FALANA vs ZINOX, 12 OTHERS: Again, Attorney General withdraws Fiat from Falana

For the second time, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice has withdrawn the fiat donated to Femi Falana SAN, purporting to prosecute a case against Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman of Zinox Technologies, and 12 others.

The case which has dragged for many years arose from a transaction about 13 years ago between Citadel Oracle Concept Limited, an Ibadan-based computer firm owned by an Enugu state indigene, Mr. Benjamin Joseph, and Technology Distributions Limited over the supply of computers to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), a project in which Technology Distributions fully extended credit to Citadel and which has no bearing whatsoever with Zinox and its promoter, Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh.

In the latest development, the current AGF, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi SAN, in a letter dated 2nd May 2025, addressed to The Principal Partner, Falana and Falana Chambers, and signed by Mr. M.B Abubakar, Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federation, directed Falana to withdraw Charge No: FCT/HC/CR/985/2024 (FRN. v. Leo Stan and 12 others), in the interest of justice;  signifying that the fiat ought not to have been donated to him in the first place.

The letter titled: Withdrawal of Authorization Under Section 174 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as Amended, reads: “I am directed to write in reference to the above caption and to inform you that the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in exercise of the power conferred upon him by section 174 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended and section 106 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, has withdrawn the fiat earlier granted to you dated 20th December 2023 to prosecute the case mentioned below at the expense of the nominal complainant Mr. Joseph Benjamin: FRG V. Chris Eze Ozims and 6 others, Charge No: CR/827/2013.

“You are accordingly, requested to withdraw Charge No; FCT/HC/CR/985/2024 between FRN v. Leo Stan Ekeh and 12 others in the interest of justice.”

The Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federation, conveyed the message of the withdrawal to the chamber of Matthew Burkka & Co., chief counsel to the defendants via a letter dated 6th May, 2025. The letter read inter alia: “You may wish to refer to the above-mentioned subject matter and be informed that the office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation is in receipt of your letters dated 24th December, 2024; 27th March 2025 and 10th April 2025 respectively, requesting for the withdrawal of the fiat donated to Messrs. Femi Falana SAN dated  20th December 2023.

“I am to inform you that after a consideration of your request, the facts and circumstances of the case, the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation has withdrawn the fiat donated to Messrs. Femi Falana SAN, dated 20th December 2023 vide a letter dated 2nd May, 2025.”

It would be recalled that the former AGF and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN, had in a letter dated 28 October 2022, withdrawn a similar fiat that was donated to Femi Falana, upon his own application, on the same set of facts and allegations. Based on the withdrawal, the charges filed by Falana, pursuant to the Fiat were struck out by two justices of the FCT High Court, Abuja (Honourable Justice Christopher O. Oba, and Honourable Justice Ade. S. Adepoju)
However, upon the appointment of the current AGF and Minister of Justice, Femi Falana, again applied and got a Fiat with which he filed a new case: Charge No: FCT/HC/CR/985/2024 between FRN.v. Leo Stan and 12 others, still on the same set of facts and allegations. But upon a further review of the file at the Ministry of Justice, the AGF and Minister of Justice came to the conclusion that “in the interest of justice” the Fiat and the Charges filed pursuant to it should be withdrawn.
Recall that this case and its adjunct suits had been dismissed three times by three different courts. The latest dismissal was on 20th March 2025 by Justice Akpan Okon Ebong of the FCT High Court who struck out the case filed by Mr. Femi Falana SAN, against the Chairman of Zinox Technologies, Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, and 12 others, based on the Fiat (that has now been withdrawn from him.)
The other defendants are Mr. Chris Eze Ozims, Oyebode Folashade, Charles Adigwe, Obilo Onuoha, Agartha Ukoha, Anya O. Anya, Femi Dosumu, Nnenna Kalu, Admas Digital Technologies Limited, Technology Distributions Limited and Zinox Technologies Limited.
The suit No. FCT/HC/CR/985/24 filed in November 2024 by Falana on behalf of his client, Benjamin Joseph, before the Federal High Court in Abuja for the same alleged diversion of N162,247,513.80 being payment for laptop supply contract at FIRS Headquarters was dismissed.
In the certified true copy of the judgment dated March 20, 2025, Justice Ebong ruled as follows: “It is my conclusion based on the foregoing that this charge (No. FCT/HC/CR/985/2024, Federal Republic of Nigeria v Leo Stan Ekeh and 12 ORS) constitutes a gross abuse of court process and is liable to dismissal. I accordingly hereby dismiss it.”
Justice Ebong averred: “One intriguing aspect of this matter is that none of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation of the nominal complainant’s (Mr. Joseph) numerous petitions has found merit in any of his allegations against the defendants. When called upon before Senchi J. (Justice Danlami Z. Senchi) to prove his said allegations to the court, he failed to turn up in court. One then wonders on what premise he wants to maintain this campaign of persecution against the defendants.”
Previous judgments on the matter had established that rather than being the culprit, Ekeh and the 12 others were actually the victims of a failed money diversion scheme plotted by Mr. Joseph and Citadel.
The most recent charges filed by Falana on the basis of a fiat from the Attorney General was the third in a row as Mr. Joseph had earlier filed charge no.CR/469/2022, which was struck out by Honorable Justice Christopher O. Oba of the FCT High Court, by an order dated 8th November 2022.
Justice Oba ruled: “Upon hearing the counsel for both the Prosecution and the Defendants in court, the basis for which the law firm of Femi Falana filed the present charge is the authority gotten from the Attorney General of the Federation. The said authority has been withdrawn, there is legally no basis for the present charge before this court. Therefore, this charge is hereby struck out.”
Determined to push through his case, Mr Joseph  filed the same charges before Honorable Justice Ade S. Adepoju of the FCT High Court, and the charges were, once  again, struck out by the Honorable Court on 19th March 2024, with Honorable Justice Adepoju holding that: “This matter was brought in dead, extinct and should be confined into the dustbin of history…I hold that the instant suit is an abuse of the process of court and it is hereby struck out accordingly.”
It will be recalled that in his petition to the police in 2013, it was discovered by police authorities that Mr. Joseph provided false information to the police, prompting the Inspector General of Police to charge him for false information in charge no.CR/216/16.
In another case filed by the EFCC at his instance against his partner, Princess Kama, in charge no. FCT/HC/CR/244/2018,  Honorable Justice Danlami Z. Senchi of the FCT High Court (as he then was), dismissed as false all the allegations made by Benjamin Joseph, and imposed the sum of N20 million as damages against him for false petitioning in relation to these same allegations.

One Voice, One Future: Youth Power for a New Nigeria

By George Omagbemi Sylvester

In the history of nations, there always comes a defining moment when the youth must rise to rescue their future from the grip of complacency, corruption and systemic decay. That moment, for Nigeria, is now. The clarion call is no longer a whisper in the dark, it is a deafening roar echoing across the cities and villages, the streets and campuses and the diaspora. 2027 is not just another election year; it is a generation’s opportunity to reclaim its destiny.

Nigeria, once hailed as the Giant of Africa, is now crawling under the weight of failed leadership, nepotism, economic collapse and insecurity. Over 70% of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 35, this is not a mere statistic; it is a superpower waiting to be activated. Yet, for decades, the same recycled leadership has ruled the country like a private estate, while the youth are sidelined, patronized or pacified with empty slogans.

The Reality: A Nation Betrayed
The facts are brutal and undeniable. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), as of the fourth quarter of 2024, youth unemployment stood at 42.5%, one of the highest rates globally. Thousands of graduates are turned out yearly into a job market that has nothing to offer them. Our educational institutions are underfunded, with lecturers going on endless strikes, while billions of naira are siphoned into the offshore accounts of corrupt politicians.

The World Bank states that over 40% of Nigerians live below the poverty line, with youth bearing the brunt of the economic despair. The same youth are used during elections as pawns, thugs, online propagandists and cheerleaders for politicians who have never and will never fight for their future.

We must say: “Enough is Enough.”

The Power of Youth: A Sleeping Giant
Across Africa, the story is changing. Youth-led movements are challenging old orders and shaking the foundations of outdated governance systems.

In Uganda, Bobi Wine, a musician turned politician, galvanized millions of youth to challenge President Museveni’s long-standing dictatorship. While he didn’t win the election, he ignited a flame of hope. In Sudan, youth were at the center of the 2019 revolution that ousted the 30-year regime of Omar al-Bashir.

As Nelson Mandela once said, “Youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.” But as things stand in Nigeria, tomorrow never seems to come, unless we seize it.

In 2020, during the #EndSARS movement, we saw a glimpse of what a united, tech savvy and courageous Nigerian youth can achieve. For once, the world stood still as Nigerian youth organized without a central leadership structure, crowd funded, coordinated logistics, engaged in civic education and peacefully demanded justice. Despite the violent crackdown at Lekki Tollgate, the spirit of resistance lives on.

2027: The Youth Mandate
If we are serious about change, then 2027 must be our electoral revolution. Not through violence, but through strategic mobilization, political education, voter registration and active participation in the democratic process.

Let us be clear: the days of apathy are over. As the African proverb goes, “He who is not part of the solution is part of the problem.”

Youth must no longer be mere spectators or online critics; we must become candidates, campaigners, policy drafters, party leaders, election monitors and political donors. Our demographic power must translate into voting power and our voting power must produce accountable leadership.

According to INEC, less than 35% of youth eligible to vote actually did so in the 2023 elections. This is a travesty. With over 90 million Nigerians under 40, if even 50% of us vote smartly and strategically in 2027, we can turn the tide.

Towards a National Youth Alliance
What we need now is not another party, we need a movement, a coalition, a National Youth Alliance that transcends ethnicity, religion and class.

A youth amalgamation that brings together student unions, tech entrepreneurs, young professionals, artisans, artists, athletes, activists and influencers. A youth vanguard that builds structures, fields candidates, protects votes and holds leaders accountable.

We must engage in issue based politics, not stomach infrastructure or tribal loyalties. The youth must demand answers to the questions that matter:

“Why are over 10 million Nigerian children out of school?”

“Why does Nigeria remain the poverty capital of the world, according to the Brookings Institution?”

“Why is our minimum wage ₦70,000 when a bag of rice is over ₦70,000?”

“Why are lawmakers earning ₦30 million monthly while civil servants are owed arrears?”

The late Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso’s revolutionary leader, once said, “You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of madness.” We need a bit of that madness, the madness to challenge the status quo, to think differently and to act boldly.

From Hashtags to Ballot Boxes
It is not enough to trend on Twitter or rant on TikTok, social media is powerful, yes I agree, but it is not a substitute for civic engagement; we need to bridge the gap between online activism and offline results.

Youths must start at the grassroots to win local government seats, state assemblies and build a pipeline of leadership that is tested and accountable. The #NotTooYoungToRun Act must not be a symbolic victory; it must be a political weapon in our hands.

Let us support credible youth candidates with our time, resources and platforms. Let us organize town hall meetings, debates and policy hackathons. Let us raise funds, build apps to track campaign promises and expose corrupt leaders.

As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said, “When we refuse to engage in politics, we end up being governed by our inferiors.”

Time for Tangible Action
It is time for each Nigerian youth to ask themselves: What am I doing today to secure my tomorrow? Are we registering to vote? Are we sensitizing our peers? Are we demanding better governance at the community level?

We must begin to think long term, beyond 2027. The goal is not just to elect a few fresh faces. The goal is to build a sustainable youth-driven democratic culture where excellence not ethnicity, becomes the metric of leadership.

Let us stop romanticizing suffering. Nigeria has the talent, the resources and the manpower to be great. What we lack is visionary leadership and that is what we must now provide.

Final Words: A Movement, not a Moment
This is a movement, not a moment. It will require sacrifice, unity and strategy. There will be obstacles, betrayals and frustrations. But we must remain focused.

As the Pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah declared: “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa.” Likewise, any victory in 2027 will be meaningless unless it sets off a chain reaction of liberation, innovation and transformation across all levels of Nigerian society.

So, dear patriotic Nigerian youth; RISE! This is your time… Your country needs you more than ever.

Don’t wait for change, be the change.

Together, we can make a difference.

#YouthFor2027 #NationalAllianceNow #SecureTheFuture #NigeriaDeservesBetter

Insuring the Elite, Abandoning the Sick: Nigeria’s Shameful Healthcare Hypocrisy under Tinubu-led Government

By George Omagbemi Sylvester

In a nation where hospitals are crumbling, medications are priced beyond the reach of the average citizen and thousands are dying in silence, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a life insurance scheme not for the vulnerable poor not for the overworked doctors or underpaid civil servants, but for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and top government officials who already enjoy the most luxurious Healthcare often abroad and at public expense(imagine oo). This move is not only insensitive; it is an insult to the Nigerian people(better insult).

Let us examine the harsh reality faced by millions of ordinary Nigerians daily. The cost of basic medication has exploded under this administration. A common antibiotic like Augmentin, used for respiratory and bacterial infections, has become a luxury. Lonart and Coartem, used to treat malaria a disease responsible for 23% of under-five child deaths in Nigeria (UNICEF, 2023) have doubled and tripled in price.

A vial of insulin, once sold for ₦5,650, now goes for ₦12,500. Patients with diabetes, if they are not already suffering from complications now face death simply because their monthly medication is no longer affordable. Hypertension drugs are also out of reach for many, pushing people to rely on dangerous local concoctions and unregulated herbal remedies. Unsurprisingly, stroke-related deaths have increased, according to reports from the Nigerian Cardiac Society in 2024.

Asthma patients, too are gasping for air literally. Inhalers, which were ₦8,000 just a few months ago, now cost ₦22,900. Cancer patients are not spared. The cost of Zoladex injections, used in breast and prostate cancer treatment, has skyrocketed from ₦60,000 to ₦145,570 even as high as ₦200,000 in some states. Herceptin, a life-saving breast cancer drug, now goes for over ₦600,000, up from ₦300,000. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions, once subsidized in some hospitals, now cost up to ₦1 million per session.

Yet in the face of this national health emergency, the same government that cannot fund teaching hospitals or enforce price control on essential drugs is spending public funds to insure the lives of leaders who already enjoy world-class treatment in Dubai, the UK and Germany.

Why not ordinary Nigerians?

It is time we asked the hard questions: Why is a government that has failed to deliver affordable healthcare prioritizing life insurance for the elite? What exactly are they insuring their lives against? The very hunger and poverty their policies have unleashed?

Even the late Chinua Achebe warned us when he wrote: “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” We now see that failure play out in its ugliest form, where the political class insulates itself from the chaos it creates.

Healthcare in Crisis

Nigeria’s healthcare system ranks 163rd out of 191 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The average Nigerian cannot access primary healthcare services without selling personal belongings or borrowing at exploitative interest rates. Over 90% of the population lack access to health insurance, as revealed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in 2023. This means they pay out-of-pocket for drugs, tests, and procedures in a country where over 63% live in multidimensional poverty, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Doctors are fleeing the country in droves. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) estimates that over 17,000 doctors have emigrated to the UK, US, Canada and Saudi Arabia since 2019, leaving just one doctor to 10,000 patients a ratio far below the WHO’s recommended 1:600.

Rather than declare a state of emergency in the health sector, the government is insuring the lives of a select few. It is a shame.

A Class Apart

Top government officials, from ministers to DGs and legislators already benefit from:

State-funded international medical trips

Generous health allowances

Access to exclusive private clinics

Pensions and perks that rival those of presidents abroad

Now, we are adding life insurance to this long list of entitlements while common citizens die in silence?

This is not just mismanagement. This is cruelty.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.” Nigeria has not just crossed that line, it has obliterated it.

Fake Drugs, Real Deaths

The desperation created by unaffordable healthcare has opened a floodgate of fake and substandard drugs. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) reported in 2024 that 15% of medications in Nigerian markets are counterfeit, especially life-saving drugs like insulin, antibiotics and malaria treatments. These fake drugs don’t just fail to cure; they kill.

And yet, there is no national drug subsidy programme. No emergency intervention. No structured relief for the poor. Just silence.

Where is the Ministry of Health? Where is the President?

The Moral Outrage

Nigerians are not asking for too much. We want life, not life insurance for the already privileged. We want subsidized drugs, not contracts for phantom hospital upgrades. We want policies that put people first not policies designed to protect the political elite from the consequences of their own governance.

The same government that cannot fix hospitals wants to insure the lives of those who never use those hospitals. It reeks of hypocrisy.

We must demand answers.

Why didn’t this insurance scheme extend to:

Frontline health workers?

Vulnerable groups like widows, retirees and persons with disabilities?

Victims of Boko Haram, banditry and herdsmen violence?

Why must a Nigerian who earns ₦50,000 monthly spend ₦22,900 on asthma medication or risk suffocating?

Why must someone battling cancer sell all they own while their leaders receive insurance packages for doing nothing but failing?

It is time to shout.

The government must be reminded that public service is not a privilege; it is a duty.

What Needs to Be Done

Reverse the Insurance Scheme: Public outrage must force a reversal of this insensitive scheme until every Nigerian has access to affordable healthcare.

Establish Drug Subsidy Programs: The government must subsidize essential medications immediately and especially for cancer, diabetes, hypertension and infectious diseases.

Reinforce the NHIA: The National Health Insurance Authority must expand coverage to include all low-income earners, retirees, and the unemployed.

Crack Down on Fake Drugs: A nationwide sweep of counterfeit drug networks must be coordinated, backed with international partnerships and new legislation.

Invest in Health Infrastructure: Nigeria’s public hospitals must be equipped, staffed and funded starting with federal and teaching hospitals.

Final Word

A nation that refuses to care for its sick, but rushes to protect its elite with life insurance, is not a democracy, but a plantation. Let this not just be another news item. Let it be a call to action.

Because health is not a privilege, it is a right.

And if our leaders cannot recognize that, then perhaps they are not fit to lead us.