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By Jonathan Okpanachi An Abuja Federal High Court has ordered famous Anambra cleric and founder of Living Christ Mission, Rev Onokogu Hezekiah (Daddy Hezekiah), to pay N10m damages to Polaris Bank manager, Hezekiah Duru, for violating his fundamental human rights. The cleric had filed a petition against Duru, accusing him of financial misappropriation and breach of trust, which led to Duru’s arrest and detention by the police. Nonetheless, Justice D. Okorowo ruled against Daddy Hezekiah and the Nigeria Police Force. The judge ruled that the arrest and detention of Duru was a violation of his fundamental human rights, especially since…

By Hadiza Suleman The Appeal Court, Abuja division, Thursday, nullified the expulsion of a former speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, Mr Martin Amaewhule, and 24 other lawmakers from the Assembly. Recall that the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, in May, barred the lawmakers from parading themselves as members of the state House of Assembly after their defection from the PDP to the APC. The hitherto sacked lawmakers are pro-former Governor Nyesom Wike. Wike lost love with Governor Siminalayi Fubara over the control of the political structure in the oil-rich state, hence the ensuing political fights. Three…

By Johnson Nwankwo The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said it will make public Igbo politicians sabotaging the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention. Kanu is the IPOB leader, and has been in the custody of the Department of State Services in Abuja since 2021 after being renditioned from Kenya to Nigeria by Nigeria's secret police. He is charged with terrorism. South-East Governors' Forum held a meeting in Enugu and resolved to meet President Bola Tinubu for political solutions to Kanu's case. Some senators of the region reportedly met with the attorney general of the federal for the…

By Johnson Nwankwo ActionAid Nigeria has thanked the government for exempting small businesses, manufacturers, and farmers from withholding tax. The agency therefore said the policy acknowledged the critical role of local industries and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in driving economic growth and development. The ActionAid stated this in a statement on Wednesday. It however warned about the looming hunger crisis and pervasive insecurity in Nigeria, saying the government should be held accountable for its inaction. The statement read: “The continuous interest rate hike by the Central Bank of Nigeria, aimed at curbing inflation, has unfortunately not yielded the desired…

By Johnson Nwankwo The Court of Appeal, Abuja, has fixed Thursday, July 4, to deliver judgment on the appeal filed by 25 defected Rivers Assembly pro-Wike lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule against the ruling of a state High Court restraining them from parading themselves as members of the Assembly. A three-man panel of the appeal court, headed by Justice Jimi Olukayode Bada, on June 20, reserved judgment in the suit after the adoption of briefs and conclusion of defence in the proceeding conducted virtually. Recall that Justice Charles N. Wali, the presiding judge of the Rivers State High Court, had…

By Johnson Nwankwo Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, has signed four bills into law, saying they were part of his administration’s effort to make the state the number one in Ease of Doing Business and preferred destination for investment, business, tourism, and living. They are the Enugu State Properties Protection Law, to checkmate the activities of land grabbers; Enugu State Ranch Management Law to stem the tide of open grazing and attract both local and foreign investment in the livestock industry; the Enugu State Sports Development Fund Law to reposition the sports sector as a major source of…