High Street

A federal high court in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, has sentenced Osagie Okunbor, managing director of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to prison. On Tuesday, George Omeriji, a judge, ordered that Okunbor and two high-ranking legal staff of SPDC be remanded for three months over an alleged contempt of a 2008 court judgment that challenged the company’s right to use lands at the Bonny oil export terminal in Rivers state. SPDC operates a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at the terminal where Nigeria’s premier crude grade, the Bonny Light is exported from. Reacting to the court judgement, the oil giant said all disputes related to land usage at the Bonny terminal had been “amicably resolved” with the landlord families” involved in the case. “We do not accept that SPDC has disobeyed any lawful order of court and have accordingly appealed this judgement,” Bamidele Odugbesan, SPDC spokesman, said in a statement. “SPDC has utmost r...

Justice Daniel Longji of the Plateau State High Court in Jos has ordered that a former Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, be remanded in the prison custody till Thursday, May 24, when the court will rule on his bail application. Also ordered to be kept in prison was a former cashier in the office of the Secretary to the Plateau State Government, Yusuf Pam. Jang and Pam were arraigned on Wednesday before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission The 12 counts filed against them border on alleged misuse of some special funds released to Plateau State by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The EFCC claimed that they committed the offence few months to the end of Jang’s tenure as governor in 2015. The defendants were brought to court in an unregistered hummer bus, at about 9.30am on Wednesday amid tight security. On hand were a host of their supporters, who cheered them as they arrived the court. Inside the courtroom, Jang, who dressed in a white Babaringa wi...

A high court in the federal capital territory (FCT) has sentenced six people to various jail terms for a N5.2 billion electricity project scam. Those convicted are Samuel Ibi, former managing director Rural Electricity Agency (REA); Abdullahi Aliyu, former permanent secretary of the ministry of power; Simon Kirdi Nanle, an accountant in REA; Kayode Orekoya, director of projects; Abdusamad Garba Hahun, assistant director; and Kayode Oyedeji, head of legal department. They were charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for criminal breach of trust by fraudulently awarding contracts for grid extension and solar electricity from the amended 2008 budget of the REA. They were said to have facilitated the withdrawal of the sum of N119.7 million from the account of the agency domiciled in Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). During the trial, Kemi Pinheiro, prosecution counsel, called seven witnesses. Paul Ewekoro, counsel to the defendants, made a no case submission...

 The Lagos State Government on Wednesday arraigned a property developer, David Olumide Aderinokun and a staff of the New Town Development Authority (NTDA), Balogun Adeniyi Abdul-Wakil before an Igbosere Magistrate Court over alleged conspiracy, forgery, stealing and property fraud on parcels of land in Lekki Peninsula estimated at 2678.068 square metres. Aderinokun, who is the husband of media personality, Stephanie Coker, was arraigned separately on an eight-count charge bordering on the offence before Chief Magistrate Olufolake Oshin, and alongside Abdul-Wakil on another eight-count charge before the same court. Aderinokun, trading under the name and style of Davade Properties, was alleged to have conspired with others now at large sometime in February 2016 to commit felony to wit stealing, forgery and obtaining money under false pretense. According to the charge, Aderinokun criminally “converted a piece of land measuring approximately 1764.44 square metres ...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has arraigned a House of Representatives member for Oron Federal Constituency, Mr. Nse Ekpenyong, at the Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, for alleged certificate forgery. Ekpenyong is being arraigned on nine count charges which revolves around the forging of a national diploma of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, Abia State.