Court Sets Aside Judgment Eecognising Abure As LP National Chairman

Court sets aside judgment recognising Abure as LP National Chairman. The Supreme Court has set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja recognising Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).

In a unanimous judgment, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure National Chairman of the Labour Party, after finding out earlier that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.

The apex court held that the issue of leadership was an internal affair of a party over which courts lacked jurisdiction.

Labour Party

The court further allowed the appeal filed by Senator Nenadi Usman and one other and held that it was meritorious.

It also proceeded to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure group of the Labour Party for being unmeritorious.

Unemployed Youth Jailed For Stealing Maize

Unemployed youth jailed for stealing maize. An Area Court in Jos on Friday sentenced an unemployed man, Jonathan Dazong, to six months’ imprisonment for stealing one bag of maize.

An Area Court in Jos on Friday sentenced an unemployed man, Jonathan Dazong, to six months’ imprisonment for stealing one bag of maize.

The judge, Shawomi Bokkos, sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to theft.
The judge, however, gave the convict an option of a N30,000 fine. He also ordered the convict to pay N70,000 to the complainant.

The police prosecutor, Daniel Damulak, told the court that Solomon Gyang had reported the case at the  ‘B’ Division police station on February  2.

Youth Jailed For Stealing Maize

He said the convict trespassed into his house and stole one bag of maize worth N70,000.

The prosecutor further told the court that during the police investigation, Mr Dazong confessed to the crime.

Court Jails Man 3 Months for Non-Declaration Of $30,000 at Airport: Lagos

Court jails man 3 months for non-declaration of $30,000 at Airport: Lagos. Justice Deinde I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, convicted and sentenced Okunfulure Olusola Steve to three Months imprisonment for money laundering.

The convict was arrested on March 28, 2025 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, for false currency declaration to the tune of $30,0000.

The NCS had, on Friday, March 28, 2025, handed him over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Okotie Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos for further investigations.

Consequently, he was arraigned on Wednesday on one-count charge bordering on money laundering.

The count reads: “That you, Okunfulure Olusola Steve, on the 28th day of March, 2025 in Lagos, within the Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, failed to make a declaration of the sum of $20,000 (Twenty Thousand United States Dollars) to the Nigerian Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, and thereby committed an offence Contrary to and Punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”

The defendant pleaded “guilty” to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, C.C. Okezie called on Felicia Paul, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case.

Paul, while giving details of how she knew the defendant, told the court that the NCS handed him over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC on Friday, March 28, 2025.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Paul also told the court that the defendant was arrested with the sum of $30,000, which he failed to declare. She further told the court that “ his statement was recorded under caution and was served with the bail conditions.”

Thereafter, she identified the defendant’s statement, the handing-over note from the NCS, the arresting officer’s statement as well as the sum of $30,000(Thirty Thousand US Dollars) to the EFCC.

Okozie then sought to tender, in evidence, the documents.

Justice Dipeolu admitted and marked them as exhibits 1,2,3 and 4 and held that “ I have read the exhibits, the statement of the defendant, and I found him guilty. He is accordingly convicted as charged.”

Okezie thereafter prayed that the undeclared sum of $20,000 be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria and that the defendant be jailed.

Defence counsel, Joel Ogundere, while addressing the court, said that the defendant “is a first-time offender and is not aware of the disclosure policy . He is a family man and has responsibilities. His bank account shows the legitimacy of the funds.”

Court

He also prayed the court to “ magnanimously waive any prison sentence”, adding that the convict would not mind forfeiting the sum of money or pay a fine.

Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced the defendant to three months imprisonment, with effect from the date of his arrest on March 28,2025. The Judge also ordered that the money be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Steve, a departing passenger on Delta Airline to Atlanta, United States had declared that he was not in possession of any sum of money in foreign currency but in Naira, while being profiled at the Currency Declaration Desk.

However, the sum of $30,000 undeclared was found on him during a search conducted by operatives of the NCS.

He was subsequently handed over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC for further investigations, a development that led to his arraignment and conviction.