The Department of State Services (DSS) at the Federal High Court in Abuja, arraigned five associates of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.

They are accused of concealing information regarding the whereabouts of their principal, who is alleged to be a financier of an aborted coup attempt against President Bola Tinubu.

Sylva, a former Governor of Bayelsa State, has been declared wanted by the Federal government, and his identified properties have been marked for forfeiture following his indictment as the sponsor and mastermind of the alleged coup plot.

The five associates are Reuben Ayuba, Musa Mohammed, Friday Paul, Paganengigha Anagaha, and Ayebaifife Suobite. They were arraigned on Wednesday before Justice Peter Lifu.

A two-count charge filed against them indicates that the accused became accessories after the fact of felony on April 28, 2026, by concealing the whereabouts of Timipre Sylva, who is classified as a fugitive. The alleged offense is contrary to Section 519 of the Criminal Code Act Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Additionally, the DSS has accused them of conspiracy to commit a felony, specifically for concealing the whereabouts of Timipre Sylva, also a fugitive, in violation of Section 516 of the Criminal Code, LFN 2004.

All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them.

DSS lawyer, Emmanuel Orubor, requested that the judge schedule a date for the DSS to commence their trial by calling witnesses to testify against the defendants.

In response, Sunusi Musa (SAN), who represented Reuben Ayuba and Paganengigha Anagaha (the 1st and 4th accused persons), filed a bail application for his clients on various grounds.

Similar applications were made by Ibrahim Imadegbelo, representing Musa Mohammed (the 2nd accused), I. G. Kelubia, standing for Friday Paul (the 3rd defendant), and E. C. Sogo, who argued for Ayebaifife Suobite (the 5th accused person).

The lawyers pointed out to Justice Lifu that their clients have been in custody since October 25, 2025, and urged the court to grant them bail on liberal terms.

In a brief ruling, Justice Lifu granted them bail in the sum of N5 million each, along with two sureties for each, in a similar amount. The sureties are required to swear to an affidavit of means, provide evidence of three years of tax payment, demonstrate visible means of livelihood, and submit recent passport photographs.

Justice Lifu ordered that the claims of identities of the sureties must be verified by the Registrar of the Court.

Pending the perfection of the bail conditions, the Judge ordered that the accused persons be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja and fixed July 22 for the commencement of trial.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday affirmed Sen. David Mark’s leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Justice Musa Liman, in a judgment, also dismissed the suit filed by Rep Leke Abejide challenging Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as national chairman and national secretary of the party for lacking merit.

Justice Liman upheld the preliminary objections filed by ADC, Chief Ralph Nwosu, Mark and Aregbesola which challenged Abejide’s suit.

The judge held that the court lacked the jurisdiction to dabble in the internal affairs of ADC, as the suit was non-justiciable.

He also held that Abejide lacked the legal right to have instituted the suit, having failed to show to the court that his rights had been violated in any way as a result of the emergence of Mark-led leadership.

He equally held that Abejide, who is a member of the House of Representatives, failed to explore the party’s internal mechanism for dispute resolution.

Justice Liman also resolved the three issues in the substantive suit in favour of the defendants.

On whether Mark, the former Senate president and Aregbesola, who was the former Governor of Osun, emerged as leaders of the party in compliance with the enabling laws, the judge resolved this against Abejide, the plaintiff in the suit.

He held that the handing over of the leadership of the party by Nwosu to Mark did not violate the provisions of the party’s constitution.

The judge agreed that the disputed July 2, 2025, meeting of the party was a stakeholder meeting which preceded the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on July 29, 2025, which produced Mark and Aregbesola as the party’s leaders and was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Liman, therefore, declared that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as leaders of ADC was valid and in accordance with the constitution, the Electoral Act, 2026 and the party’s law.

The judge consequently awarded a fine of N2 million each in favour of all the defendants which shall be paid by Abejide.

He also awarded a N10 million fine against Abejide’s lawyer in compliance with the Electoral Act, 2026.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abejide had instituted the suit to stop the Mark-led leadership of ADC.

In the originating summons, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, filed on Feb. 15 by Idris, the lawmaker sued ADC, Ralph Nwosu, Mark, Aregbesola and INEC as 1st to 5th defendants respectively.

NAN reports that Nwosu was the former national chairman of ADC who stepped down for Mark, the ex-Senate president.

Abejide, among the eight reliefs, sought an order nullifying Nwosu’s handover or transfer of ADC’s leadership to Mark and Aregbesola as interim national chairman and interim national secretary respectively on July 2, 2025, at Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Abuja, for being illegal, unlawful, null and void.

He sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as leaders of the party “as their purported appointment, selection or election was unlawful, illegal, null and void.”

He also sought perpetual injunction restraining INEC from recognising Mark and Aregbesola as ADC’s interim national chairman and interim national secretary.

He alleged that their appointment, selection or election did not meet the requirements of Section 82 of the Electoral Act, 2022, among other prayers.

NAN

The Federal government has announced a major overhaul of Nigeria’s education structure, moving to scrap the separation of Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS), describing the policy as a failure that has contributed to the country’s growing out-of-school crisis.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the announcement on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, saying the Tinubu administration was determined to reverse years of declining educational outcomes by creating a seamless transition from primary to secondary education.

Alausa said the existing arrangement, which separates junior and senior secondary schools under the country’s 6-3-3-4 education system, has left millions of children stranded after completing primary school.

According to him, Nigeria currently has about 80,000 public primary schools but only 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating a significant transition gap that has fuelled the country’s out-of-school population.

He disclosed that while about 24 million children enroll in primary schools across the country, only about four million complete senior secondary education.

“About 24 million children enrol in our primary schools, but only about four million of them complete senior secondary. We have over 20 million children dropping out between primary school and junior secondary school. Where are those students?” the minister asked.

He blamed the trend on the policy separating JSS from SSS, saying it has resulted in overcrowded junior secondary schools while many senior secondary schools remain underutilised.

“The previous governments may have failed in this regard, but this government will not fail. We are fixing this. We need to create more opportunities for children to move seamlessly through the education system.

“We have overflowing junior secondary schools and empty senior secondary schools. I can objectively report today that this disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We cannot continue creating administrative positions while damaging our education system. It is about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” Alausa said.

He explained that the proposal to abolish the policy would be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education for formal consideration and approval.

The minister also inaugurated a high-powered implementation and monitoring committee chaired by education expert, Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, to accelerate the completion, handover, and operation of hundreds of Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools funded by UBEC across the country.

Alausa lamented that despite substantial public investment, many of the schools had either been abandoned or completed without being handed over to state governments for academic activities.

He described the situation as a waste of public resources and a denial of learning opportunities to thousands of Nigerian children.

“The purpose of these schools is to educate children, not to remain locked up after completion,” he said, charging the committee to eliminate implementation bottlenecks and ensure the facilities begin serving their intended purpose.

Earlier, UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, said the Federal Government had made notable progress in expanding access to quality basic education through the Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools programmes.

She disclosed that 37 Smart Schools had been established nationwide, with 24 already operational, while the remaining schools were at different stages of completion, furnishing, and preparation for academic activities.

Garba added that under the UBEC-Islamic Development Bank Bilingual Education Programme, 30 schools had been established across nine states, with three boarding schools already commissioned and four others substantially completed awaiting inauguration.

She further stated that the Alternative Schools Programme was helping to expand access to education for vulnerable and out-of-school children through flexible and inclusive learning models.

According to her, the newly inaugurated committee will oversee project implementation, ensure the timely completion and handover of schools, resolve implementation challenges, and guarantee that government investments translate into fully functional learning centres.

Responding on behalf of the committee, Prof. Aderinoye pledged that members would carry out their assignment with diligence, transparency, and accountability, assuring that they would work to remove obstacles delaying project delivery and improve access to quality education across Nigeria.