General
Ex-FCMB Staff Docked For N52m Theft
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A former employee of First Monument Bank Plc, Ms Oluwatoyin Jinadu, has been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly stealing N52 million from an account belonging to one of the bank’s customers.
Ms Jinadu was on Friday brought before Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the FCT High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja on a 20-count charge bordering on theft and forgery.
Trouble started for the woman when a petition was sent to the EFCC alleging that as account officer to Dr D. K. Okoye in the Wuse 2 Branch of FCMB, the suspect fraudulently transferred N52 million his account without his knowledge or consent, into accounts in Zenith Bank, GTBank and Union Bank.
These transfers were alleged to have been done through forged transfer instructions.
Ms Jinadu was first arraigned before Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the FCT High Court on July 12, 2012, but the case had been dragging following several frivolous applications to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court by the defence counsel, including a petition alleging bias on the presiding judge, a situation that led to the withdrawal of the trial judge.
The defendant pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to her.
In view of her plea, counsel to EFCC, Mr Samuel Ugwuegbulam, urged the court to fix a date for trial.
However, counsel to the defence, Mr M. A. Awul, through an oral application urged the court to grant the accused bail relying on Section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, and Section 36 (5) of the Nigerian Constitution.
According to him, “The accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We urge your lordship to allow the defendant to continue on the existing bail granted him by your learned brother or in the alternative, grant her bail on such terms the court may consider appropriate to enable her attend trial”.
Responding, Mr Ugwuegbulam opposed the application stating that “since the former presiding judge has declined jurisdiction on the matter, the bail has automatically elapsed. Also my lord, punishment for the offence the defendant is being charged is enough incentive for her to jump bail.”
He argued further that “the defendant, if granted bail will obstruct justice owing to the fact that she had earlier employed delay tactics by filing several frivolous applications in the bid to frustrate the case and this led to the case dragging for a long time. I urge the court to decline the bail application and instead, give the matter accelerated hearing.”
However, Justice Oriji granted the accused bail in the sum of N8 million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must be residents in Abuja. One of the sureties must be a civil servant in the federal civil service and below GL12. Their addresses must be verified by the court.
The case has been adjourned to December 5, 2016 and January 17 – 18 2017 for trial.
Meanwhile, the accused is to be remanded in prison custody pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), his wife, Mrs Asabe Bashir, and son, Mr Abdulaziz Malami, on money laundering charges.
They were brought before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, following the re-assignment of the case to the new trial judge.
Upon resumed hearing, EFCC’s lawyer, Mr Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), informed the court that the matter was scheduled for defendants’ re-arraignment.
“The matter is coming before your lordship this morning for the very first time. I will be applying for the plea of the defendants to be taken,” he said.
Mr Okutepa equally applied that the sums listed in Counts 11 and 12 be corrected to read N325 million instead of N325 billion for Count 11, and N120 million instead of N120 billion for Count 12.
When it was not opposed by the defence lawyer, Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN), Justice Abdulmalik granted the oral application by Mr Okutepa.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the 16 counts preferred against them by the anti-graft agency bordering on money laundering.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu had, on February 12, withdrawn from the case shortly after the civil case filed by the EFCC was brought to him.
The case was formerly before Justice Emeka Nwite, who sat as a vacation judge during the Christmas/New Year break.
After the vacation period, the CJ reassigned the cases to Justice Egwuatu, who had now recused himself, before it was reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik.
The former AGF, his wife, and son were earlier arraigned before Justice Nwite on December 30, 2025.
While Malami and his son were remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre, Asabe was remanded at Suleja Correctional Centre before they were admitted to N500 million bail each, on January 7, with two sureties each in the like sum.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria will hold next year’s presidential and National Assembly elections a month earlier than planned, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revised the polling schedule.
The elections will be held on January 16, instead of the previously announced date of February 20, INEC said in an X post, signed by Mr Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.
There were also changes to the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections initially fixed for Saturday, March 6 2027, in line with the Electoral Act, 2022, have now been moved to Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The electoral commission said the changes were caused by the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026 and the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022, which introduced adjustments to statutory timelines governing pre-election and electoral activities.
“The Commission reviewed and realigned the schedule to ensure compliance with the new legal framework,” it said.
INEC said party primaries (including resolution of disputes) will commence on April 23, 2026 and end on May 30, 2026, after which Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will begin on August 19, 2026, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns will begin on September 9, 2026.
It noted that campaigns will end 24 hours before Election Day, and political parties have been advised to strictly adhere to the timelines.
INEC also stated it will enforce compliance with the law.
The electoral body also rescheduled the Osun Governorship election which was earlier scheduled for Saturday, August 8 2026, by a week to Saturday, August 15, 2026.
INEC noted that some activities regarding the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections have already been conducted, and the remaining activities will be implemented in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2026.
Speaking at a news briefing in Abuja two weeks ago, the chairman of INEC, Mr Joash Amupitan, expressed the readiness of the commission to conduct the polls next year.
The timetable issued by the organisation for the polls at the time came when the federal parliament had yet to transmit the amended electoral bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Later that week, the Senate passed the electoral bill, reducing the notice of elections from 360 days to 180 days, while the transmission of results was mandated with a proviso.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has pledged its commitment to provide the regulatory leadership, technical coordination, and stakeholder engagement required to successfully develop and implement a robust National Action Plan on maritime decarbonization in Nigeria.
The Director General of the agency, Mr Dayo Mobereola, made this known during the National Stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a National Maritime Decarbonization Action Plan, further describing the workshop as a critical step in actualising the Federal Government’s blue economy and climate objectives.
Represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Mr Fatai Taiye Adeyemi, the NIMASA DG underscored the significance of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, a technical cooperation initiative /designed to support developing countries in implementing the IMO GHG Strategy.
According to him, the National Action Plan being developed will reflect national realities, leverage existing capacities, address identified gaps, and align with broader economic and environmental priorities of the federal government.
Mr Mobereola stressed that “this transition is not merely about compliance with international obligations, it is about safeguarding our marine environment, protecting public health, strengthening the blue economy, and ensuring that our maritime industry remains competitive and future-ready”, the DG said.
Also speaking at the event was the Technical Manager of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, Ms Astrid Dispert, who highlighted that the overarching objective of the initiative is to advance a coherent and globally aligned regulatory framework to accelerate maritime decarbonization.
She also emphasised that NIMASA plays a pivotal role in driving the project at the national level.
The IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project provides technical expertise and institutional support to assist countries in developing and implementing National Action Plans that promote sustainable shipping practices, encourage investment in clean technologies, and strengthen capacity for long-term emissions reduction.
Through this collaboration, the federal government is advancing deliberate steps towards maritime decarbonization, reinforcing its commitment to global climate goals and ensuring a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future for the sector.
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