Judiciary Archives - Page 4 of 4

Group asks AMCON to exercise restrain over Abuja Property

A group, Peace and Anti-Corruption Advocacy (PACA) has urged the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and its legal representative, Joe Dappa Esq., to exercise restraint and allow the judicial process take its course without taking laws into their hands in a matter over land.

The group asked AMCON to thread with caution and maintain status quo while awaiting the final decision of the Court of Appeal over a matter involving the asset management company and another company, Assorted Foods and Integrated Beverages Limited over the ownership and right to possession of Plot No. 136 Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja.

The group in a release signed by the group’s leader, Osuagwu Ugochukwu, appealed to AMCON to maintain Res pending the decision of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja that had fixed hearing in the matter for May 6, 2020, adding that no party however powerful and mighty should take law into its hands and disregard the court.

According to PACA, based on court processes, it appears that AMCON is not ready to await the Court of Appeal decision in a matter between it and Assorted Foods as to the ownership and right to possession of the said Abuja property though it is on record that the corporation got a judgment allowing it to take possession on May 16, 2018 in a suit delineated FHC/ABJ/CS/352/2015 though Assorted Foods had immediately filed a notice of appeal and Motion for Injunction which was duly served on AMCON and its lawyers.

According to PACA, records at its disposal revealed that AMCON filed responses to the appeal process to contest the appeal, indicating that parties have submitted themselves to the Court of Appeal and is expected to sheathe their swords and await the final decision of the Court of Appeal which has been slated for May 6, 2020.

“Parties should respect the doctrine of lis pendence, which prevents the transfer of rights in the property i.e plot 136, Aminu Kano Crescent which is the subject matter of an action pending in Appeal Court, Abuja for it would be plainly impossible that any action or suit could be brought to a successful termination if alienation pendent lite were allowed to prevail,” PACA said.

Assorted Foods had through a letter submitted to the Court of Appeal on 21/11/2019, alleged that AMCON brought 30 mobile policemen to chase out tenants in the building at Plot 136, Amino Kano Crescent. Wuse II.

PACA described this as condemnable and an assault to sensibilities that AMCON staff could allegedly “detain the Court of Appeal Bailiff, Mr. Emeka Obiakor who came to serve it with the Appellant’s Notice of Appeal, motion for injunction and other appeal documents on 18/11/2019. This is an unacceptable conduct where parties are before the higher court.

“We therefore urge AMCON to thread with caution and await the final decision of the Court of Appeal over the subject matter i.e Plot 136, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja.,” the group said.

Rowly Isioro, Keystone Bank’s AGM and Wife in EFCC’s Net over N884 Million Fraud

One of the financial institutions in the country today, Keystone Bank has one of their top managers enmeshed in financial mess as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos office, has arrested their AGM, Rowly Isioro and his wife Ovuomarhoni Naomi Isioro, a businesswoman, for their alleged involvement in Business Email Compromise, BEC, and money laundering.

A statement released by the commission on Monday, November 4th, says the couple were alleged to have laundered the total sum of One Million and Forty-nine Thousand Dollars ($1.49m) or N0.5 billion which was allegedly transferred to Ovuomarhoni Naomi’s bank account in Nigeria. Their arrest followed a petition received by the Commission from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, through the office of their Legal Attache, United States Consulate Victoria Island Lagos, about their alleged involvement in computer related fraud, stealing and money laundering.

The EFCC in its usual fashion had withheld the name of the bank involved in the story, however checks by The Herald NG showed that Rowly has been under the employ of Keystone bank for 11 years and 3 months. His professional profile on social media show he is still an employee of the bank as the Head of the South Directorate. According to his profile, he is responsible for all business segments (Commercial, Retail, Corporate, Public Sector) in 11 (eleven) states in Nigeria – Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo, Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi.

His professional profile also reads, “Rowly is a Chartered Banker and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) with over 20 years of banking experience. As a trade and transaction banking specialist with working knowledge in 15 African countries, he has played an important role in growing trade in various African markets and attracting foreign investments into Africa. He has held senior management positions in leading banks in Nigeria and has presented several papers internationally and locally.

“He is currently the Head of South Directorate at Keystone Bank Limited with responsibility for all business segments. Prior to now, he was the Divisional Head, International Banking with specific mandate for delivering trade and transaction banking solutions in the 5 countries where the bank is physically present – Nigeria, Uganda, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. He had worked at United Bank for Africa (UBA) as the Head of Global Financial Institutions with responsibility for selling and delivering treasury, cash and trade products across Africa as well as developing and managing correspondent banking relationships between UBA New York and local banks in 15 African countries. He was also responsible for relationships with Export Credit Agencies (ECAs), and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs).

He started his banking career at FBN (Merchant Bankers) Ltd and later worked at FSB International Bank Plc, New Nigeria Bank Plc, and Access Bank Plc. His exposure also includes Commercial Banking/Branch Management, Domestic/Treasury Operations, International Operations, Internal Control and Audit. He holds a B.Sc Degree in Accountancy (Second Class Upper Division) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and has attended various international courses, seminars, conferences and workshops on Structured Trade & Commodity Finance, Risk Management, Trade Sales, Transaction Banking, Personal Development, Team Building and Leadership. He is married and blessed with three children.

Atiku’s Appeal: CUPP Fires Back At Supreme Court

• Says its attacks, a confirmation of unholy alliance of Apex court, APC

The opposition Political Parties under the umbrella of “Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP)” on Tuesday expressed dismay over a statement credited to the Supreme Court in which the apex court descended heavily on the coalition for alerting Nigerians on issue of appointing Supreme Court justices that sit on presidential appeal since 1979.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by its Spokesperson, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the Coalition pointed out that the action was a confirmation of an unholy alliance between the Apex court and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in the Appeal filed by the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the last general election.

According to the Coalition, “the Supreme Court has by that statement is taken sides and has decided to join issues with the opposition perhaps because the supposed quiet plan and alliance with the APC led Federal Government had been botched.

” The CUPP and opposition have before now exposed the plan to alter the order of seniority which is used in appointing Supreme Court justices that sit on presidential appeal since 1979.

” We had insisted that the plan is to truncate the appeal filed by the Coalition consensus candidate and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

“It is noteworthy that the attack on CUPP by the highest court in the land came less than 24 hours after the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) issued its own statement in which it threw caution to the wind, fired a childish arrow at the grand opposition alliance and said unprintable things about the opposition while not addressing the issues raised and making claims of Nigeria being an imaginary one-party state.

“We know of a fact that it is not a coincidence that the two separate statements from the ruling party and the apex court came almost the same time.

Apprehension In Bayelsa PDP As FG Drags Guber Candidate Before CCB On Monday

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State is in a fix on how to handle a petition against its governorship candidate, Senator Douye Diri, over his failure to declare his assets before the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) while he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Principal Executive Secretary in Government House between 2013 and 2014

Tribune Online investigations revealed that Senator Diri is expected to appear before the CCB on Monday 14th of October, 2019, in response to the said petition filed against him by an anti-corruption group known as the Bayelsa Coalition for Good Governance and Accountability.

Tribune Online further learnt that the PDP flag bearer has since been duly served the CCB summon through the clerk of the National Assembly, but that he has allegedly refused to acknowledge receipt of the summon.

According to a source in the PDP, “Senator Douye Diri was evading service. When the summon was sent to his governorship campaign office, nobody was willing to accept it. That was when the summon was sent to him through the Clerk of the Natiional Assembly and served.”

Confirming the development in a chat with newsmen, the Executive Director of the Bayelsa Coalition for Good Governance and Accountability, Mr Joseph Ambakederimo, who filed the petition said they filed the petition and that they have appeared before CCB to defend their claims in the petition.