The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, granted bail to the convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu also barred them from addressing any rally pending the conclusion of their trial on charges of treasonable felony among others.

She also barred Sowore from traveling out of Abuja and the second defendant out of Osogbo, during the trial.

She granted bail to Sowore in the sum of N100m with two sureties in like sum.

The sureties who must be resident in Abuja must also have landed assets worth the bail sum in Abuja, and they are to deposit the original title documents of the assets with the court.

The judge also ordered him to deposit the sum of N50m in the account of the court as security.
She granted bail to the second defendant in the sum of N50m with one surety.

The defendants’ lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has described the bail conditions as stringent.

The judge ordered that the defendants be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Service pending when the would meet the bail conditions.

More details later…

The Lagos State Police Command has queried the Noforija Divisional Police Officer after two brothers accused of raping a teenager in the Igbooye community, Epe area of the state, escaped from custody.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said it was discovered that the DPO lied that the suspects were in custody, adding that he had been queried.

Our correspondent had reported that two brothers, Alaba and Abiodun Musa, allegedly took turns to rape the victim, a 16-year-old girl.

They were alleged to have hypnotised and raped her.

Despite threats from the suspects, the teenager was said to have opened up to some residents as community youths mobilised, apprehended the brothers and handed them over to men of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps.

The security men then handed the brothers over to the police.

When contacted then, the police spokesperson, Elkana, told PUNCH Metro that the Commissioner of Police had instructed that the suspects be transferred to the gender unit of the command headquarters, Ikeja.

However, in controversial circumstances, the suspects escaped.

When our correspondent contacted the DPO, he denied the claim, just as another policeman at the station insisted that the brothers were still in custody.

Elkana had issued another order on behalf of the CP that the suspects and the parties should be brought to the command headquarters.

On Wednesday, he told PUNCH Metro that the DPO had been queried.

“We have discovered that the suspects are not in custody. We have sanctioned the DPO and asked him to produce them. The division has been queried,” he said.

Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered that members of the community were being pressurised to give up on the case.

The founder and Presiding Bishop of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Ibadan, Bishop Wale Oke, has said Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is not corrupt.

While receiving the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, led by Jadesola Ajibola, at the Covenant Arena, his church in the Agodi area of Ibadan, Oke noted that when the news of the  N90bn illegal funding went viral, some christian elders visited Osinbajo.

He said, “The VP did not only deny involving himself in any sleaze, but used the opportunity to  inform us that some cabals were behind the allegations.”

The renowned cleric noted that Nigerians must learn to reward committed, loyal and patriotic citizens in a positive way and at the same time, expose people who were corrupt.

“The VP is always reaching out to Christian leaders on the need to support Buhari. Osinbajo is loyal to a fault.

“So, those plotting his downfall through orchestrated campaigns should fear God. This man is not corrupt. He has been a friend for many years,” he added.

The Process and Industrial Development Limited has said Nigeria’s fresh appeal moves will not stop it from commencing the seizure of the country’s assets.

It said the Federal Government must  meet the deadlines for the payment of $200m security deposit and £250,000 cost awarded by a London court on September 26.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had said on Wednesday that the Federal Government had directed its lawyers to seek the leave of the court to appeal against last week’s ruling of Justice Christopher Butcher of the Commercial Court in London imposing the payments as conditions for granting a stay of execution of a $9.6bn award in favour of P&ID.

The court’s ruling ordered Nigeria to pay $200m security fund into the court’s account within 60 days as the condition for granting the nation’s request to stay execution in the $9.6bn award in favour of the P&ID, and £250,000 cost to the P&ID.

But responding to The PUNCH’s request for its reaction to the fresh development, P&ID, through a London-based public relations firm, iNHouse Communications, which it engaged in the aftermath of the controversial $9.6bn judgment, said it was confident Nigeria’s fresh appeal would not succeed.

A statement attributed to a P&ID’s spokesperson in the iNHouse’s reply, read, “The English Court ordered Nigeria to pay US $200 million as security, plus GBP 250,000 to P&ID for its legal costs, as a condition for any stay of execution while Nigeria appeals the August judgment.

“The English Court rejected Nigeria’s application for permission to appeal the payment requirement. We are confident that Nigeria will fare no better with the Court of Appeal. If Nigeria refuses to pay, P&ID will be allowed to start seizing its assets.”

Nigeria’s Information minister had said on Wednesday that the Federal Government retained international legal firm of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, for the case.

Mohammed argued that contrary to claims by the P&ID and “its cohorts”, the government delegation’s trip to London (for the September 26 proceedings) was a successful one.

Apart from the $200m, the minister had said the government would be able to seek refund of the £250,000 it was asked to pay to P&ID if the appeal succeeded.

Describing the delegation’s mission as a huge success, the minister had said the firm had every reason to be worried that the $9.6bn arbitration awarded to it had a good chance of being overturned.

He said, “The Federal Government has a good chance of being successful in its impending appeal, otherwise the Commercial Court would not have allowed the appeal.

“Please note that Nigeria will be able to demand a refund of the 250,000 GBP payment to P&ID where the government wins on the appeal. This fact is being hidden by those who have been spinning the London judgment in their own favour.

“On the $200m payment as a condition for the granting of the stay of execution, Nigeria has instructed its lawyers to seek the leave of the Court of Appeal to appeal against that payment.

Justice Butcher of the London Commercial Court had ruled on August 16, 2019 that P&ID had the right to seize $9.6bn in Nigeria’s assets.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is currently meeting behind closed doors with the former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume.

The meeting started a few minutes past 1 pm at the vice president’s office.

The meeting may not be unconnected with the Senate’s decision to introduce an action to impose tax on communication services in the country.

The bill for an act to establish the Communication Service Tax was formally introduced on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday is being sponsored by Ndume.

The lawmaker from Borno State, had told newsmen after the first reading of the bill that the imposition of tax on communication service is a better way of distributing wealth in such a way that would not affect the ordinary people.

Ndume had explained that increasing VAT would have very deadly effect on the economy as it could affect the prices of goods and services and take them beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The Communication Service Tax Bill will be pegged at 9% of the charge for the use of communication services.

Ndume had informed reporters that he was going to meet with Osinbajo as head of the economic team to buy into the Communication Service Tax Bill.

The bill reads in part: “There shall be imposed, charged payable and collected a monthly Communication Service Tax to be levied on charges payable by a user of an electronic communication service other than private electronic communication services.”

The bill further stated that “the tax shall be levied on Electronic Communication Services supplied by Service Providers.”

“For the purpose of this clause, the supply of any form of recharges shall be considered as a charge for usage of Electronic Communication Service.”

Specifically, the bill provided that the “tax shall be levied on such Electronic Communication Services like voice calls, SMS, MMS, data usage both from Telecommunication Services Providers and Internet Service as well as pay-per-view TV stations.”

If the bill is passed, “The tax shall be paid together with the Electronic Communication Service charge payable to the service provider by the consumer of the service.

“The tax is due and payable on any supply of Electronic Communication Service within the time period specified under sub-clause (5) of whether or not the person making the supply is permitted or authorised to provide Electronic Communication Services.”

President Muhammadu Buhari, will on Tuesday, present the 2020 appropriation bill to a joint session of the National Assembly. The presentation, expected to happen at the House of Representatives wing of the National Assembly, will be presented by 2 PM.

Spokesman to the Senate, Adedayo Adeyeye made the revelation on Thursday while briefing Senate correspondents.

He said the budget will be passed into law on or before Christmas. He said the country will return to January-December budget circle.

Details later…

The National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole has hailed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the recent closure of land borders, urging that the momentum be sustained until neighbouring nations respect various trade protocols with Nigeria.

This is as the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali says the partial shutdown has led to one of its highest monthly revenue of N115 billion generated in September and N9.2 billion generated in one day.

He also said there has been a remarkable drop in the influx of bandits, arms, tramadol and other prohibited items.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Customs boss, Oshiomhole said the party has observed the positive changes the closure has had on the economy, charging various authorities to ensure Nigeria does not become a dumping ground for various substandard goods in its efforts to retain its title as the big brother of Africa.

He said the party was fully aware of what he termed an organized pressure to blackmail the Service to rescind its decision on border closure.

While urging the Customs boss not to succumb to such pressure, the APC Chairman said Nigeria’s national policy cannot be premised on cheap poisonous foods that are imported by Shylock Nigerian businessmen in cahoot with their counterparts overseas.

He said: “Today, we can see cancer, heart infections dand other diseases ravaging our people. These are the cause of it. Rice that have been abandoned in silos abroad are repackaged and brought here.

“If our president is changing our consumption pattern, then we should support that by producing what we consume.

“This is important so that we don’t export prosperity and import poverty into the country.

“Tariff policy enforcement is Customs duty and it’s a way of protecting the economy. We’re convinced that you’re doing well. We want to publicly identify with the bold steps of the Service

“We’ve always said we’re the big brother. But we cannot continue to celebrate our foreign policy that centres on African development that has made us a dumping ground. Things have changed. States should have control over their territory. America is saying America first. It’s building walls to protect its territory. China and others did the same. That is what we are doing.

“Having been victims of food poisoning via expired rice that came in through our borders, we cannot fold our arms and do nothing. consume.

“Besides, Mr President is determined to boost employment and welfare of the masses. They are his support base. Poor rural farmers who are the majority do not have any business subsidizing the food we eat. They are into business and they should survive. No more importing what we can produce here and create a glut and the farmers loses,” he said.

In his remarks, the Customs Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali described as the biggest challenge of the Service.

He said various attempts have been made to address the perennial menace which have yielded insufficient results.

He said: “We’ve done everything in terms of deployment and redeployment and using the little technologies we have bbut it has not worked.

“We felt we’ve been so nice with our neighbors and yet they find it hard to adhere to the transit goods protocol.

“We gave Benin Republic 10 Toyota hilux vehicles to help escort goods meant for Nigeria and deliver it at the Krake border. They complied for only a week and stopped.

“We’ve signed many MoU with them and none was followed through. We went to Benin for four days and adjusted the protocol and other agreements and yet we didn’t get the right results.

“The parboiled rice that lands in Benin Republic is meant for Nigeria. All francophone nations don’t eat it. They are now the third highest importer of parboiled rice and yet they’re just 12 million people.

“Worse still, 90% of imported rice are expired. It’s not good for consumption and its worsened by the means of smuggling. Using dirty boats, canoes, rickety vehicles and all that.

“We can’t continue to eat bad rice. The cost of producing our local rice is N15,000 a bag but how can they sell cheaper? Again, one bag of maize is N4,000 but one bag of fertilizer is N5,000, so how can they break even? This closure is expected to force Benin Republic and other to obey protocols we signed. Until we see genuine changes, this exercise will continue”, he said.

On the raid on car marts, Ali said about 90% of imported vehicles have either underpaid or totally evaded Customs duties, emphasizing that the exercise will be sustained.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has promised not to compromise his loyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigeria.

The pledge came amidst reports of a crack in the Presidency allegedly caused by recent changes.

The promise of the VP was contained in a magazine entitled, ‘This is Nigeria’ circulated on Tuesday night during the October 1, 2019 Independence Day Dinner held at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

The message titled ‘Uncompromised Loyalty’ was contained on page 15 of the Brands International Special Edition of the magazine, which is the official magazine for Buhari’s Next Level Agenda, 9th Assembly and One Nigeria.

The message said, “Vice President Yemi Osibajo celebrates with Nigerians on the 59th anniversary celebration, while pledging his loyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari. This day means everything to us as a people, because it is our day of freedom.

“Let me first congratulate my boss, President, Muhammadu Buhari; His Excellency and our national leader, Ahmed Bola Tinubu; First Lady and mother of the nation, Dr Aisha Muhammadu Buhari.

“Also, I celebrate every Nigerian out there on the street trying to make ends meet, not forgetting those who stand out in different areas of human endeavours, home and abroad.

“Fellow Nigerians, rest assured that President Muhammadu Buhari is totally committed to his promises and the Next Level Agenda. He is he best boss and I find it thrilling to serve Nigeria under him. It is only responsible of me to give my unwavering loyalty to President Buhari and Nigeria as I promise to stand by him, while contributing my quota at all times to the growth of Nigeria.”

“I call on all well-meaning Nigerians to queue behind President Buhari as he leads us to build a stronger, bigger and greater Nigeria.”

There had been reports that the recent replacement of the Economic Management Team headed by Osinbanjo with the Economic Advisory Council mandated to report directly to Buhari, had fuelled speculations about the division in the Presidency.

The joint National Assembly Committee on Finance and National Planning on Thursday submitted its report on the 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper to the Senate at plenary.

The report noted that the Federal Government did not capture the salaries of the 30, 000 personnel it is planning to recruit into the Army, Police, and other paramilitary agencies next year, in the documents.

Presenting the report, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Solomon Adeola, also said the joint panel recommended the adoption of $57per barrel as crude oil benchmark.

He also said it reduced borrowings with over N200 because of the expected revenue from the Nigerian Customs Service.

The report increased the proposed total estimated expenditure of the Federal Government from N10.002tn to N10,729.4tn.

The debate on the report is ongoing as of the time of filing this report

Policemen attached to Isolo division rescued seven stranded pregnant ladies between ages 13 and 27 years, at Cele bus-stop, along the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway, Lagos, in the early hours of Wednesday.

It was gathered that the ladies were on their way to the baby factory house in Ijegun, which was recently unconcerned by the police.

The expectant mothers, five of who were from Imo State and two from Abia and Rivers states, respectively, were said to have been instructed to wait at Cele bus-stop, from where a man would come and pick them to Ijegun.

However, on reaching Cele bus-stop on Monday night, they were unable to connect with the person that would pick them.

Their presence aroused suspicious, as some curious Lagosians contacted the police.

Explaining how they were rescued, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Elkana Bala, said: “On October 2, 2019, at about 1.00 a.m., Isolo Police Station received an Information that seven pregnant young girls were seen stranded at Cele Bus Stop along Oshodi- Apapa Express Way, Lagos.

A team of detectives led by the Divisional Police Officer Isolo, CSP Folorunsho Gabriel, mobilised to the area, where the seven pregnant girls were rescued to the station. A child of about two years was also rescued.

They were all handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation.

Recall that policemen at Isheri-Osun division uncovered a building used as a baby factory, along Ijegun/Ikotun Road, Lagos and rescued 19 pregnant ladies between ages 15 and 28. Arrested, were two women: Happiness Ukwuoma, 40 and Sherifat Ipeya 54.