Headlines
Court Overrules Request to Transfer Maina’s Case to Another Judge
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday overruled Abdulrasheed Maina’s request to have his trial transferred to another judge of the court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on October 25 arraigned the former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team and Common Input Property and Investment Limited before Justice Okon Abang on 12 counts bordering on money laundering and fraud.
Speaking through his lawyer, Joe Gadzama (SAN), at the commencement of trial on Wednesday, Maina said he wanted his case withdrawn from Justice Abang over a remark made by the judge on the day of his arraignment.
Maina was referring to Justice Abang’s instructions to a registrar of the court to caution the defendant from staring at him while about preparing to write a ruling on his bail application.
In his ruling which he later delivered, the judge ordered that Maina be remanded in custody and adjourned till Wednesday for commencement of trial.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Maina indicated his intention to speak from the dock, but the judge said he should allow his lawyer to speak for him.
After a short hushed conversation between Maina and Gadzama, the lawyer said to the judge, “The 1st defendant told me that I should tell the court that on October 25, this month he was before the court and while the proceedings were going on, the judge asked him not to look at him.
“And he wondered why he should not look at him since he was not the only one that appeared before the court that day.”
Gadzama said his client blood pressure had risen because he felt he had been convicted going by the judge’s remark.
The lawyer said his client thereby requested that his case be re-assigned to another judge in whom he could have confidence.
The judge said his remark referred to by the defendant was nothing more than a piece of advice.
He added, “There was a day a witness was about entering the court dock and he started adjusting his trousers. He looked at me and adjusted his trousers.
“I told him ‘don’t adjust your trousers; don’t touch your trousers again because I don’t know what is inside the trousers’. So I merely advised the defendant not to look at the court.”
Gadzama then pleaded with Justice Abang to adjourn the case to enable him to have a better grasp of the case because he was only briefed by the defendant on Tuesday night.
But the judge overruled the request for adjournment and ordered the prosecution led by Mohammed Abubakar to call the first witness.
The prosecution went ahead to call Mairo Mohammed, a banker, as their first witness.
Mohammed said he opened naira and dollar accounts for Maina.
The trial was adjourned till November 5.
The Punch
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
