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We didn’t complete our investigation before charging lawyer to court -EFCC witness
An EFCC witness Daniel Danladi today under cross -examination by the defence team of legal practitioner Dr Joseph Nwobike led by Mr Olawale Akoni told an Ikeja high court that the Anti -graft Agency did not complete its investigations before charging the senior lawyer to court for corruption.
Nwobike is facing trial at an Ikeja High Court for allegedly perverting the course of justice by offering gratification to Judges
The judges are; Justice Mohammed Yinusa, Justice H.A Ngajiwa and Justice Musa Kurya, all of the Federal High Court, Lagos and Justice James Agbadu-Fishim of the National Industrial Court, Lagos.
The EFCC also alleged that the Senior lawyer was in illegal communication via text messages with Mrs Helen Ogunleye, Mr Baruwa, Mr Jide and one Debbie who are all official of the Federal High Court Lagos.
The defence team led by Mr Olawale Akoni (SAN),today while cross -examining an. EFCC witness Daniel disputed the claims of the EFCC and told the court that the anti-graft agency did not do a thorough investigation into the allegations levelled against Dr Nwobike before charging him to court.
Akoni while cross-examining Daniel said “The case against the defendant was filed in court on March 4, the judges involved in this matter were not interviewed by the commission until months after.
“It is safe to say that the EFCC did not complete it’s investigations before charging the defendant to court,” Akoni said.
In response to Akoni’s assertion, Daniel said “Justice Mohammed Yinusa, Justice H.A Ngajiwa, Justice Musa Kurya and Justice Agbadu-Fishim were interviewed between October and September 2016.
“The reason for that delay was that when this case started, we made efforts to invite the judges but they were not able to honour our invitation because of National Judicial Council (NJC) investigation, But nothing was said about the delay in interviewing Hellen Ogunleye.
“We however, went ahead to file the charges because we believe we have evidence against the defendant. Daniel said.
The detective admitted that Mrs Helen Ogunleye, a court registrar of Justice Musa Kurya who had no involvement in the NJC probe was also interviewed by the anti-graft agency in October 2016, months after the charges against Nwobike were filed in court
Daniel revealed to the court that the judges did not admit to the EFCC that the money given to them by Nwobike was to pervert the course of justice but for assistance In fact there was no evidence that Dr. Nwobike was having any case before Justice Agbadu -Fishim and justice Nganjiwa ,Daniel told the court.
He said “All the judges- Justice Agbadu-Fishim, Justice Kurya and Justice Yinusa gave several reasons why the money was paid into their accounts, they did not say that the money was to pervert the course of justice.
“When the commission interviewed Dr Nwobike he claimed that the N750,000 transferred into Justice Yinusa’s account was meant to assist in the medical treatment of his mother.
“When we confronted Justice Yinusa, he also confirmed that the money was for his mother’s treatment .
“Justice H.A Ngajiwa admitted receiving N300,000 from the defendant which was paid into his bank account of Hawajiya Ltd, which is his company account.
“The judge admitted that the money was for the purchase of law books for his library
“Our investigations did not reveal that the defendant had any case before Justice Agbadu-Fishim or Nganjiwa.
“The N100,000, N150,000 and N100,000 paid into his bank account by Nwobike was claimed by Justice Agbadu -Fishim to be towards his trip abroad for a medical checkup.
“The witness also confirmed that the payments were gifts to Justice Agbadu-Fishim.
“ Justice Kurya however, denied receiving any money from the defendant, we also could not find any order that was allegedly discharged by Justice Kurya on behalf of the defendant.
“Mrs Helen Ogunleye, a court registrar of Justice Musa Kurya was interviewed by the commission and she admitted to receiving N250,000 from the defendant claiming that he was rendering financial assistance to her to solve a family problem.
Danladi also admitted under cross-examination that the administration judge in charge of assigning cases at the Federal High Court was not interviewed by the EFCC.
He admitted to not being present when Nwobike’s statement was taken.
“Mr Jide, an official of the Federal High Court told our Commission that he was not the one who assigns cases but the administrative judge.
“We did not investigate the administration judge to factor in the cases involved in this trial and the criteria for assignment of these cases,the witness told the court.
“The defendant was only interviewed in my presence but I was not present when his statement was taken.
‘His statement was taken by Mr Usman Zakari of the EFCC,” Daniel said.
The detective also admitted that the EFCC did not interview ‘Debbie’ a court regustrar who was allegedly in text message communication with Nwobike.
“I did not interview the said Debbie, I don’t know the nature of the relationship between her and the defendant and l don’t know what the $2,500 given to her by the defendant was to be used for,” Daniel said.
Akoni, then proceeded to show the court the alleged two text messages between Nwobike and Debbie,where she was thanking her for uncommon favour.
The first text in which she allegedly wrote ‘I have received an envelope containing $2,400.’
The second text was Debbie expressing thanks to the SAN for uncommon favour.
Danladi admitted that not all over 14,000 text messages contained in the Extraction Report was related to the case.
“Not all the matters contained in the text messages were placed before the judges whose names were mentioned in the messages.”
Daniel also admitted under cross-examination that not all the cases which the anti-graft agency claimed were unduly influenced by the SAN involved the EFCC. one of such cases is
“In AMCON V Mopas Shipping Line Ltd and two others, with suit no. FHC/CS/L/1307/2014 the EFCC was not a party to this case. I did not see any communication between the defendant Mr.Jide, and Baruwa in regard to this case.
The witness also told the court that there was no evidence to show that the defendant gave JIDE any money
“ The EFCC also did not receive any petition from the parties in respect of Justice Yinusa who handled the case.
am also not aware of the EFCC appealing against the decisions in Mr Simon John Adomene and four others V the EFCC with suit no. FHC/CS/L/471/2015 as well as Mr Simon John Adomene and three others V the EFCC with suit no. FHC/CS/L/1071/2015 cases involved in the on going trial
Justice Raliatu Adebiyi has madjourned the case to May 5 and 18 for continuation of trial.
Precision and Heritage: How Fifi Stitches Is Rewriting African Fashion Narratives
A Nigerian-born designer is gradually carving out a cross-continental footprint in contemporary fashion, blending African textile heritage with British technical discipline.
Esther Fiyinfoluwa Adeosun, Founder and Creative Director of Fifi Stitches, is gaining recognition for structured womenswear and bridal couture that reinterprets traditional fabrics through architectural tailoring and precision construction.
Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Adeosun’s fashion journey began at home, seated beside her mother’s sewing machine. What started as childhood curiosity, sometimes jamming the machine just to understand its mechanics—evolved into a disciplined design practice now operating between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
During an interview with journalists the fifi Stitches once mentioned “I was fascinated by how flat fabric could transform into something structured and meaningful”.
In her Story , early designs made for her family, though imperfectly finished, were worn with pride—an encouragement that laid the foundation for her professional confidence.
Today, Fifi Stitches is recognised for sculpted bodices, controlled tailoring, corsetry construction, and the contemporary reinterpretation of Ankara, Aso Oke, and Adire textiles.
The brand challenges the long-held perception that African fabrics belong solely in ceremonial contexts, instead positioning them within global luxury and modern design spaces.
Adeosun’s training reflects this dual perspective. She studied Fashion Design and Entrepreneurship at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Development Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, and earned a Diploma in Fashion Design through Alison Online.
In the UK, she undertook industry-focused technical training with Fashion-Enter Ltd and gained fashion business exposure through Fashion Capital UK.
Her technical expertise spans pattern drafting, draping, garment technology, structured tailoring, corsetry, and bespoke fittings—skills she describes as central to credibility in fashion. “Precision builds trust,” she says. “A designer must understand construction as deeply as creativity.”
Fifi Stitches has showcased collections at the Suffolk Fashion Show, Liverpool Fashion Show – FB Fashion Ball, Red Carpet Fashion Event in London, and through editorial features in London Runway Magazine.
The brand has also received coverage in The Guardian Nigeria and Vanguard Allure, expanding its visibility across markets.
Beyond couture, Adeosun integrates community impact into her practice.
She has facilitated garment construction workshops, draping sessions, and introductory training programmes for women and emerging creatives, promoting fashion as both artistic expression and vocational empowerment.
Fifi Stcithes Boss operates between Nigeria and the UK, in order to continue to shape her brand identity.
According to her “Nigeria provides cultural richness and expressive textile traditions, while the UK offers structured production systems, sustainability conversations, and institutional frameworks”.
Looking ahead, Adeosun said she plan to establish a fully structured fashion house spanning Africa and the UK, develop scalable production partnerships, launch capsule collections, and expand independent editorial visibility.
Her broader ambition is clear: to position African textile craftsmanship within global contemporary design conversations—through structure, discipline, and technical excellence.
GTCO Launches “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, Opens Call for Applications
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”) has announced the launch of “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, reaffirming its commitment to fostering innovation, empowering talent, and supporting the development of technology-driven solutions that address real-world challenges across Africa.
Now in its third edition, the Hackathon brings together developers, designers and entrepreneurs across Nigeria in a collaborative environment to build practical solutions across key sectors including financial services, healthcare, commerce and digital inclusion. Under the theme “Smart Systems: The Intelligent Economy,” participants are challenged to design and build intelligent, data-driven solutions that transform how communities engage with money.
Applications are now open, and interested teams can find full guidelines and registration details on the official portal at https://squadco.com/hackathon.
Speaking on the initiative, Eduophon Japhet, Managing Director of HabariPay, stated: “Today’s dynamic, digitally driven world demands continuous innovation, which is shaping how economies grow, how businesses scale, and how societies evolve. Through “Take on Squad” Hackathon, we are deliberately investing in the ideas and talent that will define the future. Our objective is not simply to encourage innovation, but to enable its translation into scalable solutions that deliver real and measurable impact. This reflects GTCO’s role as a financial services platform that connects capital, capability, and creativity to drive sustainable progress.”
The social coding event remains a cornerstone of HabariPay’s mission to foster creativity and problem-solving among emerging tech talents. Competing teams will leverage Squad’s advanced APIs to create scalable digital tools that address everyday challenges faced by businesses and individuals.
Through initiatives such as this, GTCO continues to position itself at the intersection of finance, technology and enterprise, actively shaping the future of digital transformation in Africa.
About HabariPay
HabariPay Ltd is the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), one of the largest financial services institutions in Africa with direct and indirect investments in a network of operating entities located in 10 countries across Africa and the United Kingdom.
Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), our goal is to support SMEs, micro merchants, large corporations and other fintechs (Tech Stars) with the tools they need to thrive in an evolving digital economy and expand beyond their current market reach. HabariPay’s solutions include Squad, a full-scale digital payments toolkit to make in-person and online payments simpler, HabariPay Storefront, an e-commerce website to facilitate online purchases, Value-Added Services to help merchants access cost-effective and flexible airtime and data bundles to run their businesses, as well as a switching infrastructure that enables tech-focused businesses to optimise cost and make transactions more efficient.
HabariPay’s contributions to Accelerating Digital Acceptance in Africa have not gone unnoticed–it received Mastercard’s Innovative Mobile Payment Solution Award at TIA 2022 for its innovative payment solution, SquadPOS.
About Squad
Squad is a complete digital payments solution that is reliable, secure, and affordable, making receiving in-person and online payments simpler and convenient.
Thousands of merchants currently leverage Squad’s payment solutions for their daily business operations. Squad’s current products and service offerings include SquadPOS, Squad Payment Links, Squad Virtual Accounts, USSD, and E-Commerce Storefront.
Find out more at www.squadco.com.
Electric 8-Seater Tula Moto Keke Enters Nigerian Market, Targets Higher Operator Earnings
LAGOS — A new electric-powered tricycle with an expanded passenger capacity has been introduced into Nigeria’s urban transport sector, offering operators a potentially more profitable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional petrol-driven “keke.”
The newly launched 8-seater electric tricycle, now available in Lagos with plans for nationwide distribution, features a dual-row seating arrangement capable of accommodating up to eight passengers per trip—significantly higher than the standard three-passenger configuration common across the country.
Promoters of the innovation say the increased capacity is designed to boost daily earnings for operators, particularly amid persistent fluctuations in fuel prices. By running entirely on electric power, the vehicle eliminates dependence on petrol, reducing operating costs and shielding drivers from fuel price volatility.
According to the distributors, the tricycle is equipped with a durable battery system capable of covering extended distances on a single charge, making it suitable for commercial operations across high-traffic routes, residential estates, campuses, and marketplaces.
“The concept is straightforward—enable drivers to earn more while spending less,” a company representative stated. “With higher passenger capacity and zero fuel requirements, operators can maximise each trip without the burden of daily fuel expenses.”
Beyond its cost-saving potential, the electric keke is also said to require less maintenance than traditional models, offering additional long-term savings. Its quieter and smoother operation is expected to enhance passenger comfort and overall commuting experience.
Industry analysts note that the introduction of electric mobility solutions reflects a growing shift toward cleaner and more sustainable transportation alternatives in Nigeria, particularly in densely populated urban centres such as Lagos.
The distributors added that the product is currently available under a limited promotional offer, with delivery options across the country.
For inquiries and purchase: 📞 08153432071
📞 08035889103
Office Address:
📍 Plot 9, Block 113, Beulah Plaza,
Lekki–Epe Expressway,
Lekki Phase 1, Lagos
As transportation costs continue to rise and environmental concerns gain prominence, innovations like the electric 8-seater keke may signal an emerging transition toward more efficient and sustainable mobility solutions nationwide.
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