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• November 6, 2025
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Complainant instigated five different charges against me – Human rights lawyer tells court

A human rights activist, Barrister Victor Giwa, has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court that Asabe Waziri, a nominal complainant in a property dispute case, instigated the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, through the Director of Public Prosecution and the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, to file five different charges against
Complainant instigated five different charges against me – Human rights lawyer tells court

A human rights activist, Barrister Victor Giwa, has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court that Asabe Waziri, a nominal complainant in a property dispute case, instigated the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, through the Director of Public Prosecution and the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, to file five different charges against him.

Representing himself in a case of unlawful eviction before Justice Samira Bature, Giwa said the nominal complainant wants to secure an arrest warrant against him and circulate same in the media.

Speaking during proceedings in court on Wednesday, Giwa said, “I am raising a fundamental issue in this matter, which is the jurisdiction of this court to take this matter. My lord, it is important to determine the jurisdiction of this court to hear this matter before proceeding.

“It is important to say that the nominal complainant (Asabe Waziri) in this case has the agenda of ensuring that she pushes the prosecution to ask for a bench warrant against the defendants.”

Giwa further informed the judge that he had already filed a motion on notice challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case.

The AGF was not represented in court as the prosecution counsel was absent.

Due to the prosecution’s absence, Giwa told the court to strike out the charge, saying the defendants in the matter were not notified via a letter that the prosecuting counsel will not be in court.
He argued that the absence shows lack of diligent prosecution of the case.

But the judge, in a short ruling, said the prosecution should be given another opportunity to appear in court on the next adjourned date.

Giwa urged the court to determine the issue of jurisdiction on the next adjourned date.

“We are objecting to the letter to the court by the prosecution asking for adjournment on the ground that we were not served with a copy.

“At the last adjourned date, my Lord said she will not accommodate future excuses from parties in this case. We have a motion challenging the jurisdiction of this court to hear this matter. We want the court to take our motion first at the next adjourned date.

“I will be appealing to the court to take, our application first so that the prosecution will not be prejudiced,” he said.

Justice Bature adjourned the case to February 3, 2026, for the defendant to argue his motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court.

The AGF had sued the defendants, Cecil Osakwe, Victor Giwa and Inspector Edith Erhunmuuse, over an allegation of unlawful eviction.

Complainant instigated five different charges against me – Human rights lawyer tells court

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• November 6, 2025
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EFCC dock oil firm boss for alleged N1.02bn forex scam in Kaduna

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kaduna Zonal Office, on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, arraigned one Captain Nuhu Haruna before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court over an alleged foreign exchange fraud totaling ₦1.02 billion. Haruna, a managing director of Maphutha Oil & Gas Limited, was arraigned on a two-count charge
EFCC dock oil firm boss for alleged N1.02bn forex scam in Kaduna

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kaduna Zonal Office, on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, arraigned one Captain Nuhu Haruna before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court over an alleged foreign exchange fraud totaling ₦1.02 billion.

Haruna, a managing director of Maphutha Oil & Gas Limited, was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretence and advance fee fraud.

According to the EFCC, Haruna defrauded one Alhaji Sheriff Zailani Shanono of ₦782.3 million in December 2023 and another ₦125 million in January 2024 after claiming he could provide the dollar equivalent of the sums.

One of the charges reads:

“That you, Nuhu Haruna (M), with NIN 45666600264, while being the Managing Director of Maphutha Oil & Gas Limited, sometime in December 2023 at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, obtained the total sum of ₦782,300,000 (Seven Hundred and Eighty-Two Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira only) from one Alhaji Sheriff Zailani Shanono, when you claimed to be capable of providing him with the equivalent in United States Dollars and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

A second count details a similar transaction involving ₦125 million in January 2024.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to both counts. Prosecution counsel M.E. Eimonye requested a trial date, while defence counsel M.T. Mohammed informed the court of an existing bail application.

Justice Khobo adjourned the matter until November 19, 2025, for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that Haruna be remanded in a Correctional Centre pending further proceedings.

Investigations revealed that the defendant allegedly received a total of ₦1.02 billion from Shanono, purportedly to exchange for $1 million in two instalments of $600,000 and $400,000. After the payment, Haruna reportedly provided fake evidence of dollar transfers into a foreign account, which turned out to be fraudulent as no such funds were received.

EFCC dock oil firm boss for alleged N1.02bn forex scam in Kaduna

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• November 6, 2025
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Nnamdi Kanu: AVID condemns ‘judicial travesty’, says justice on trial

The American Veterans of Igbo Descent, AVID, an association of retired and serving United States military personnel of Igbo origin, has condemned what it described as “judicial travesty” in the ongoing trial of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu. AVID, in a statement released on Thursday, declared that justice is on
Nnamdi Kanu: AVID condemns ‘judicial travesty’, says justice on trial

The American Veterans of Igbo Descent, AVID, an association of retired and serving United States military personnel of Igbo origin, has condemned what it described as “judicial travesty” in the ongoing trial of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

AVID, in a statement released on Thursday, declared that justice is on trial in the prosecution of the Biafra agitator.

The group’s reaction followed the ultimatum issued to Kanu to enter his defence, or waive the right to do so, by the Abuja Federal High Court presided by Justice James Omotosho.

Kanu had refused to enter a defence, insisting that the Nigerian government has no case against him. However, during Wednesday’s proceedings, the judge gave the IPOB an ultimatum to either enter his defence, or waive the right.

In a statement signed by its President, Chief Dr Sylvester Onyia, and made available to journalists in Umuahia, AVID declared that Kanu’s trial lacks legitimacy because he is being prosecuted without a valid law.

Kanu and his defence team are arguing that the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013, under which he was charged, had been repealed by the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition Act) 2022.

Parts of the statement read, “The American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) expresses grave concern and total condemnation of the continuing judicial travesty unfolding before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in the trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

“Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) is clear under Section 36(12) that no person shall be tried for any criminal offence unless that offence and its penalty are defined in a written law. This is a non-derogable constitutional safeguard, a cornerstone of due process, and a measure of any civilised nation’s commitment to justice.

“Yet, before the world and under Justice Omotosho’s watch, the Nigerian state persists in trying Mazi Nnamdi Kanu under a dead law — the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013 — which ceased to exist upon the enactment of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

“Justice Omotosho, contrary to the mandatory duty of judicial notice under Section 122(2)(a) of the Evidence Act, has refused to acknowledge this repeal. This is not a mere oversight; it is a judicial dereliction of constitutional duty.

“Justice Omotosho’s posture of ‘wait till judgment’ on questions of jurisdiction, double jeopardy, and validity of charge is the opposite of established precedents of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“Jurisdictional defects strike at the root of a case and must be determined forthwith, not deferred. No court, no matter how highly placed, can arrogate to itself jurisdiction it does not possess. The Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition Act) 2022, specifically Section 76 (1)(d)(iii) demands that for any terrorism committed abroad such a act must also constitute an offence in the jurisdiction of the alleged occurrence — in this case, Kenya, where Mazy Nnamdi Kanu was abducted. This double criminality requirement has not been met, yet the judge insists on proceeding, this nullifying the moral and legal foundation of the entire trial.”

AVID expressed concern that Nigeria’s judicial institutions and lawyers have refused to condemn what it described as injustice and lack of fair hearing in Kanu’s trial.

“It is appalling that in the face of such manifest constitutional infidelity, Nigeria’s legal institutions — the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the National Judicial Council (NJC), and so-called legal analysts — have chosen cowardly silence. A nation whose lawyers fear to ask, ‘Under what law is this man being tried?’ has surrendered its conscience to tyranny.

“From the denial of access to lawyers and family in DSS custody to the judicial disregard of documentary evidence before the court, every element of a fair hearing has been destroyed in Justice Omotosho’s court,” the statement added.

Further faulting the trial, AVID noted that when Kanu, in court, asked for a five-minute recess in the judge’s chambers, he was rebuffed. “When he (Kanu) raised the profound constitutional question — ‘Under what law am I being tried?’ — Justice Omotosho retorted, ‘Wait till judgment.’ That a sitting Federal High Court judge can preside over a criminal trial without identifying a subsisting law is the ultimate indictment of Nigeria’s judicial decay.”

“The trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in its present form, is not just a constitutional aberration but an affront to international human rights standards on fair trial and rule of law,” AVID declared, adding that Nigeria must choose between law and lawlessness.

AVID added that if Nigeria still claims to be a constitutional democracy, the government must immediately “halt the charade, restore the rule of law and release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally”.

The group in the same vein called on the United Nations Human Rights Council, the United States Department of State, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Criminal Court to monitor and document “ongoing judicial abuses in Nigeria”.

Nnamdi Kanu: AVID condemns ‘judicial travesty’, says justice on trial

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31 US lawmakers praise Trump for reinstating Nigeria’s religious freedom watchlist status

Thirty-one members of the United States Congress have commended President Donald Trump for reinstating Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), a status assigned to nations accused of severe violations of religious freedom. The lawmakers described Trump’s decision as a “bold and moral step” to confront what they termed a growing Christian genocide
31 US lawmakers praise Trump for reinstating Nigeria’s religious freedom watchlist status

Thirty-one members of the United States Congress have commended President Donald Trump for reinstating Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), a status assigned to nations accused of severe violations of religious freedom.

The lawmakers described Trump’s decision as a “bold and moral step” to confront what they termed a growing Christian genocide in Africa’s most populous nation.

The commendation was contained in a joint statement issued on Tuesday by Rep. Robert Aderholt, Chairman of the House Values Action Team, and made available to journalists on Thursday.

In the statement, Aderholt said the move rekindled hope among Nigeria’s Christian population and reaffirmed America’s global commitment to defending freedom of worship.

“President Trump’s commitment to ending the Christian genocide in Nigeria and his decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern gives hope to the people of Nigeria,” he stated.

He added that terrorist groups in Nigeria had killed thousands of Christians annually, stressing that the United States “must lead the charge” in confronting such violence and protecting vulnerable religious communities.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer hailed Trump’s stance, describing him as “a leader unafraid to defend people of faith.”

“God bless President Trump for standing up and protecting Christians around the globe. The United States finally has a leader unafraid to do what’s right,” Emmer said.

Republican Party Chair Lisa McClain also described the situation in Nigeria as “a moral outrage and a crime against humanity,” while Representatives Josh Brecheen, Mary Miller, and Mark Alford expressed support for tougher sanctions and increased U.S. pressure on those behind religious attacks.

Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Rep. Chris Smith, said the move restored a 2020 designation that was “wrongly lifted by the Biden administration.”

“This action is a powerful step in holding the Nigerian government accountable for its complicity in the unchecked murder, rape, and torture of Christians,” Smith said.

Other lawmakers, including Don Bacon, Andy Biggs, Gus Bilirakis, and Tim Walberg, echoed similar sentiments, urging the White House to deploy “every diplomatic and strategic tool” to protect Nigerian Christians and ensure accountability.

Last Friday, President Trump announced the CPC redesignation on his Truth Social platform, saying that Christianity faced an “existential threat” in Nigeria.

“Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’” Trump wrote.

He warned that Washington would not “stand by while such atrocities are happening” and vowed that his administration would “stand ready, willing, and able to defend Christian populations around the world.”

Rep. Riley Moore, one of the lawmakers who first raised the issue in Congress, said Trump’s decision reflected “true leadership and moral clarity.”

“We can no longer turn a blind eye to the bloodshed of our brothers and sisters in Christ. This horrible persecution will end thanks to President Trump,” Moore added.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has consistently rejected Washington’s claims of religious persecution, insisting that religion is not a factor in the country’s security challenges.

Recall that Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday that the U.S. position stemmed from “misrepresentation and misinformation” about Nigeria’s internal security dynamics.

“Our security issues are driven by banditry, insurgency, and socio-economic factors, not religion,” Idris clarified.

President Bola Tinubu had earlier reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom, stating that the country remains a constitutional democracy guided by guarantees of liberty and equality for all faiths.

“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. Since 2023, our administration has maintained open engagement with both Christian and Muslim leaders while tackling security challenges that affect citizens across faiths and regions.”

He added that portraying Nigeria as religiously intolerant “does not reflect our national reality,” stating that tolerance and peaceful coexistence “remain central to the Nigerian identity.”

31 US lawmakers praise Trump for reinstating Nigeria’s religious freedom watchlist status