Federal High Court Archives - Voice of Liberty NG

Court jails 3 for life over Oyo school kidnapping

July 24, 2026July 24, 2026 Aminu Imam

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three suspects linked to the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire local government area of Oyo State to life imprisonment. Justice Salim Ibrahim ordered that the life sentence should take effect from the date of the convicts’ arrest, according to reports. He handed down the sentence after convicting AbdulRazaq Umar (also known as Abu-Khalifa/Abu-Khalid), Yunusa Musa (Yunusa bin-Musa) and Shamsu Adamu Sani (Abu-Itisar) on charges connected to terrorism and the kidnapping incident. The defendants had earlier pleaded ‘guilty’ to some of…

Court orders INEC to de-register NDC, overturns earlier judgment

June 27, 2026June 27, 2026 Aminu Imam

…Party vows to appeal The Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, has set aside its earlier judgment that compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party. The latest ruling effectively reverses the legal basis upon which the NDC had been listed by INEC, throwing the party’s status into uncertainty and preventing it from operating as a recognised political party for now. Earlier this year, the NDC secured a Federal High Court judgement in Lokoja, Kogi State, in Suit…

Court again adjourns el-Rufa’i corruption trial

June 16, 2026June 16, 2026 Aminu Imam

…As ex-Chief of Staff secures ₦200m bail The trial of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, over alleged corruption and abuse of office suffered another setback yesterday, as a Federal High Court in Kaduna adjourned proceedings due to the absence of two co-defendants standing trial alongside him. The case, instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), centres on allegations of abuse of office, fraud and financial misconduct during el-Rufa’i’s tenure as governor. Prosecutors allege that public funds were released for projects that were either not…

Court voids ₦110bn SUVs, allowance schemes spending for NASS members

June 8, 2026June 8, 2026 Aminu Imam

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has declared unlawful the 10th National Assembly’s controversial ₦110 billion vehicle and allowance schemes, ruling that the spending of ₦40bn on 465 vehicles for lawmakers and ₦70bn in support allowances for newly elected members breached procurement laws, constitutional obligations, and the public trust. The court also ordered the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas “to ensure that all future procurements or expenditure of public funds by the National Assembly comply strictly with due process requirements and…

2027 Presidency: Court throws out suit seeking to stop Jonathan from contest

May 27, 2026May 27, 2026 Aminu Imam

A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit seeking to prevent former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting in the 2027 presidential election, affirming that he remains eligible to run for office based on earlier judicial pronouncements. In its ruling, the court held that previous judgments delivered by the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, and upheld by the Court of Appeal had already settled the issue regarding Jonathan’s constitutional eligibility to seek another term in office. The presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, dismissed the case for…

Court grants el-Rufa’i ₦100m bail, orders monthly DSS reporting

May 19, 2026May 19, 2026 Aminu Imam

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, in the sum of ₦100 million in his trial over alleged breach of national security. Justice Joyce AbdulMalik, while delivering ruling in a bail application yesterday, imposed a series of stringent conditions el-Rufa’i must meet before being released on bail. The ex-governor is to provide one surety in like sum. The court ordered that the surety must reside in either Maitama or Asokoro districts of Abuja, and must deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy…

Alleged cultural, religious violations: Court fixes May 18 for hearing in suit against Arewa24, NBC

April 6, 2026April 6, 2026 Aminu Imam

The Federal High Court in Kano has fixed May 18, 2026, for the hearing of a suit filed by the Islamic Research and Da’awa Foundation, Abuja, against Arewa24 Television and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over alleged violations of Islamic and Hausa cultural values. The Foundation is challenging the content of certain programmes aired by Arewa24, which it claims are inconsistent with Islamic teachings and the cultural norms of Hausa society. It also alleges breaches of the NBC Broadcasting Code, particularly in relation to decency and public morality. In the…

Alleged Fraud: El-Rufa’i remains in custody, as court adjourns bail request

March 25, 2026March 25, 2026 Aminu Imam

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, yesterday pleaded ‘not guilty’ to allegations of money laundering and conversion of public property, as a Federal High Court in Kaduna adjourned proceedings to March 31, 2026, for the hearing of his bail application and commencement of trial. El-Rufa’i, who was arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), is facing a 10-count charge bordering on alleged financial improprieties. However, his legal team maintained that he is directly linked to only one of the counts. The former governor was brought…

Tinubu seeks Senate approval to expand Federal High Court, reform A’Court operations

January 29, 2026January 29, 2026 Aminu Imam

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has written to the Senate seeking legislative approval to amend the Federal High Court Act and the Court of Appeal Act, proposing a significant expansion in the number of judges and wide-ranging reforms aimed at improving efficiency, reducing delays and modernising judicial processes. In separate letters read on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President requested an increase in the number of judges of the Federal High Court from 70 to 90, and an expansion of justices of the…

Court grants el-Rufai’s ex-aide, 3 others bail in ₦64.8m fraud case

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025 Aminu Imam

A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has granted bail to four individuals, (including Jimi Lawal, a senior advisor to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i), who were arraigned on fraud and money laundering charges. The defendants, who were arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other-Related Offences Commission, (ICPC) were accused of diverting ₦64.8 million in three tranches to the bank account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, where Lawal was believed to be the sole signatory. The other defendants are Lawal Adebisi, a former Senior Special Adviser to el-Rufa’i;…