NEWS
Court Adjourns Trial Of Renowned Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Anu
The Federal High Court in Lagos postponed the adoption of written addresses in the trial of surgeon Anuoluwapo Adepoju, charged with evading investigation into a failed plastic surgery.
The scheduled adoption, set for Tuesday, was adjourned to November 20.
Recall that the defendant, surgeon Anuoluwapo Adepoju, faces charges from the Federal Competition and Consumers Protection Commission (FCCPC).
Alongside her clinic, MedContour Services Ltd, she is on trial for five counts related to refusal to cooperate with an investigation into post-body surgery complications and failure to produce required investigation documents.
The re-arraignment took place on July 17, 2020, before Justice Mohammed Liman.
She entered a plea of not guilty and was granted bail on self-recognizance. Despite Justice Liman’s transfer from the Lagos division, he continues to preside over the case through a fiat. The trial is underway, and the FCCPC has already concluded presenting its case.
The defense on its part submitted a no-case argument, contending that the prosecution failed to establish a case necessitating the defendant to present a defense.
However, Justice Liman, in a ruling on April 7, 2022, dismissed the no-case submission by the defendant.
Justice Liman ruled that the presented evidence sufficiently meets the elements of the criminal charges against the defendant. Subsequently, the court instructed the defense to begin presenting its case.
The case experienced multiple adjournments for various reasons. On May 5 of this year, the defense initiated its case, calling the defendant as the sole witness.
Following examination and cross-examination, the court adjourned proceedings until June 21 for the adoption of written addresses.
However, the court did not sit on June 21, leading to subsequent adjournments to July 17 and then to the present date, October 24. The next hearing is scheduled for November 20.
The prosecution, in the five-count charge against the defendants, alleges that the first defendant, surgeon Anuoluwapo Adepoju, did not appear before the FCCPC concerning an investigation into a reported failed plastic surgery.
The accusation states that the defendant failed to comply with the commission’s summons dated April 15, 2020.
The prosecution further contends that, without valid justification, the first defendant refused and neglected to furnish documents as mandated by the commission’s investigation notice dated April 14, 2020.
The accusation includes that the defendant obstructed and impeded the commission from conducting its inquiry into the reported matter. These alleged offenses contravene sections 11(1)(a), 33(1)(a), 110, 113(1)(a), and 159(4) of the FCCPC Act, 2018.
NEWS
Moghalu Prescribes Good Governance As Panacea To Ethnic Agitation
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
ALSO READ: Finnish Police Arrest Simon Ekpa Over Terror-Related Allegations
The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
NEWS
N1.7trn Loan: Atiku Blames NASS For Worsening Nigeria’s Debt Burden
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
International News
ICC Issues Arrest Warrants For Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Others
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
READ MORE: Osun Govt Decries Attempted Murder Of Park Mgt Chairman By Police
The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.