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Court Orders Temporary Forfeiture Of Diezani’s N325m Land In Lekki To FG

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Justice Babs Kuewumi of the Federal High Court, Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of a landed property linked to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources , Mrs. Deziani Alison Madueke and valued at N325 million the Federal Government.

The court granted the temporary forfeiture order, after listening to the Motion Ex-parte filed and argued by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC,) Anselm. Ozioko.

The vacant plot of land said to be at Plot 13, Block 11, Oniru Chieftaincy Family Private Estate, Lekki, Lagos .

Other joined as respondents in the suit are, Mr Donald Chidi Amangbo and Mez Group Limited.

In the Motion Ex-parte marked suit number FHC/L/CS/811/18, the commission is seeking for an interim order of the court forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria the assets and properties named and described in the schedule to the application which properties and assets are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.

The EFCC also seeking an order authorising the commission to appoint a competent person (s) or firm to manage the assets named and described in the scheduled to the application.

In the 27 paragraphs affidavit deposed to by one Abdulrasheed Bawa an detective of the EFCC and filed before the court, it was averred that sometime in 2016 a search warrant was executed at the office and premises of one Mr. Donald Chidi Amamgbo, SAN, a known acquantance of the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deziani Alison Madueke.

The commIssion said that during the search, some of the documents recovered from Amamgbo’s office was an undated report titled ” Highly Confidential Attorney Work Product- August Report”.

EFCC said the report contained a list of 18 companies and several properties located in United Kingdom, Nigeria and United States of America.

It was also averred that in the course of his interview, Amamgbo told the anti-graft agency that he registered the 18 companies to assist Mrs Deziani Alison Madueke in holding titles of her properties and that all belongs to her.

The anti-graft agency added that among the properties on the list is ; A vacant plot of land at Plot 13 Block 11, Oniru Chieftaincy Family Private Estate, Lekki, Lagos under the name of Mez Group LCC as the holiding entity.

After listening to argument by counsel to EFCC, Justice Kuewumi granted the application for interim forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Justice Kweuwumi further ruled that the order must be published in a national newspaper for anybody who have interest in the property sought to be forfeited to come forward and show cause why the property should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, July 24 has been fixed for the return date.

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80% of buildings in Lekki have no government approval, says commissioner

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Oluyinka Olumide, commissioner for physical planning and urban development in Lagos, says 80 percent of buildings in the Ibeju Lekki-Epe corridor have no government approval.

The Lagos government has been facing backlash for the demolition of buildings and shanties across the state.

Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for environment in Lagos, has repeatedly said the demolished structures were erected in contravention of the city’s masterplan, were never approved by the relevant agencies, and occluded drainage channels.

In an interview with journalists, Olumide said despite the rigorous procedures involved in securing government approval, property developers and owners are still circumventing due process.

“Just last Thursday and Friday, my team and I were in the Ibeju Lekki and Epe axis and you would agree that anybody passing through that corridor would see a lot of estates marked,” he said.

“We went there, and I can tell you that from what we saw, over 80 percent of them do not have approval.

“The procedure to get approval is first to get the planning information, as to what those areas have been zoned for. In this case, what we have is agricultural land, and people now go to their families to buy agricultural land.

“Of course, those lands would be sold because those families do not know the use such land would be put to.

“The next thing to do is the fence permit. If you missed the earlier information on not knowing the area zoning, at the point of getting the fence permit, you would be able to detect what the area is zoned for. After that, the layout permits a large expanse of land.

“So, you can see all these layers. But people still go ahead to start advertising. Some have even gone to the extent of displaying the sizes they want to sell. Imagine someone in the diaspora who wants to send money without any knowledge.

“Then, no approval is eventually gotten. Even if they pass the assignment and the survey to them, we would not grant the individual permit, because that area is not zoned for that purpose.”

On Sunday, Wahab said owners of recently demolished property in Maryland had been served notices since 2021.

“We are not just doing demolitions. The law allows us to remove encumbrances on the right of way of the drainage channels,” Wahab said on Channels Television.

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Lagos state government to demolish 100 shanties at Adeniji Adele, asks occupants to leave

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The Lagos government says it will undertake an enforcement action to remove over 100 shanties at the Adeniji Adele under-bridge area of the state.

In a statement posted on his X handle on Sunday, Tokunbo Wahab, Lagos commissioner for environment and water resources, said the decision to remove the shanties follows the expiration of a 48-hour notice given to the occupants to vacate the area.

He said operatives of the kick against indiscipline (KAI) and officials from the monitoring enforcement and compliance (MEC) department of the ministry would be given security backup to carry out the operation.

“This exercise is part of the avowed commitment of the present administration under Mr @jidesanwoolu to reclaim all ungoverned spaces that dot the Lagos landscape,” the statement reads.

“Unsightly shanties which are located in the heart of Lagos Island represent a distorted image of what a smart city like Lagos should be.

“Apart from the unsanitary conditions of residents in the shanties, it also serves as a hiding place for criminals and points for peddling hard drugs and substances which is injurious to the wellbeing of law-abiding residents.

“Therefore, I advise all the occupants of the shanties in their interest, to voluntarily move out with their belongings before the commencement of the enforcement operations on Monday.”

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Appeal court voids law prohibiting unmarried police officers from getting pregnant

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The court of appeal in Lagos has voided the regulations 126 and 127 of the Nigeria Police Act which allow the dismissal of unmarried policewomen who become pregnant while in service.

A three-member panel of justices led by Olubunmi Oyewole ordered the respondents in the suit – attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) – to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire police regulations to ensure that they align with the demands of a modern society operating under the rule of law.

“It is unthinkable that the Nigerian Police of this day and age operates on the principle that female officers need to be specially moderated and regulated while their male counterparts are free,” Oyewole held.

“This is unacceptable in a decent and democratic society governed by the rule of law.

“The argument that the deprivation involved was consented to by prospective female police officers who cannot subsequently complain in the face of the constitutional provisions expressly granting them the rights involved as citizens of this country.

“The rights given go beyond those for the personal benefit of the individuals involved as could be waived by them. They are public rights which accord with the demands of a fair, equitable and humane society.

“These are standards and values demanded of modern nations and which are outside the purview of any individual to waive.

“I, therefore, hold that the said regulations 126 and 127 are inconsistent with the provisions of section 37 and 42 of the Constitution and are therefore null and void to the extent of their inconsistency pursuant to section 1 (3) of the Constitution.

“The Respondents are advised to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire police regulations to ensure that they accord with the demands of a modern society operating under the rule of law.

“I accordingly resolve the two issues in favour of the Appellant and against the Respondents.

“This appeal is meritorious, and it is hereby allowed. Consequently, the decision of the lower court in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/178/2021 delivered on the 21st of February 2022 is hereby set aside.

“Instead, the questions for determination in the said suit are answered in the affirmative while the reliefs sought therein are granted as prayed. Parties shall bear their respective costs.”

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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