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Alleged Forgery: Court Frees Fani-Kayode, Says He Has No Case To Answer

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The Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has acquitted and discharged a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, of the charge of medical forgery levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Olubumni Abike-Fadipe who freed the former minister while delivering ruling on the no case submission filed by his counsel held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against him.

The court upheld the no case-submission filed by his counsel, Norrison Quakers (SAN) and ruled that Fani-Kayode had no case to answer as the EFCC did not link him to the offence.

In her ruling, Justice Abike Fadipe said that the prosecution failed to present the defendant’s associates who collected money from him or the lawyer who claimed that the defendant had instructed his law firm to take the medical reports to the Federal High Court.

The judge said: “The extrajudicial statements which remain, and which are intended as evidence, cannot be used for any purpose other than to contradict the person who made the statement when he is in the witness box.

“I have carefully studied the evidence of the prosecution witnesses and I cannot find where the defendant committed the offences being alleged.“

The prosecution has failed to establish a prima facie case which would require the defendant to open his defence.

”The judge consequently acquitted and discharged the defendant on the alleged offences.

Speaking to journalist after his discharge, Fani-Kayode expressed gratitude and relief on the verdict, stating that he has been in and out of court for the past 18 years and he feels overjoyed that he is finally free.

Before the court, Fani-Kayode was facing 12 a count charge brought against him by the EFCC following his alleged use of forged medical report(s), which he tendered before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he was being prosecuted by the EFCC for an alleged N4.9billion fraud.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Femi Fani-Kayode, on or about the 11th day of October, 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, by fraudulently used a false document titled: Medical Report on Olufemi Fani-Kayode 60 Years/Male/Hosp.

No. 00345 DATED 11/10/2021 before the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division in charge No. FHC/L/251C/2016 which document you purported to have been issued by Kubwa General Hospital.

”Another count reads: “That you, Femi Fani-Kayode, on or about the 23rd day of March, 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently used a false document titled: To Whom It May Concern Re: Femi Fani-Kayode Male/60 Years Hospital.

No. 32145 Dated 23rd March 2021 before the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division in charge No. FHC/L/251C/2016 which document you purported to have been issued by Kubwa General Hospital.”

The EFCC noted that procuring and execution of documents by false pretence is contrary to section 369 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

During the trial, the management of Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja had denied admitting Femi Fani-Kayode as one of its patients.

Through its head of medical records, Bassey Amah, the hospital management told Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe that a medical report presented in court by the former minister was not issued by the hospital.

Amah who testified before the court as first prosecution witness in the case said that Fani-Kayode is not a patient and has no medical report in the hospital.

A second prosecution witness, Abidat Bukola told the court how the former Minister of Aviation, allegedly gave her N820,000 to procure 4 forged medical reports.

The witness testified that Fani-Kayode at different times paid her the sums of N120,000, N150,000, N250,000 and N300,000 for the forged medical reports.

She also claimed that the former minister dictated what the content of the medical reports should be.

The former minister, however, denied the allegations.

In December 2024, he filed a no case submission and urged the court to acquit him while submitting that the prosecution had failed to establish the charge against him.

Crime

BREAKING: Nnamdi Kanu Sacks All Lawyers, To Represent Himself

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The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has informed the Federal High Court in Abuja that he will personally conduct his defense in the ongoing terrorism case brought against him by the Federal Government.

This declaration came during Thursday’s proceedings, following the withdrawal of his legal team, led by senior advocate Kanu Agabi (SAN), alongside other Senior Advocates of Nigeria who had been representing him.

The courtroom was thrown into mild surprise when Mr. Kanu told Justice James Omotosho that he intended to take charge of his own defense, stating his decision to act as his own counsel moving forward.

Justice Omotosho, in response, offered to assign a court-appointed lawyer to assist him, but Mr. Kanu declined the offer, insisting that he would proceed without any legal representation.

The court subsequently adjourned to allow Mr. Kanu to prepare for his defense under the new arrangement.

Mr. Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest and extradition to Nigeria in 2021, faces multiple charges bordering on terrorism, treasonable felony, and incitement.

The self-proclaimed IPOB leader has consistently denied all allegations, maintaining that his movement’s agitation for the independence of Biafra is rooted in self-determination and not in violence or terrorism.

The case, which has drawn both national and international attention, is expected to resume in the coming weeks as Mr. Kanu opens his defense without a legal team.

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Indonesia to Repatriate British Grandmother on Death Row, Says Official

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Indonesia will sign an agreement on Tuesday to repatriate two British nationals convicted of drug-related crimes, including Lindsay Sandiford, a grandmother sentenced to death, according to a senior Indonesian government source.

“The practical arrangement will be signed today. The transfer will be done immediately after the technical side is agreed,” the official told AFP, naming Sandiford and Shahab Shahabadi, 35, as the individuals to be returned to the UK.

Sandiford was sentenced to death in 2013 after she was caught smuggling cocaine worth over $2.1 million into Bali from Thailand. The drugs were discovered concealed in a false bottom of her suitcase. Shahabadi, arrested in 2014, is currently serving a life sentence for separate drug offences.

Although the Indonesian source listed Sandiford’s age as 68, public records indicate she is 69.

A joint press conference with Indonesian officials and the British ambassador to Indonesia was scheduled for later Tuesday, according to the Coordinating Ministry for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Affairs.

Tabloid Attention and Personal Testimony

Sandiford’s case received widespread attention in the UK after she admitted to the offences but claimed she was coerced by a drug syndicate that threatened to kill her son. In a 2015 article published in The Mail on Sunday, Sandiford wrote from prison about her fear of imminent execution:

“My execution is imminent, and I know I might die at any time now. I could be taken tomorrow from my cell. I have started to write goodbye letters to members of my family.”

Originally from Redcar, in northeast England, she also wrote that she planned to sing the Perry Como hit “Magic Moments” before facing the firing squad.

During her time in prison, Sandiford reportedly became close friends with Andrew Chan, one of the “Bali Nine” Australian drug smugglers who was executed in 2015.

Policy Shift on Repatriation

The planned transfer follows recent moves by the Prabowo Subianto administration to repatriate foreign nationals serving harsh sentences for drug crimes. In December 2024, Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina who spent nearly 15 years on death row, was allowed to return home. In February 2025, Serge Atlaoui, a French national, was repatriated after 18 years on death row.

Indonesia, known for having some of the world’s strictest drug laws, last carried out executions in 2016, when three Nigerian citizens and an Indonesian were executed by firing squad. As of early November 2025, more than 90 foreign nationals remain on death row in the country, all for drug-related offences.

The British Embassy in Jakarta declined to comment, directing inquiries to the Indonesian government.

Indonesian authorities have recently signalled the potential resumption of executions, after nearly a decade-long de facto moratorium.

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Crime

Bauchi: Boy,17, plucks sister’s eyes for money ritual

The victim’s father told investigators that the suspect lured his daughter, who shares the same parents, into the bush, where he attacked her and forcefully plucked her eyes.

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Bauchi State Police Command, has arrested a teenager, Auwal Dahiru, aged 17, and five others for having forcefully plucked her sister’s eyes for money ritual.

His accomplishes are Mohammed Rabiu, aged 19; Saleh Ibrahim, aged 20; Nasiru Muhammad of Soro town, Ganjuwa LGA; Hassan Garba of Soro town, Ganjuwa LGA; and Garba Dahiru, aged 43, of Soro town.

The Command PPRO, CSP Mohammed Ahmed Wakil, in a statement made available to journalists in Bauchi on Monday, stated that Auwalu lured his seven-year-old sister to the bush, where her eyes were forcefully removed for ritual purposes.

The PPRO added that on 17 October 2025, at about 18:00 hours, one Muhammad Adamu of Bayan Dutse Village, Wailo, Kubi Ward, Ganjuwa LGA, Bauchi State, reported at the Soro Divisional Police Headquarters that on the same date at about 20:00 hours his daughter, Rukayya Muhammad, aged seven years, was attacked with the intention of killing her and an attempt was made to pluck out her eyes.

“Upon receipt of the report, a team of detectives led by CSP Aliyu Mohammad Goni, Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Soro Division, immediately dispatched to the scene, where the suspects were arrested.

At the same time, the victim was quickly evacuated to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, for medical treatment.”

A preliminary investigation’s findings revealed that the seven-year-old girl, Rukayya Muhammad, tragically lost her eyesight permanently after her elder brother allegedly removed both of her eyes in a money ritual, reportedly in a desperate attempt to gain wealth.

The victim’s father told investigators that the suspect lured his daughter, who shares the same parents, into the bush, where he attacked her and forcefully plucked her eyes.

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