Man acquitted after 10 years in custody without conviction in Lagos
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
Ibrahim Usman has been discharged and acquitted by a Lagos State High Court after spending approximately 10 years in custody without conviction. Justice Rahman Oshodi ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the defilement charge against him beyond reasonable doubt. Usman was arrested on June 14, 2016, for alleged unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in February 2016. However, charges were not filed until March 2017. The court criticized both the prosecution and custodial authorities for the prolonged detention, calling it a grave institutional failure. Authorities at Kirikiri Maximum Security Custodial Centre repeatedly failed to produce Usman in court, leading to the case being struck out in February 2020. It later emerged that the prosecution was unaware Usman remained in custody. Even after the case was reassigned, production failures continued until March 2024. Justice Oshodi highlighted the custodial authorities' persistent deficiency in complying with court orders. The prosecution presented only one witness, a medical doctor who interpreted a report by another doctor who did not testify, and the witness admitted not personally examining the alleged victim. The court found the evidence insufficient, noting the prosecution failed to establish the alleged victim's age or link Usman to the offense, and key witnesses were not called. Justice Oshodi emphasized that the delay was due to the prosecution's lack of diligence and the custodial authorities' disreg
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
Must ReadThe Federal High Court in Kaduna has granted former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, access to medical treatment while in custody. This decision followed a compassionate plea by the defense counsel during proceedings in El-Rufai's ongoing trial for alleged money laundering and corruption-related offenses. El-Rufai and co-defendant Joel Adoga face a 10-count charge before Justice Rilwan Aikawa, to which both have pleaded not guilty. The defense specifically requested permission for El-Rufai to receive dental and eye care at Mile Dental Clinic and Skipper Eye-Q Hospital in Abuja. Justice Aikawa granted the request, directing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to transport El-Rufai under strict supervision to these facilities when necessary and return him to custody immediately after treatment. The court emphasized that all movements for medical visits must remain under the commission's strict supervision. The ICPC stated it would comply with the court's orders while maintaining lawful custody of the defendant pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions. El-Rufai was previously granted bail in the sum of N200 million with two sureties. The case has been adjourned to May 7, 2026, for a ruling on the application seeking variation of the bail conditions.
Paul Onuachu's lead as the top scorer in the Süper Lig has been reduced to two goals after he failed to score in his last three matches. Eldor Shomurodov has emerged as his closest challenger, reaching 20 goals, while Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca has also entered contention with 19 goals for Fenerbahçe. Onuachu had previously led the chart despite participating in the Africa Cup of Nations and scored in eight consecutive league games upon his return. However, a minor injury caused him to miss a match and subsequently, he has not scored in recent games against İstanbul Başakşehir, Konyaspor, and Göztepe. Shomurodov has been consistently scoring, and Talisca recently scored a hat-trick against Samsunspor. Onuachu aims to end his goal drought when Trabzonspor plays Beşiktaş, while Shomurodov's team will host Samsunspor. Mauro Icardi and Victor Osimhen are further behind in the scoring charts.
The African Democratic Congress ADC has criticized the Federal Government's celebration of Nigeria's reported Gross Domestic Product GDP growth, stating that the economic figures do not reflect the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians. In a statement, the ADC's National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the government of using headline GDP figures to "whitewash the deep economic suffering Nigerians are currently enduring." The opposition party highlighted rising food prices, inflation, weak purchasing power, unemployment, and the collapse of small businesses as evidence that citizens have not felt the impact of the reported economic growth. The ADC emphasized that economic growth is only meaningful when it improves living conditions, creates jobs, and reduces hardship, asserting that "People do not eat GDP." The party questioned what Nigerians should celebrate given the worsening economic conditions, including devastating food inflation, high youth unemployment, and business closures. This criticism follows a Quartus Economics report indicating Nigeria's dollar GDP rose by 22 percent to about $307 billion in 2025, driven by stronger economic output and naira appreciation, surpassing the Sub-Saharan African average and several major African economies. However, the ADC argued that macroeconomic indicators alone cannot measure citizen well-being, stating that the purpose of governance is to improve people's living conditions. The party maintained that until growth t
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission FCCPC and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding MoU in Abuja to strengthen collaboration in product safety, consumer protection, and enforcement of standards. The agreement aims to close regulatory gaps and enhance enforcement against unsafe products and unfair market practices. Tunji Bello, the Executive Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, stated that the MoU marks a deliberate step towards coordinated regulation in Nigeria's consumer market, addressing overlaps in their mandates concerning substandard goods, unsafe pharmaceuticals, and misleading product claims. He explained that while FCCPC focuses on protecting consumers from unfair market behavior and promoting competition, NAFDAC regulates the manufacture, importation, distribution, advertisement, and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, and packaged water, with a central concern for safety and quality. The new framework provides for information exchange, joint investigations, coordinated enforcement actions, and capacity building, aiming to eliminate delays in investigations and improve response time to consumer complaints. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, emphasized that the partnership must translate into action to protect Nigerians from harmful products and uphold consumer rights. She highlighted that while NAFDAC ensures product safety, FCCPC plays a c