIAL – PUNCH PG.8

A 35-year-old atheist, Mubarak Bala, has spent 200 days in detention without trial for allegedly blaspheming Prophet Muhammed. Bala, who was once confined to a mental institution for several months for his atheist views in 2014, was again arrested on April 28, 2020, for comparing the Prophet with Temitope Joshua, aka TB Joshua, who is the founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations, and describing Muslims as terrorists.

#ENDSARS: POLICE PLOT TO DETAIN EROMOSELE FOR 30 MORE DAYS – PUNCH PG.7

There was a mild drama at the Yaba Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Monday as policemen attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department filed an application seeking to remand #EndSARS protester, Eromosele Adene, for an extra 30 days. The policemen had last week arrested Eromosele in Ikeja and taken him to the state command headquarters where he was transferred to the Area F Command, Ikeja, before detaining him at the SCID.

LEKKI: POLICE SHOT PROTESTER HOLDING FLAG, SAYS PETITIONER – PUNCH PG.7

An #EndSARS protester, Samuel Isah, has narrated how a young man with the Nigerian flag in his hand was allegedly felled by gunshots fired by policemen at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos on the night of October 20. Isah, in a petition filed before the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, said, “That young man was hit by a bullet in his head and died immediately, falling to the road with the Nigerian flag in his hand.”

‘FREEZING OF #ENDSARS PROMOTERS ACCOUNT BY CBN AN ABUSE OF REGULATORY POWERS’ – NATION PG.21

A CIVIL society group, Access to Justice (A2J), has expressed dismay at the order of Justice Ahmed Mohammed of Federal High court Abuja granting the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) the power to freeze the account of 20 promoters of #EndSARS protest. A2J said the order was a deviation from the rule of law.