A Kano State High Court has fixed April 15, 2025, for the hearing of all pending preliminary objections in the case of alleged bribery and misappropriation involving the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and six others.

The Kano State Government instituted an eight-count charge against the defendants, accusing them of bribery, misappropriation, and the diversion of public funds amounting to billions of naira.

The other defendants in the case include Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.

Court Proceedings
When the case came up for the hearing of pending applications on Thursday, the prosecution counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, told the court that he was ready to proceed.

“My Lord, we have filed a motion on notice, dated February 2 and served on February 5, seeking an extension of time to enable us to regularize our preliminary objection,” Adedipe said.

Counsel for Ganduje, his wife, and Umar, Mrs. Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, also indicated readiness to proceed with their defense.

However, some defense counsels requested more time to regularize their legal processes. Counsel for the 3rd and 7th defendants, Adekunle Taiye-Falola, said, “My Lord, we filed our application for an extension of time, dated December 12, 2024, to reply to our further and better affidavit on points of law. We need to regularize our processes.”

Similarly, counsel for the 5th defendant, Sunusi Musa, SAN, moved a motion on notice for an extension of time, dated and filed January 7, 2025. “Our motion is supported by a 10-paragraph affidavit and a written address. We urge the court to grant the application,” Musa stated.

While counsel for the 6th respondent, Abubakar Ahmed, informed the court that he had filed a preliminary objection dated September 9 and was ready to proceed, counsel for the 8th defendant, Ibrahim Aliyu-Nasarawa, requested additional time.

“My Lord, I am not ready to move my application. I intend to file and reply on points of law,” Aliyu-Nasarawa told the court.

Court’s Decision
After listening to the submissions, the presiding judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, granted all the applications for an extension of time and adjourned the matter until April 15, 2025.

“The case is hereby adjourned to April 15, 2025, for the hearing of all pending preliminary objections,” Justice Adamu-Aliyu ruled.

The case, which has drawn significant public attention, is expected to proceed with the hearing of objections before moving to the substantive trial.(Channels)

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to lowering the cost of food commodities through massive investments in agricultural production.

Idris stated this in Abuja on Tuesday at a press briefing to kick-start the Ministerial Briefing Session for 2025.

He emphasized that while the government will not impose price controls on food commodities, in line with the principles of a free-market economy, it remains focused on reducing prices by boosting agricultural production and increasing supply.

“In the past, we used to have these commodity boards where prices were fixed but in the spirit of free market and encouraging entrepreneurship, especially within the agricultural value chain, government didn’t feel that it was necessary for them to begin to control prices. Now, what government is doing is to ensure that there is massive production of food items and it’s a supply and demand issue. Once you have whatever you need in abundance, the tendency is that the price will automatically come down,” he said.

While speaking on the successes in the security sector, Idris said in 2024, the security forces neutralized more than 8,000 terrorists and bandits, and arrested 11,600 others, with more than 10,000 weapons recovered.

He stated that with the government’s sustained efforts against terrorists and bandits, the nation’s highways are becoming increasingly safer.

“While we still have a lot of work ahead, our highways have grown safer. The hitherto notorious Abuja-Kaduna highway is one example. As I said, there’s still much more to be done, and we will not relent in our effort.

“Additionally, about 8,000 kidnap victims were successfully rescued. We will continue to work to drive down the number of victims while scaling up our success stories in terms of deterrence, crime-solving, and prosecutions,” he said.

The Minister added that, following their designation as a terrorist organization by a Federal High Court, security forces are now empowered to apply maximum force against the Lakurawa armed group.

On the economy, Idris stated that the Federal Government’s reforms are delivering significant results across key sectors, particularly with the removal of fuel subsidy, which has successfully plugged leakages amounting to hundreds of billions of Naira annually.

He said the introduction of the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) in December 2023 has enhanced transparency in foreign exchange transactions and facilitated the clearance of billions of dollars in backlogs, and restored investor confidence to the country.

“Last week, the Naira reached an eight-month high in the official market, while foreign capital inflow into the Nigerian Stock Exchange rose from 4% in mid-2023 to an average of 16% by the end of 2024,” he said.

Additionally, he said, in 2024, Nigeria emerged as the most attractive destination for oil and gas investments in Africa, securing over $5 billion in Final Investment Decisions (FIDs).

The Minister described 2025 as a year of consolidation, building on the progress made in the first 19 months of the Tinubu administration as it approaches its mid-term.

“Over the next three months, as we approach the second anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Administration, we will bring Honorable Ministers to this platform, on a weekly basis.

“This year 2025 is a year of consolidation, a year for building on the gains we have seen in the first 19 months of the administration. This maiden edition for 2025 is an opportunity to remind us of these gains, and to set the context in which these gains are being recorded, as we proceed into the mid-point of this administration,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu congratulates Bishop Francis Wale Oke on his re-election as the national president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).

Bishop Oke is a respected religious leader and author. He is the presiding bishop of Sword of the Spirit Ministries International, which he founded in 1983. He is also the Chancellor of Precious Cornerstone University (PCU).

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria re-elected him at the 18th Biennial National Conference in Abuja.

President Tinubu also congratulates the Christian faithful and commends Bishop Oke for his consistent effort in promoting religious harmony and national renaissance, as demonstrated in his ‘Nigeria Turning Point Prayer Movement’.

The President describes the renowned clergyman as a man of fine character, principle, and faith and encourages him to continue using the pulpit to teach the good gospel of love, kindness, and peace as embodied by Jesus Christ.

President Tinubu prays for the bishop’s fresh anointing as he continues his leadership role in the Lord’s vineyard