MALAMI AND JUSTICE SECTOR IN 2020 – NATION PG.23

Despite the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN remained actively engaged to deliver on its public-oriented national mandate.

Far from any ranking, preference or chronological chronicling of events, below are some of what might be considered as major achievements recorded by the AGF’s office in the year 2020 despite the lockdown. The Office of the AGF assiduously worked and ensured the repatriation of $311,797,866.11 of the Abacha loot from the United States and the Bailiwick of Jersey. Already, the government of Nigeria has committed that the assets will support and assist in expediting the construction of three major infrastructure projects across Nigeria, namely: Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Abuja – Kano Road, and the Second Niger Bridge.

DON’T BETRAY YOUR OATH OF OFFICE, CJN WARNS JUDGES – PUNCH PG.27, SUN – PG.27, DAILY TRUST PG.3

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, on Wednesday, warned judicial officers not to betray their oath of office for any reason whatsoever. According to him, since their oath of office was a covenant between them and God, they should hold tenaciously to it and never be tempted to violate or desecrate any fraction of it.

HIGH-PROFILE CORRUPTION CASES TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2021 – PUNCH PG.27

The senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, and a former spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, are some of the high-profile politicians who had their convictions overturned in 2020. Kalu, who is the current Senate chief whip of the senate was convicted on December 5, 2019, and sentenced to 12 years in prison for allegedly stealing N7.1bn when he was the governor between 1999 and 2007.

MAGU: PRESIDENCY DELAYS ACTION ON SALAMI’S REPORT – PUNCH PG.11

More than a month after the Justice Ayo Salami (retd.)-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry on the investigation of the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, submitted its report, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has yet to take a decision on it. The panel, which was set up in July 2020 to investigate various allegations of wrongdoing against Magu, submitted its report to the President on November 20, 2020.

SULTAN’S JNI ATTACKS KUKAH – NATION PG.1&4, THISDAY PG.1&8, PUNCH PG.18, DAILY TRUST PG.6

Muslims on Wednsday attacked Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese Mathew Hassan Kukah over his Christmas Day message. They accused him of “a calculated attempt to insult Islamic which is typical of him.”In a statement, the apex Islamic body in the North – Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) described the Bishop’s “veiled insinuation that Muslims “have a pool of violence to draw from, is disgusting, disheartening, as well as condemnable”.

WE NEED TO THINK URGENTLY HOW TO SAVE NIGERIA – KUKAH – PUNCH PG.7

Bishop Mathew Kukah has said there is an urgent need to save Nigeria under the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).He described Nigeria under the present regime as a nation at war with itself. Kukah spoke in a sermon during wake of His Grace, Archbishop Peter Yariyock Jatau, a former Archbishop of Kaduna Diocese of the Catholic Church held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral, in Kaduna on Tuesday.

JUDGMENT LIKELY IN OBASEKI’S CERTIFICATE FORGERY SUIT THIS WEEK – NATION PG.8, PUNCH PG.27

Parties in the alleged certificate forgery suit filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja against Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki will Thursday adopt their final written addresses. The parties are: the All Progressives Congress (APC); one of its members, Mr. William Edobor; Governor Obaseki; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

SOWORE: ANOTHER FACE OF IMPUNITY – NATION PG.20

On January 1, Omoyele Sowore and three others decided to stage a peaceful protest in Abuja to bring to the notice of the general public, the issues of human rights violations and other issues affecting the Nigeria people as they entered into the New Year under the Buhari regime. To the chagrin of Nigerians, they were rounded up, commando- style and bundled in to the notorious cell of SARS where they were brutalized and dehumanized for just exercising their right to protest and dissent! They spent over 75 hours before they were taken to a magistrate court where they were charged with incitement and other ridiculous charges and later remanded in Kuje prisons.

COURT NULLIFIES CANDIDACY OF IZE-IYAMU, RUNNING MATE IN EDO GOV ELECTION – THISDAY PG.5, NATION PG.8, SUN PG.5

The Edo State High Court, sitting in Benin-City, yesterday nullified the candidacies of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu and his running mate, Audu Ganiyu Abudu, in the September 19, 2020 election. Abudu was accused of presenting false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his Form EC9 to enable him to contest the governorship election.

OFFA ROBBERY: SARS TORTURED US TO IMPLICATE SARAKI, PETITIONERS TELL PANEL – THISDAY PG.41, PUNCH PG.9,SUN PG.5

Two petitioners at the Judicial Panel of Enquiry on #EndSARS sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital yesterday narrated how officers and men of the disbanded Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) tortured them to implicate former Senate President, Bukola Saraki in the April 5, 2018 Offa robbery incident. The petitioners alleged that the dreaded SARS personnel also forced them to lie against Saraki by saying he bought guns for them.

FINTIRI’S AIDE ALLEGEDLY FLEES COURT, TWO DIRECTORS REMANDED – PUNCH PG.9

The Adamawa State Commissioner of Youth and Sports, Sanusi Faruk, on Tuesday allegedly fled from court following his arraignment before a Magistrate’s Court in Yola. It was learnt that the fleeing commissioner might have left the state capital (Yola) to his home town, Toungo Local Government Area, which shares border with Cameroon.

MAN WHO ESCAPED FROM EDO PRISON ARRESTED IN OGUN – PUNCH PG.4&5

An escaped prisoner from Edo State, Obehi Ogbeh, has been arrested by the police in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. Ogbeh, who escaped from White House Custodial Centre in Edo State during the #EndSARS protest last year, was arrested in Ogun State on Tuesday while wandering about. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this on Wednesday in a statement.