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Orji Kalu, Former Governor of Abia The Supreme Court, Friday 18th, gave the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the nod to prosecute the former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu on a 107-count corruption charges. The charge borders on the alleged complicity of the erstwhile governor in money laundering and illegal diversion of public funds to the tune of N5.6billion.Kalu was alleged to have perpetuated the fraud while he piloted the affairs of Abia State between 1999 and 2007. Though the anti-graft agency docked him before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on July 27, 2007, however, for the past eight years, the defendant, through various interlocutory applications, frustrated moves by the prosecution to open its case against him.The defendant firstly challenged the competence of the charge against him, as well as the jurisdiction of the High Court to hear and determine the case. Meanwhile, following refusal by the trial court to quash the ch...

JUSTICE Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos yesterday ordered the forfeiture of multi-billion naira properties belonging to the former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo popularly known as Tompolo. The judge made the order following his refusal to appear in court over allegations of money laundering and stealing of about N34 billion belonging to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). Properties to be forfeited include a River Crew Change Boat named MUHA – 15; the property known as “Tompolo Dockyard” by the end of Enerhen Road, Effurun, Warri; and the property known as “Tompolo Yard”, at the end of Chevron Clinic Road, next to Next Oil, Edjeba, Warri. Others are the Diving School at Kurutie, at Escravos River; the property known as “Tompolo House” at Oporaza Town, opposite the palace and any other property discovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), moveable and immoveable, belonging to Tompolo. Just...

The longest-serving prisoner to be held in solitary confinement in US history, Albert Woodfox, has walked free in Louisiana after 43 years. Woodfox was part of the group known as the "Angola Three", after the prison where they spent years in confinement. He had been there since April 1972 for the murder of a prison guard. Maintaining his innocence in the death of Brent Miller, Woodfox, 69, was finally freed after accepting the lesser charge of manslaughter. The plea bargain was negotiated with state prosecutors. Twice in decades of legal battles, his murder conviction was thrown out of court, yet Louisiana state prosecutors were preparing to try him a third time. He finally agreed to plead no contest to lesser charges in exchange for freedom but insisted this was not an admission of guilt. "Although I was looking forward to proving my innocence at a new trial, concerns about my health and my age have caused me to resolve this case now and obtain my release w...

Ramon Oladimeji: Telecommunications Company, MTN Nigeria, has said it is considering settling out of court with the Nigerian Communications Commission over the N1.04tn fine imposed on it. On Friday, at the resumed hearing of the suit it filed to challenge the N1.04tn fine, MTN’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), pleaded with the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, to give parties 60 days to explore the option of settlement out of court. But the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), who was sued as the 2nd defendant, told the court, through his lawyer, Mr. Dipo Okpeseyi (SAN), that parties had been finding it difficult to settle out of court. He urged the court to take it that all the court papers in the matter had been properly filed and served and that the case was still ongoing. “This is a matter of national importance. There have been concessions in the past and nothing happened,” Okpeseyi noted. In his own reac...