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General News

Group in Last Minute Effort to Stop Buhari’s Inauguration

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Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president-elect
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Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative (ASRADI) has instituted a fresh suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop Justice Mahmud Mohammed, Chief Justice of Nigeria, from swearing Muhammadu Buhari, President-elect, on Friday.

The suit filed on Tuesday is also seeking an order nullifying the certificate of return issued to Buhari by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Thought the case has not been assigned to any judge, the plaintiff hinged the suit on the allegation that Buhari did not qualify to contest the presidential election on the grounds that he gave false information about his academic qualification to INEC.

Between January and February 2015 there were about 10 cases instituted by various plaintiffs challenging Buhari’s eligibility to stand for the poll on the grounds of his academic qualification controversy. But after he won, the cases were withdrawn.

In the fresh suit filed by its lawyer, Mr. Philip Ekpo, the group alleged that Buhari did not meet the qualification enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act to stand for the March 28, 2015 presidential election.

Buhari, INEC, the CJN are the 1st to the 3rd respondents in the suit respectively.

The plaintiff is seeking an order of interim injunction restraining the CJN “or any person acting in his capacity” from swearing in Buhari as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29, 2015 or any other date thereof pending the determination of the motion on notice.

The plaintiff seeks among other orders, “A declaration that the 3rd defendant be stopped from swearing in the 1st defendant as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as the issue of perjury involving the 1st defendant has not been resolved.

“An order restraining the 3rd defendant or any person appointed for such purpose from swearing in the 1st defendant as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29, 2015 or any future dates whatsoever for giving false information to the 2nd respondent on oath.

“An order annulling the Certificate of Return given to the 1st defendant by the 2nd defendant.”

The grounds canvassed by the plaintiff read, “The 1st respondent (Buhari) gave false information in the affidavit he presented to the 2nd respondent (INEC) and on the strength of which he contested and purportedly won the presidential election which was conducted by the 2nd respondent on March 28, 2015.

“The 1st respondent deposed to an affidavit dated November 24, 2014 that his West African School Leaving Certificate is in the custody of the Secretary to the Military Board.

“The Nigerian Army on January 20, 2015, said that in the personal file of the 1st respondent with the Nigerian Army, they do not have the original copy of his West African School Leaving Certificate nor does the Nigerian Army have the Certified True Copy of his WASC results neither do they have a photocopy of the said result.

“The 1st respondent has not met the qualifications enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, Cap E6, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010 (as amended) to have contested the position of President of Nigeria at the 2015 general elections.

“That the authority conferred by Section 140 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on the 3rd respondent to administer oath of office to any person who will occupy the office of the President of Nigeria cannot be exercised in respect of the 1st respondent who has not fulfilled the requirements of the same constitution and the Electoral Act as it relates to his eligibility to occupy the office of President of Nigeria.”


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General News

Court Orders Lawyer to Produce “Bail-Jumping” Client in MTN Cyber Fraud Case

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Justice Ambrose Allagoa of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered Mr Nnamdi Kalu, a legal practitioner, to appear before the court on July 9, 2025, to provide explanations regarding the whereabouts of Richard Ironbar Edemadem, his client,  who is accused of cyber-related fraud and has allegedly jumped bail.

Court Orders Lawyer to Produce “Bail-Jumping” Client in MTN Cyber Fraud Case

The judge issued the directive during the ongoing trial of Edemadem and four others, namely: Samuel Okpapi, Nelson Ojovbo, Bamigbade Olushola, and ISD Technology Limited, who are standing trial on charges of tampering with the critical mobile telecommunications infrastructure of MTN Nigeria and illegally profiting from unsolicited messages sent to subscribers.

The prosecution, led by Mr Nnemeka Omewa of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), informed the court that Edemadem, the first defendant, had jumped bail and ceased communication with both his counsel and the court.

He further revealed that Mr Kalu, who represented the defendant at the early stage of the trial, had stopped appearing in court and was unreachable.

During the trial proceedings, Justice Alagoa queried the continued absence of the first defendant, especially as his name had come up repeatedly during the testimony of the EFCC’s witness.

Upon receiving the explanation from the prosecutor, the judge expressed concern that no attempt had been made to bring the sureties to account, as required when a defendant absconds.

Responding to the judge’s query, Omewa said the prosecution had made efforts to trace the sureties and review the bail bond documents.

However, they discovered that no valid documentation about the sureties or their contact addresses could be found in the court file.

Disturbed by the absence of such critical records, Justice Alagoa directed the absentee defendant’s counsel, Mr Kalu, to appear before the court on the next adjourned date to provide clarity on his client’s disappearance and explain his failure to participate further in the trial.

In the meantime, the trial resumed with the testimony of Mr Olamide Sadiq, the fourth prosecution witness and an investigating officer with the EFCC.

Sadiq detailed how the defendants fraudulently manipulated MTN’s telecom systems to send unsolicited messages to thousands of unsuspecting subscribers.

According to his testimony, the defendants, who were employed as IT professionals for various telecom value-added service providers, compromised MTN’s Critical Mobile Telecommunications Network System between 2017 and 2018, adding that by exploiting the system’s vulnerabilities, they deployed mass unsolicited messages that led to unauthorised deductions from subscribers’ airtime balances.

Sadiq explained that these illegal deductions were routed into multiple accounts linked to the defendants and their affiliated entities, notably ISD Technology Limited.

The stolen proceeds, totalling N36,837,438.20, were subsequently distributed among the conspirators, he said.

Following the witness’s testimony, the court adjourned the matter to July 9, 2025, for the continuation of the trial and to enable Mr Kalu to appear and address the court on the issue of his absconding client.

The EFCC had filed a three-count charge against the defendants, detailing their alleged roles in the multimillion-naira fraud.

On count one of the charges, the defendants, Richard Ironbar Edemadem, Samuel Okpapi, Nelson Ojovbo, Bamigbade Olushola, ISD Technology Limited, and a fugitive known only as “Sola”, were accused of conspiring to tamper with a critical mobile telecommunications network system.

This, the EFCC said, is contrary to Sections 27(6)(b) and 10 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, and punishable under the same law.

The second charge stated that the defendants were charged with unauthorised tampering with MTN’s network infrastructure, an offence also contrary to Section 10 of the Cybercrimes Act, punishable under the same provision.

Counts three of the charges posited that the defendants allegedly took possession of N36,837,438.20, which they reasonably ought to have known were proceeds of an unlawful act, namely, stealing, contrary to Sections 15(2)(d) and (6) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), and punishable under the same.

 

Source: Tribune

 


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Airtel Concludes Nationwide Environment Week with Market Clean-Up by Employees

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L-r): Regional Operations Director, Airtel Nigeria, Peter Francis; Treasurer, Elegushi Model Market, Cynthia Oranya; Secretary, Elegushi Model Market, Elizabeth Afolabi (representing the Iyaloja); Director, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Nigeria, Femi Adeniran; and Director, Sales and Distribution, Airtel Nigeria, Ifeoma Okafor-Obi; during the market Airtel’s clean-up exercise at Elegushi Model Market in commemoration of World Environment Day in Lagos State last week.
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Telecommunications provider, Airtel Nigeria, has wrapped up its 2025 World Environment Week campaign, themed ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’, with an employee-driven market clean-up exercise at Elegushi Model Market, Jakande, Lekki, Lagos.

The activity was supported by the Ecobarter Company, a social enterprise focused on the promotion of a circular economy. Branded #UnPlasticAfrica, the events spanned six states and mobilised Airtel employees, community leaders, government partners, and market communities in a united effort to combat plastic pollution.

With the Lagos Market Cleanup, Airtel staff and community members joined forces to remove plastic waste and sensitize the locals on individual contributions towards a plastic-free environment.

To support sustainability and align with Lagos State’s ban on single-use plastic, large bins for refuse sorting as well as parasols, and reusable tote with #UnPlasticAfrica messaging were distributed to traders and their customers in the market to encourage behavioural change.

Speaking on behalf of Airtel Nigeria CEO Dinesh Balsingh at the clean-up exercise, Director, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Nigeria, Femi Adeniran, highlighted the critical importance of community participation in safeguarding the environment and commended the market leadership for their openness and commitment to such impactful initiatives.

“True environmental care starts with action: keeping our gutters and surroundings clean and ensuring that plastic waste never finds its way into our canals and waterways.

The Elegushi market community has shown remarkable leadership by welcoming this initiative, and we are proud to have partnered with them to make a tangible difference as we commemorate World Environment Day 2025. We believe that this effort will spark a ripple effect, inspiring communities across the nation to take bold steps towards a cleaner, healthier Nigeria,” he said.

In her response on behalf of the President of the Elegushi Model Market traders’ association Iyaloja Simbiat Ronke Lawal, the Secretary of the trade association Elizabeth Afolabi, conveyed the group’s appreciation to the volunteers and Airtel Nigeria as an organisation. She commended the company for the clean-up initiative which she noted would leave a positive impact on the market.

“We want to thank Airtel Nigeria and all the volunteers for coming to our market to help clean and support us. This has really helped us and made our market a better place. We are incredibly happy and promise to sustain what you have started here today,” she said.

Recall that the Airtel Nigeria World Environment Week campaign began on June 4 with an employee seminar led by Mr Balsingh, followed by market clean-up exercises at Bodija Market, Oyo State; Oba Market, Benin City, Edo State; Wuse Market, Abuja; Artisan Market, Enugu State; Yankaba Market, Kano State; and finally, Elegushi Model Market, Jakande, Lagos.


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Verraki to Host Groundbreaking Webinar on Scaling AI for African Enterprises

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As Artificial Intelligence (AI) redefines competitive advantage across industries, African businesses are being challenged to evolve from passive observers to active implementers. Verraki, a leading African business and technology solutions firm and member of Andersen Consulting, is answering this call with a virtual event aimed at demystifying the AI journey for African enterprises.

Verraki will host a free webinar titled “From Idea to Action: How African Businesses Can Start and Scale AI Initiatives.” On Thursday, June 19, 2025, at 3:30 PM WAT, the session is designed to give business leaders a clear, executable path for embedding AI into their strategy and operations.

“We’ve moved past the point where AI is a buzzword; it is now a boardroom priority,” said Niyi Yusuf, Managing Partner at Verraki. “This webinar brings together African and global experts to provide actionable insight for businesses seeking to make that transition deliberately and profitably.”

Elevating Africa’s AI Readiness

Despite growing interest in AI, many African organizations struggle with where to begin, lacking both the technical know-how and the internal strategy to move forward. This webinar bridges that gap with both global case studies and local context, tailored to Africa’s unique business realities.

Featured Speakers include, keynote address by Randy McGraw, Chief Commercial Officer at Sertis, a Bangkok-based AI consultancy also a member of Andersen Consulting. Randy will unveil a playbook for implementing Private LLMs.

Fireside Chat with Kehinde Banasko, CEO of Skilladder AI, on how AI is revolutionizing workforce transformation and skills verification across Africa. The conversation will be moderated by Verraki’s Maanging Partner, Niyi Yusuf.

This event is ideal for CEOs, founders, product managers, innovation leads, and C-suite executives looking to implement AI tools that align with their business goals and drive sustainable results.

 


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