Business

Court Orders Arrest Of Wike-led FCTA Director, 10 Others

Published

5 days ago

May 28, 2025

By Aliyu Galadima

An Abuja High Court has issued a bench warrant against the director of investigation and prosecution of the FCTA, Joseph Eriki, and 10 others.Justice Suleiman Belgore has issued an order to compel the director and others to appear before the court for a suit filed against them.

The Judge’s decision followed the application of the prosecuting counsel, David Kaswe, who lamented the failure of the efforts to ensure that the suspects appear in court.

Justice Suleiman Belgore of the High Court in Abuja has issued a warrant of arrest against Joseph Eriki, the director of investigation and prosecution of the Nyesom Wike-led Federal Capital Territory Administration ,FCTA, and 10 others.

The judge had issued the order to compel the appearance of Joseph Eriki and 10 others before the court, as they had been arraigned in a suit filed against them by the federal government.

The warrant was issued following an application by the prosecution counsel, David Kaswe, who stated that all efforts to ensure the suspects’ presence in court had failed. Kaswe informed the court that the prosecution had made several attempts to notify the suspects’ lawyers and sureties, but to no avail.

He cited Section 124 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act ,ACJA, which allows for the issuance of a bench warrant to compel attendance in court.

The court agreed to the application, issuing the warrant to ensure the suspects’ appearance for arraignment on a six-count charge. The charges against the suspects include criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass, forgery, and using a forged document as genuine.

They are also accused of using criminal force to deter a public servant from performing their duty. The suspects allegedly entered a plot of land belonging to Etha Ventures and constructed structures without authorisation, to defraud the company.

According to the prosecution, the suspects fraudulently obtained a consent judgment for the land, which was given to Super Structures Limited. The case has been adjourned until June 4 for arraignment.

The court’s decision to issue a bench warrant highlights the seriousness of the allegations and the need for the suspects to face trial. The suspects are facing a six-count charge, which was filed in February.

The court’s ruling emphasises the importance of a speedy trial and the need for the suspects to be held accountable for their actions.

With the bench warrant in place, the court is taking steps to ensure that the suspects appear in court and face the charges against them

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Business

FG To Sell 753 Housing Unit Estate Seized From Emefiele

Published

1 week ago

May 23, 2025

The Gleamer

…Experts back Dangote, BUA on cement price reduction for FG estates

By Yahaya Umar

Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has announced plans to sell the 753-unit housing estate confiscated from the embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria ,CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele.Disclosing this in a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said that the property was handed over by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ,EFCC, on Tuesday at the Ministry’s headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja.According to the ministry’s spokesman, Salisu Haiba, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, praised the EFCC for its sustained commitment to asset recovery and anti-corruption.“The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has taken delivery of the 753 Housing Units Abuja housing estate of former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission”, the statement said.“This marks a significant milestone in our collective determination to ensure that recovered assets are put to productive use in ways that directly benefit the Nigerian people. The housing estate recovered from the former Governor of the Central Bank is a case in point”.He announced that the Ministry, in collaboration with the EFCC, will undertake a joint familiarization tour to assess the current state of the estate.“We intend to carry out thorough integrity and structural assessments on all buildings and associated infrastructure to confirm their safety and suitability for habitation”, he explained.“The Ministry will offer the units for sale both to the public and for special government needs. For the public sale component, we will adopt a transparent and competitive process. This will include nationwide advertisement and the use of the Renewed Hope Portal, where interested Nigerians can submit their Expressions of Interest”, Mr Dangiwa added.Meanwhile, Economic experts have said the moves by the Chairman of BUA Cement Plc, Abdul Samad Rabiu and the Chairman of Dangote Cement Plc, Aliko Dangote to slash cement prices of Renewed Hope projects will reduce the cost of owning homes.The CEO of NorthCourt Real Estate, Ayo Ibatu, and the Industrial Goods Analyst, Vevita Capita Management, Abigail Alabi, said this in reaction to moves by cement manufacturers.Last week, Dangote and Rabiu announced after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu that they would freeze any cement price increase for all contractors engaged in projects under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope agenda.Dangote said, “We have decided that we are going to freeze the price of cement for any contractor that is involved with the Renewed Hope projects”.Similarly, Rabiu said, “There will be no increase for the foreseeable future. This is our contribution to support Mr President’s Renewed Hope Initiative”.Analysing the impact of the decision, the CEO of NorthCourt Real Estate, Ayo, said during an interview that the country faces an affordable housing challenge.Findings shows that the housing gap has grown to about 28 million.Ayo said, “They are committing as market leaders to take the heat despite circumstances that ordinarily“It is for a good course and it is restricted to Renewed Hope Estate contractors”.He argued that the deal needs monitoring to avoid abuse, which will discourage new entrants in the cement market.He said cement accounts for about 40% of building cost.“What this does is that it allows for long-term planning. We can do forward contracts and execute them quickly enough. We need to start seeing projects being done as a result of this commitment from market leaders.“The idea here is to aggregate these costs and then ensure that the funds saved are not held by the developers in terms of expanded profit margins but passed down to end users in terms of reduced pricing per unit of housing”.Industrial Goods Analyst at Vevita Capita Management, Alabi, said the development will affect the profit margins of cement makers.Abigail acknowledged that the decision of the cement producers will benefit Nigerians when it comes to the pricing of the affected projects.

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