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N5B libel suit: DSS report on Magu inadmissible, court rules

Published

7 years ago

April 18, 2019

An Ikeja High Court on Thursday rendered a copy of the Department of State Security (DSS) report to the Nigerian Senate on Mr Ibrahim Magu, the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) inadmissible.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Doris Okuwobi in a ruling during the ongoing N5billion libel suit filed by Magu against the publishers of The Sun Newspapers had held that the report was inadmissible due to fact that it was not a Certified True Copy.

“I hereby accept the submission of the claimant’s (Magu) counsel to the effect that it is only a certified true copy of a public document properly issued by a public officer that is admissible under Section 104(1) of the Evidence Act.

“There is no provision in the Act making ordinary photocopies of public documents without certification as admissible.

“I find the document not admissible as it is not in admissible form. The document is hereby rejected and marked as exhibit rejected number one,” Justice Okuwobi said.

NAN reports that during proceedings on Feb. 28, Mr Charles Ewelunta, the defence counsel for the publishers of the Sun Newspapers while cross-examining Mr Usman Zakari, an EFCC investigator, had sought to tender the DSS report on Magu.

However Magu’s counsel Mr Wahab Shittu objected to the tendering of the report on the grounds that it was not a Certified True Copy (CTC).

Following the ruling, Ewelunta continued the cross-examination of Zakari who is the the Head of Intelligence and Special Operations Unit of the EFCC.

Zakari said he worked closely with the anti-graft boss and that he started to view Magu from a different perspective after reading the allegedly damaging publication.

“I work with him closely, I know him very well. The claimant is an asset to the EFCC, he is a man of honour and integrity. Due to this publication, I don’t hold him in as high regard as before.

“I’m not aware that the claimant associates with certified corrupt Nigerians, it is correct that the DSS investigated the claimant but I’m unaware of all the investigations the DSS conducted against the claimant.

“I read the story which is the subject of this suit online that is why we are here,” he said.

Zakari under cross-examination denied allegations that Magu had property beyond the shores of Nigeria.

“The claimant does not have any property out of the country. He has a house in Kano, a townhouse jn Karshi area of Abuja and a family house in Maiduguri.
Read Also: Why we didn’t confirm Magu, by Saraki

“I have visited those three properties and he does not have any property outside Nigeria, that publication falsely mentioned he owned two properties in the highbrow area of Maitama, Abuja.

“It is not correct that the claimant is not worthy to be entrusted with responsibilities and it is also not correct that the claimant is lacking in integrity.

“We are in court because we want the ownership of those Maitama houses be proved and if proved otherwise, the court should grant our prayers,” Zakari said.

Following the EFCC investigator’s evidence, Shittu told the court that there were two more subpoenaed

witnesses who are to testified before the claimant closes his case against The Sun Newspapers.

Justice Okuwobi adjourned the case until June 6, for further hearing.

NAN reports that the acting EFCC Chairman is suing the publishers of the Sun Newspaper, claiming N5billion in damages over a publication that alleged that the DSS had uncovered two houses in Maitama, Abuja which were traced to his wife.

The EFCC boss is also demanding that the Sun Newspapers publish an apology and retract the allegedly libellous publication.

Magu while giving evidence during proceedings on Dec. 17, 2018, denied owning two houses in Mataima, Abuja.

He had said: “The publication is totally false. Even if I have the money, I wouldn’t buy houses in Maitama.

“They said the houses are located in the Darrubbe and Missouri, Maitama and that they belong to my wife.

“My wife Fatima Yakaka Magu is a civil servant and cannot afford to buy houses in Maitama.

“I am an international man and the publication has damaged my reputation. The name Magu does not only end with me, the publication caused a whole lot of trauma for my lineage.”

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BREAKING: Tinubu declares emergency on security training institutions

Published

8 hours ago

November 4, 2025

NewsThumb Magz

Disturbed by the state of training institutions for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other internal security agencies, President Bola Tinubu has declared emergency on the facilities.

The emergency declaration was revealed by the chairman, National Economic Council (NEC) ad-hoc Committee on the overhaul of security training institutions in Nigeria and Enugu Governor, Peter Mbah, during an on-the-spot assessment of facilities in Lagos.

Mbah, who was accompanied on the visit by his Ogun State counterpart, Prince Dapo Abiodun, Secretary of the Committee and former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alkali Usman Baba, as well as Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Special Protection Unit (SPU), Olatunji Disu, said they have a 30-day deadline to submit a comprehensive report to NEC for action.

He said the President gave the mandate at the last NEC which held on October 23, adding that he categorically told the council that the present state of the security training institutions did not align with his dream of growing the economy to one trillion dollar in the next five years, harping on the need for modernisation.

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NDDC Prepares for Agric Summit, Meets Stakeholders, Says MD

Published

5 days ago

October 31, 2025

NewsThumb Magz

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is hosting a two-day strategic meeting with commissioners, permanent secretaries, and directors of agriculture, fisheries & livestock in the nine Niger Delta states.

The meeting, which kicks off on Thursday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, would be addressed by the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, who is expected to outline his plans for a retreat and agricultural summit for the Niger Delta region in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s agrarian programme.

An invitation extended to the stakeholders by the NDDC Director of Agric and Fisheries, Dr Winifred Madume, stated that the Commission was determined to make the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government a reality in the Niger Delta region by ensuring food security for the people.

Recall that the NDDC Chief Executive Officer had earlier assured that the Commission would align with the President’s vision for agriculture, to ensure that agriculture served as a platform for peace and security in the Niger Delta region.

Ogbuku promised: “Any time from now, the NDDC will convene a mini-agricultural retreat for state governments and commissioners of agriculture. States in the region have their various areas of strength in agriculture. We aim to establish regional agricultural integration, which will later evolve into a regional agricultural summit where a comprehensive master plan for the region’s agriculture will be developed.”

The Managing Director affirmed that the NDDC was engaging all stakeholders to ensure harmony and cooperation in developing the hitherto neglected Niger Delta region.

Reflecting on the Federal Government’s agricultural policies, Ogbuku stressed the need to bring them home to the Niger Delta region, noting that the NDDC would continue to promote policies and programmes that enhance food security and poverty reduction in the states .

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Update : Tinubu approves 15% import duty on petrol, diesel, aimed to protect local refineries

Published

5 days ago

October 30, 2025

NewsThumb Magz

President Bola Tinubu has approved the introduction of a 15 per cent ad-valorem import duty on petrol and diesel imports into Nigeria.

The initiative is aimed at protecting local refineries and stabilising the downstream market, but it is likely to raise pump prices.

In a letter dated October 21, 2025, reported publicly on October 30, 2025, and addressed to the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Tinubu directed immediate implementation of the tariff as part of what the government described as a “market-responsive import tariff framework.”

The letter, signed by his Private Secretary, Damilotun Aderemi, and obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday, conveyed the President’s approval following a proposal by the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, Zacch Adedeji.

The proposal sought the application of a 15 per cent duty on the cost, insurance and freight value of imported petrol and diesel to align import costs with domestic market realities.

Adedeji, in his memo to the President, explained that the measure was part of ongoing reforms to boost local refining, ensure price stability, and strengthen the naira-based oil economy in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda for energy security and fiscal sustainability.

“The core objective of this initiative is to operationalise crude transactions in local currency, strengthen local refining capacity, and ensure a stable, affordable supply of petroleum products across Nigeria,” Adedeji stated.

The FIRS boss also warned that the current misalignment between locally refined products and import parity pricing has created instability in the market.

“While domestic refining of petrol has begun to increase and diesel sufficiency has been achieved, price instability persists, partly due to the misalignment between local refiners and marketers,” he wrote.

He noted that import parity pricing- the benchmark for determining pump prices, often falls below cost recovery levels for local producers, particularly during foreign exchange and freight fluctuations, putting pressure on emerging domestic refineries.

Adedeji added that the government’s responsibility was now “twofold, to protect consumers and domestic producers from unfair pricing practices and collusion, while ensuring a level playing field for refiners to recover costs and attract investments.”

He argued that the new tariff framework would discourage duty-free fuel imports from undercutting domestic producers and foster a fair and competitive downstream environment.

According to projections contained in the letter, the 15 per cent import duty could increase the landing cost of petrol by an estimated N99.72 per litre.

“At current CIF levels, this represents an increment of approximately 99.72 per litre, which nudges imported landed costs toward local cost-recovery without choking supply or inflating consumer prices beyond sustainable thresholds. Even with this adjustment, estimated Lagos pump prices would remain in the range of N964.72 per litre ($0.62), still significantly below regional averages such as Senegal ($1.76 per litre), Cote d’Ivoire ($1.52 per litre), and Ghana ($1.37 per litre).”

The policy comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and ramp up domestic refining.

The 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Refinery in Lagos has commenced diesel and aviation fuel production, while modular refineries in Edo, Rivers and Imo states have started small-scale petrol refining.

However, despite these gains, petrol imports still account for up to 67 per cent of national demand.

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