General
Kudirat Abiola’s Murder: Supreme Court Dismisses Hamza Al-Mustapha’s Trial
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Supreme Court has dismissed the trial of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, in the murder of the late politician, Mrs Kudirat Abiola.
Mrs Abiola was the wife of the late businessman and politician, Mr MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election that was annulled by former Military President, Mr Ibrahim Babangida.
She was murdered in Lagos on June 4, 1996, by some gunmen, who allegedly acted on the orders of the Sani Abacha’s military junta.
Later, Mr Al-Mustapha was accused and convicted. Investigations into the killing traced the killers’ bullets to his personal armoury.
Now, the trial of Mr Al-Mustapha in the murder charge brought against him by the Lagos State government was put to rest on Thursday by a five-member panel of Justices of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Uwani Aba-Aji.
At the proceedings, where Lagos State was slated to re-open the trial, no legal representation appeared, and no process had been filed since 2014, when an order to re-open the case was granted in its favour.
Mr Paul Daudu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) representing Mr Al-Mustapha, informed the Justices that Lagos State had not taken any steps to implement the 2014 order to reopen the trial.
He said that not even a notice of appeal had been filed by Lagos as the appellant to demonstrate its seriousness in prosecuting the trial.
Mr Daudu noted that when the order to reopen the trial was granted in 2014, Lagos State was issued a 30-day ultimatum to file its notice of appeal, explaining that more than 11 years later, nothing had been done to comply with the order.
He, therefore, urged the court to hold that the appellant had abandoned the case and should have it dismissed in its entirety.
Justice Uwani Aba-Aji, who presided over the matter, sought to know if Lagos had been served with the hearing notice, a question answered in the affirmative by the Registrar of the Court.
In a brief ruling, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, agreed that Lagos had lost interest in the matter and had consequently abandoned it.
Justice Aba-Aji held that nine years was long enough for the appellant to have filed a notice of appeal and the brief of appeal.
The court also expressed disapproval that no legal representation had been made by the state government, while no information was provided to the Court or the respondent, despite being served with the hearing notice since 2020.
Consequently, the matter marked SC/CR/45/2014 was dismissed. Another matter by the Lagos governor, marked SC/CR/6/2014, on the same trial was also dismissed on the same ground.
The Supreme Court had in 2014, in a ruling on Lagos State’s application for permission to re-open the case out of time, granted the request to challenge the Court of Appeal decision of July 12, 2013, which discharged and acquitted Al-Mustapha in the murder case.
The then Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, in a ruling of a seven-member panel, ordered Lagos State to file its notice of appeal within 30 days.
The decision followed the consent of Mr Al-Mustapha’s lawyer, Mr. Joseph Daudu SAN, not to oppose the application, which was argued by Osunsanya Oluwayemisi, a Senior State Counsel in the Lagos Ministry of Justice.
The Acting CJN had said that by the decision of the apex court, the time for Lagos to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s findings on the high-profile murder case had been extended from July 12, 2013, when the Court of Appeal judgment was delivered, until January 7, 2014.
By the permission granted in 2014, Lagos was cleared to challenge the not-guilty verdict granted in favour of the military officer by the Court of Appeal in 2013.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the final forfeiture of $13 million linked to a Lagos socialite, Ms Aisha Achimugu, and her company, Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Limited, to the federal government of Nigeria.
Delivering judgment, Justice Nwite held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established that the foreign currency was proceeds of fraud and unlawful activities.
The judge further held that Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Limited failed to establish how it came by the money, saying the anti-money laundering agency satisfied all requirements for the funds to be classified as proceeds of fraud and to be forfeited to the appropriate authority.
He dismissed the claims that the $13 million was gifts received into the Oceangate Engineering Company by Ms Achimugu, adding that the woman never came to the court to show cause why the huge amount of money should not be forfeited to the government.
He held that no single person who gave the monetary gift to Aisha Achimugu to the tune of $13 million was called to testify.
The judge further held that the burden to establish genuine ownership of the money was not established by the applicant to counter the claims of the anti- graft agency that the money was the proceeds of fraud based on its investigation.
According to the judge, Oceangate Engineering Company did not show the business it undertook that fetched it the money, nor did it show whether any payment was made to it by any of its customers.
Justice Nwite had, on August 22, 2025, granted the anti-graft agency’s motion ex parte for an interim order forfeiting the sum of $13 million linked to Oceangate Ltd to the Federal Government over allegations that the fund was proceeds of unlawful activity.
The judge had then directed the commission to publish the order in a national daily for interested people to show cause within 14 days why the fund should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has inaugurated a 17-member Planning Committee to coordinate the National Flag-Off of the Energise Commercialisation Now (ECoN) Initiative, a flagship programme aimed at transforming research outputs into economic value.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Philip Ndiomu Ebiogeh, described the initiative as a strategic intervention to convert Nigeria’s vast research and innovation outputs into market-ready products, scalable enterprises, and job-creating opportunities.
He noted that ECoN will mobilise stakeholders nationwide to identify bankable innovations and accelerate their transition from laboratories to the marketplace, stressing that the country must move beyond theoretical research to practical solutions that drive industrial growth and national prosperity.
The Permanent Secretary disclosed that the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, had earlier briefed the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, on the initiative and proposed her as a champion of the programme, with the national flag-off scheduled for Kano State.
He explained that Kano was deliberately selected due to its historic role as a commercial and industrial hub, offering strong potential to attract investment, stimulate enterprise, and create jobs.
The Committee is chaired by the Minister, with the Permanent Secretary as Co-Chairman, while the Director-General, National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency, NBRDA, and the Director-General, Sheda Science and Technology Complex, SHESTCO, serve as Alternate Chairmen.
Members include Professor Nnayelugo Ike-Muonso, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, Dr Jummai Adamu, Dr (Mrs) Obiageli Amadiobi, Dr Kabiru Mu’azu, Dr Anwal Mustapha, Engr Ibiam Oguejiofo, Mr Moses Fatogun, Mr Adamu Sulaiman (a representative of SMEDAN), Dr Prince Lawrence Eze, Mr Sani Garba, Dr Muhammad Mustapha, Dr Chioma Okeke, Mr Luther Onyemkpa, Mr Charles Egumgbe, and Dr Nwankwo Nnenna serving as Secretary.
The national flag-off is proposed for late April or early May 2026, subject to Presidential approval.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to positioning innovation as a key driver of economic diversification and sustainable development, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Switzerland-headquartered global shipping giant, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has complied with the directive of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to suspend the implementation of its new tariff pending consultations with stakeholders.
In a customer advisory titled Temporary Suspension of New Tariff Implementation, the shipping line stated that the tariff regime in place before the recent increase would remain effective until further notice.
Business Post reported a few days ago that freight forwarders picketed the offices of MSC, protesting the recent increase in shipping line tariffs. They blocked the regulators from accessing the MSC premises to address the matter.
Despite the protests, the council’s attempt to engage the aggrieved freight forwarders in discussions was resisted, as the protesters insisted that there was no basis for dialogue and vowed to continue the protest until the increased charges were immediately reversed.
In the latest directive, the shipping company said, “We wish to inform our esteemed customers that the recently implemented tariff adjustment has been temporarily suspended, following a directive from the NSC. This suspension is pending the conclusion of ongoing engagements and resolution with the regulator.”
“Accordingly, the tariff regime applicable prior to the recent increase will remain in force until further notice, as mandated.”
The company further assured customers that updates would be communicated once a final decision is reached by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
“We remain fully committed to regulatory compliance, transparency, and protecting the interests of our customers. Further updates will be communicated promptly once a definitive position is issued by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council. We appreciate your understanding and continued cooperation,” the advisory added.
NSC had warned that prolonged industrial disputes within the maritime sector could disrupt port operations and negatively impact trade and economic activities.
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