Justice Alexander Owoeye granted the order following a motion exparte brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seeking arrest of the manager.

When the case was called on Thursday, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari, announced appearance for the EFCC.

She then informed the court of an application brought by EFCC pursuant to Section 35(1) (c) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

The counsel consequently moved the application seeking an order to issue a warrant of arrest against the manager.

She said that the warrant would be to compel the manager’s appearance in court to answer to criminal offences he allegedly committed.

Buhari submitted that if the commission would not be able to arrest the manager, it would bring public summons to declare him wanted.

The court granted the application, and adjourned the case until Jan. 24, for arraignment of the manager.

In an affidavit in support of the application, EFCC averred that it received a petition from Chinwo against the manager.

The affidavit was deposed to by Mr Michael Idoko, an investigator with the commission.

It averred that the gospel singer alleged that the manager was receiving royalty on all her digital platforms and events without disclosure.

According to the EFCC, the gospel singer claimed that the manager diverted about 345,000 dollars without remitting her share.

It said that efforts to arrest the manager failed, necessitating the application for a warrant of arrest.

The court adjourned the case until Jan. 24 for arraignment of the manager.

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Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu held that an affidavit with evidence in support to proof that the earlier court summon granted the agency had failed in the extradition of Diezani must be filed by the commission before another request could be made.

Ojukwu noted that the EFCC had informed the court that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice hinted that the arrest warrant was needed to further give the international police (INTERPOL) the impetus to bring the defendant to Nigeria to answer to charges against her.

The judge, however, said it would give the anti-graft agency a room to put its house in order in the trial of the ex-minister.

“I have carefully perused the application of the prosecution. The earlier order of this court was made pursuant to Section 831 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA),” she said.

According to the judge, court orders are not made in vain.

“It is my view that the summon should have assisted in the extradition of the defendant by the Office of the AGF.

“Today, the defendant is not in court and no reason was giving. I am being informed that the defendant is believed to be in the United Kingdom (UK).

“The learner counsel also informed the court that the extradition process has failed as a result of the absence of the warrant of arrest.

“But if that is the case, learner counsel shall file an affidavit to that effect supported by evidence from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

“I hereby give you time to put your house in order,” the judge held.

Justice Ojukwu then adjourned the matter until Dec. 3 for report and arraignment of the defendant.

Earlier at the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the EFCC’s Lawyer, Farouk Abdullah reminded the court of the orders it gave and that the anti-graft agency had complied with them .

“This is evident by an affidavit of compliance filed in this case and before your lordship. It was filed on Oct 8, 2020,” he said.

He said since the defendant was not in court, the EFCC would urge the court to issue an arrest warrant against Diezani.

“My lord, this honourable court issued a summon for the defendant to appear today but the defendant has failed to appear.

“Giving the aforesaid fact, I apply that a warrant of arrest be issued against the defendant pursuant to Section 83(1b) of the ACJA 2015.

“We urge the court, in making the order, to direct all law enforcement agencies and the INTERPOL to arrest the defendant anywhere she is sighted and be brought before the court to answer to the allegation made against her before this honourable court,” he said.

According to the lawyer, we are also liaising with the office of AGF and Minister of Justice to get in touch with any country that may be hosting the defendant for the purposes of extradition in line with Extradition Act and General Convention of Nations.

He said since the summon had not been able to achieve the desired result, the need for a warrant of arrest cannot be over-emphasised.

Our correspondent reports that the court had, on July 24, ordered the former minister to appeal before it and answer to the money laundering charge filed against her by the EFCC.

The judge gave the ruling on an ex-parte motion marked FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018 brought by the EFCC’s Lawyer, Abdullah.

Ojukwu ordered the issuance of summons on Diezani for her to be arraigned on the charge.

It was reported that the EFCC had accused the former minister of fleeing the country for the UK in order to escape justice.

The judge, who ordered that the court’s summons be published on the website of the anti-corruption agency and a national daily in a conspicuous manner, said the development would make it easier for Diezani to be aware of the invitation.

Abdallah had, while arguing the motion, noted that since Diezani allegedly fled the country, it was difficult to get her back to respond to the various criminal allegations against her.

He said there was the need for a court’s summons or arrest warrant to compel her appearance in court.

The lawyer, in a document filed along with the motion ex-parte, said it sought to question Diezani, without success, in relation to many allegations against her, including “her role as the Minister of Petroleum Resources and her role in the award of Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) to Septa Energy Limited, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited and Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited by NNPC.

He said it also wanted Diezani to respond to questions about “her role in the chartering of private jets by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Ministry of Petroleum Resources and her role in the award of contracts by NNPC to Marine and Logistics Services Limited.”

Abdallah said the agency was investigating Diezani’s business relationships with Mr. Donald Amamgbo, Mr. Afam Nwokedi, Chief lkpea Leemon, Miss Olatimbo Bukola Ayinde, Mr Benedict Peters, Christopher Aire, Harcourt Adukeh, Julian Osula, Dauda Lawal, Nnamdi Okonkwo, Mr. Leno Laithan, Sahara Energy Group and Midwestern Oil Limited.

He added that Dezani was also required to clear air on “her role in financing the 2015 general elections, particularly the money that were warehoused at Fidelity Bank Plc in 2015 prior to the elections.”

He said it equally wanted the ex-minister to speak on several items, documents and Jeweleries recovered from her house at No: 10, Chiluba Close, off Jose Marti Street, Asokoro, Abuja, and some identified property that were linked to her In Nigeria, UK, United States of America (USA), United Arab Emirate (UAE) and South Africa.

The judge then adjourned the matter until Oct. 28 for Diezani to attend court for the purpose of her arraignment on the pending money laundering charge.

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Speaking during the inauguration, Justice Ishaq Bello, FCT Chief Judge said: ”it is glaring that technology is now and the future.

“Anyone who disregards technology will be left behind to his own peril.

”It is on this note, that the court which is the epicentre of legal conversation is equally striving to meet the demands of time.

”This is by leveraging on available technology to make work easier and justice more accessible in a healthy and friendly atmosphere.

”It has been the tradition of judges to write in long hand. This makes proceedings slow and sloppy not to talk of the health challenges it poses over time”.

Bello said that like other institution, courts are made up of people whose duties are to see to the expeditious and fair determination of disputes in a manner that inspires confidence.

The chief judge added that it would not be out of place to ensure responsible deployment of technology in facilitating the of the court’s core mandate.

”It is against this backdrop that we have commenced the digitisation of this court.

”It is packed with massive potentials to fundamentally change the way things are done in our court rooms today.

”In simple terms, this is a technology that records the audio content of court proceedings and then converts into typed words ” he said.

He added that what it means was that a judge can watch, replay court proceedings at anytime, fast- foreward, and even areas the demeanour of witnesses from his comfort zone.

”It will not only save the time and energy consumed by judges while writing and taking notes in longhand during trials.

”It will also speed up proceedings by the freed time being put into more valuable uses.

”It will be impossible to miss words and important details as it is sometimes the case while taking notes by hand” he said.

He stated that this was the first step of digitisation of the high court, the next step would be online filing of cases and visual hearing platforms.

Explaining the application, Ms Joycelyn Adah, project consultant said that the call for an innovation to accelerate the delivery in the justice system cannot be over-emphasised.

“This Application will be able to accurately record and convert speech made in the Court room to text, it will also automatically generate a text document once Speech commences.

”It will store the original record and transcribe the speech into equivalent text with up to 70 per cent accuracy.

”It also has a video component that comes in handy in this era of migration to virtual Court rooms.

According to Adah, the software is an opened source/subject to improvement by rigorous research if given the opportunity to develop.

In practice, she said, it automatically records oral and, if enabled visual, Court proceedings and transcribes to readable text statements of parties.

She added that when used in a virtual Court setting, it enables the Court and parties tone in contact both visually and orally.

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Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath to Barrett, a conservative, in a private ceremony at the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Barrett, 48, had earlier taken the constitutional oath at the White House on Monday night shortly after her confirmation by the Senate.

Supreme Court justices are required to take the constitutional and judicial oaths before assumption of duty.

Barret’s lifetime appointment has sealed a 6-3 conservative majority on the nine-member bench of the apex court.

Her nomination by President Donald Trump on Sept. 26, weeks before the Nov. 3, presidential election drew sharp criticisms from Democrats, who voted against her confirmation in the Senate.

The opposition believes her presence in the court will favour Republicans in politically sensitive cases, including healthcare and election disputes that may get to the apex court.

Joe Biden, former Vice President and Democratic Party’s candidate, decried the “rushed and unprecedented confirmation” of Barrett “in the middle of an ongoing election”.

“Just a few days after Election Day next week, the Supreme Court will hear the case on the Affordable Care Act.

“While panicked and erratic in mishandling the pandemic, Donald Trump has been crystal clear on one thing.

“He wants to tear down the Affordable Care Act in its entirety and take away your health care and protections for pre-existing conditions.

“But we will not give up. If you want to protect your health care, if you want your voice to be heard in Washington, if you want to say no, this abuse of power doesn’t represent you — then turn out and vote,” Biden said in a statement.

However, Barrett said in her speech after she took the first oath of office on Monday night that her policy preferences would not influence her decisions on cases.

She said the confirmation process had made one of the fundamental differences between the federal judiciary and the Senate clearer to her.

She said that perhaps the most acute is the role of policy preferences noting that it is the job of a senator to pursue her policy preferences.

Barrett said it would be a dereliction of duty for her to put policy goals aside. By contrast, it is the job of a judge to resist her policy preferences.

“It would be a dereliction of duty for her (me) to give into them. Federal judges don’t stand for election.

“Thus, they have no basis for claiming that their preferences reflect those of the people.

“This separation of duty from political preference is what makes the judiciary distinct among the three branches of government,” she said.

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Akinjide was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), along with a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ayo Adeseun, and a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Olarenwaju Otiti.

Also named in the charge was a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who is said to be “at large”.

The defendants are accused of conspiring to directly take possession of the sum of N650 million, which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act and without going through a financial institution.

The case which was earlier fixed for trial on Tuesday, could not proceed as the court did not sit.

A new date of Dec. 8 has now been fixed for the continuation of the trial.

In the charge, the defendants were alleged to have received the money from the former Petroleum Minister Alison-Madueke, in the build-up to the 2015 general election.

The sum was said to be part of a $115 million allegedly disbursed by Alison- Madueke to influence the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.

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A three-member panel led by Justice Stephen Adah announced that judgment in the cross-appeal is reserved to a date that will be communicated to all parties.

Our correspondent reports that Olowonihi in a cross-appeal against part of the judgment of Justice Musa Kado a National Industrial Court of Nigeria, predicated his request on the grounds that the court erred in law when it refused to order payment of his outstanding salaries after it nullified his suspension by the commission.

The EFCC under suspended Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, had in 2015 following alleged “indiscipline” placed Olowonihi, under suspension without pay.

Although the commission recalled him in 2017, it however demoted him from grade level 17 to 16.

Displeased with the commission’s decision, Olowonihi then approached the Industrial Court, to challenge his demotion and also prayed the court to order his reinstatement as well as payment of his entitlements held during the period of his unlawful suspension.

In the suit marked: NICN/ABJ/347/2017, the claimant in a 62-paragraph affidavit deposed to in support of the suit said he was not given fair hearing before disciplinary action was taken against him.

The appellant’s counsel, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, prayed the court to determine whether the EFCC Staff Regulations Handbook 2007 used to discipline his client was validly made.

It was reported that in its judgment, the Industrial Court decided all three issues raised for determination in favour of the claimant.

“There is a violation of natural justice,” the court held “the claimant’s appointment is statutory and can only be tampered with strict public service rule”.

He subsequently held that the letter of reinstatement downgrading the claimant to GL 16 is “nullified and set aside” and ordered the EFCC to reinstate the defendant back to his position as Detective Commandant Grade Level 17.

However, Justice Kado refused to grant the prayers of the claimant on the payment of all his salaries and allowances within the period of the suspension on the grounds that the claimant failed to prove that he was entitled to such relief.

Displeased by this latter part of Justice Kado’s decision, Olowonihi then approached the appellate court to challenge the denial of his outstanding emoluments.

In the cross-appeal marked: CA/A/190/2020 and filed on April 8, 2020, Amupitan argued that, “the refusal of the trial judge to order the payment of the outstanding salaries and emoluments of the Cross Appellant is contradictory and at cross purpose with the principal reliefs already granted by him”.

He further submitted that having nullified the EFCC Staff Regulation Handbook, 2007, Justice Kado erred in law when he failed to set aside the letter of query dated Dec. 22, 2015 as well as the Notification of Suspension dated Dec. 29, 2015.

“The query dated Dec. 22, 2015 was the instrument that originated the disciplinary proceedings against the Cross Appellant and it was issued pursuant to the EFCC’s Staff Regulation Handbook and not the Public Service Rules.

”Being the originating instrument, it is defective and all other steps or action taken based on it is a nullity”, Amupitan submitted.

He further submitted that the court is duty bound to set aside the query and suspension of Olowonihi having voided the disciplinary proceedings.

He therefore prayed the appellate court for, “an order reinstating the salary and emoluments of the cross appellant which was suspended by the cross respondent on Dec. 29, 2015, pending the outcome of the disciplinary case against him which disciplinary action was resolved in favour of the cross appellant on Feb. 26, 2019 by the trial court”.

He also prayed for another order, urging the Court of Appeal under its inherent powers under Section 16 of the Court of Appeal Act, to set aside the letter of query dated December 22, 2015.

He added and notification of suspension dated Dec. 29, 2015, “because there was no valid query and suspension in the first place to warrant stoppage of his salary.

“An order of the Court of Appeal restoring the usual accumulated salary of the cross appellant from Dec. 29, 2015 to date being an employee with statutory flavour”.

It was further reported that the Court of Appeal on Aug. 25, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the main appeal by the EFCC for lacking in merit.

The appellate court in the lead judgment delivered by Justice Yargata Nimpar, held that the lower court was right in declaring as invalid the EFCC’s handbook used in disciplining the respondent because it was not approved by the commission.

The appellate court further held that Justice Kado was right in setting aside the demotion as well as ordering the reinstatement of the respondent.

“Appeal lacks merit and it is therefore dismissed”, Justice Nimpar held.

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Ikuforiji is charged alongside his former Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi. on 54 counts bordering on the offences.

They had pleaded not guilty before Justice Mohammed Liman and were allowed to continue on an earlier bail granted to them in 2012 when they were first arraigned.

The case which was earlier slated for continuation of trial by 1.p.m. on Wednesday, could not proceed, as a new date has now been scheduled for continuation.

Trial will now resume on Nov. 25.

At the last adjourned date on Sept. 30, the prosecutor, Mr Ekene Ihenacho, had called the first prosecuton witness, Mr. Adebayo Adeniyi, an investigator with the EFCC.

The witness had begun his evidence before the court and would continue his evidence on the next adjourned date.

Our correspondent reports that the defendants were first arraigned on March 1, 2012 before Justice Okechukwu Okeke on a 20-count charge bordering on misappropriation and money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bails.

The defendants were, however, subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Buba, following a re-assignment of the case.

Buba had granted them bail in the sum of N500 million each with sureties in like sun

On Sept. 26, 2014, Justice Buba discharged Ikuforiji and his aide of the charges, after upholding a no case submission of the defendants.

Buba had held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima-facie case against them.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC through its counsel, Mr Godwin Obla (SAN), filed the Notice of Appeal dated Sept. 30, 2014 challenging the decision of the trial court.

Obla had argued that the trial court erred in law when it held that the counts were incompetent because they were filed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 which was repealed by an Act of 2011.

EFCC further argued that the lower court erred in law when it held that the provisions of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and 2011, only applied to natural persons and corporate bodies other than the government.

The commission had also submitted that the trial judge erred in law when he held and concluded that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses supported the innocence of the respondents.

In its judgement, the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court, in November 2016, agreed with the prosecution and ordered a fresh trial of the defendants before another judge.

Following the decision of the Appeal Court, the defendants headed to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the ruling of the appellate court.

Again, in its verdict, the apex court also upheld the decision of the appellate court and ordered that the case be sent back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge.

According to the charge, EFCC alleged that the defendants accepted cash payments above the threshold set by the Money Laundering Act, without going through a financial institution.

The commission accused the defendants of conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments in the aggregate sum of N338.8 million from the House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.

Ikuforiji was also accused of using his position to misappropriate funds belonging to the Assembly.

The EFCC said that the defendants committed the offences between April 2010 and July 2011.

The offences, according to the EFCC, contravenes the provisions of Sections 15(1d), 16(1d) and 18 of Money Laundering Act, 2004 and 2011.

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The police charged Edibo with criminal conspiracy and theft.

The Prosecution Counsel, Chinedu Agada, told the court that the complainant, Chukwu Samuel reported the matter at the Kubwa Police Station on Sept. 28.

Agada alleged that the defendant and two others, at large, stole the complainant’s cell phone worth N100, 000, around Kubwa village market on Sept. 27.

He revealed that during police investigations, the cell phone was recovered by the police.

The prosecution said the offence, contravened the provisions of sections 97 and 287 of the Penal Code.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty.

The defence counsel, Taiye Okoya prayed the court to grant his client bail in the most liberal terms, citing Section 162 and 158 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

The Judge, Mr Muhammad Adamu, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N300, 000 with one reasonable surety in like sum.

Adamu ordered that the surety must reside within the court’s jurisdiction.

He also ordered that the surety must present means of identification and adjourned the case until Nov. 3 for hearing.

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The EFCC arraigned Mohammed on an amended five-count charge bordering on money laundering, illegal possession of firearms and possession of official documents without lawful authority in 2016.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, fixed the date after Mohammed’s counsel, Hassan Liman, SAN, told the court that his client had a surgery and couldn’t sit down now.

Earlier, EFCC lead prosecution lawyer, Daniel Bwala, told the court that although he was ready for trial, Mohammed absent.

Bwala added that the defence served him with a letter, claiming the first defendant (Mohammed) was ill.

“On the last date, the court gave us four days to open and close our case. The first defendant’s lawyer has brought a letter from the hospital that the first defendant was sick.

“The case has been in the court for about four years, but trial has not commenced,” Bwala said.

When asked why his client was not in court, Mohammed’s lawyer, Liman, said the first defendant had surgery “and cannot even sit down now.”

Liman prayed the court for a month’s adjournment, hoping that his client would, by then, be strong enough to stand trial.

Bwala did not object to Liman’s application for adjournment, following which Justice Ekwo adjourned till Dec. 7 for the prosecution to commence trial.

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The applicants, Paul Anike and Chinenye Maduekwe, for themselves and on behalf of the people of Ogui Nike and Umunevo Ogui Nike community, filed a suit against the six members of the panel.

These are James Ikeyi, Godwin Ugwoke, Prof Daniel Nwachukwu, Godwin Ishiwu, Chudi Ozokolo and Robinson Odo.

Other defendants are Enugu State Governor and the Attorney General of the state.

In his ruling, Justice Cyprian Aja, ordered that the processes be served on the first to sixth respondents again at the venue provided by Ikeyi on or before Oct. 16, 2020.

Aja adjourned the matter until Nov. 24 for mention.

Earlier, the first respondent and chairman of the panel who appeared in person, Chief James Ikeyi, SAN, told the court that the panel had not been served.

Ikeyi said that he got to know about the matter through the governor who called him on phone.

”The address given to My Lord by the applicants is wrong. ‘We are currently sitting in the Justice Umezulike Hall inside the court premises. As at the date the order was made, we had not got approval for sitting accommodation.

“We appeal to be served in order to make our defence,” Okeyi said.

However, counsel to the applicants, Mr Anthony Anaenugwu, SAN, told the court that he had proof that all the respondents had been duly served with the processes.

“The processes were served in the place provided by the state government in their public service announcement for submission of memoranda at Room 2A Abuja Building Government House Enugu.

“To say that they were not served makes nonsense of the order of the court. Are we throwing out substituted service?

“The processes were served in accordance with the rules and orders of the court and if the government wants to play games with my learned friend, that is his business,” he said.

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