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BREAKING: Ex-Kogi Gov Bello denied bail, to spend more days in EFCC custody

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The Federal Capital Territory High Court, on Tuesday, refused to grant a bail application filed by the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, saying it was filed prematurely.

Justice Maryann Anenih, while delivering the ruling, said that having been filed when the 1st defendant was neither in custody nor before the court, this instant application was incompetent.

“Consequently, the instant application having been filed prematurely is hereby refused,” she said.

The former governor is standing trial, along with two others, in an alleged N110bn money laundering charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Recalling the arguments before the court on the bail application, the judge had said, “Before the court is a motion on notice, dated and filed on 22nd November. The 1st Defendant seeks an order of this honourable court admitting him to bail pending the hearing and determination of the charge.

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“That he became aware of the instant charge through the public summons. That he is a two-term governor of Kogi State. That if released on bail, he would not interfere with the witnesses and not jump bail.”

She said the Defendant’s Counsel, JB Daudu, SAN, had told the court that he had submitted sufficient facts to grant the bail.

He urged the court to exercise its discretion judicially and judiciously to grant the bail.

In opposing, the Prosecution Counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, had argued that the instant application was grossly incompetent, having been filed before arraignment.

He said it ought to be filed after arraignment, but the 1st Defendant’s Counsel disagreed, saying there was no authority “that says that an application can only be filed when it is ripe for hearing.”

While delivering her ruling, Justice Maryann Anenih said, “The instant application for bail showed that it was filed on November November. This shows that it was filed several days after the 1st defendant was taken into custody.”

Reading from the ACJA section, the judge said the provision provided that an application for bail could be made when a defendant had been arrested, detained, arraigned, or brought before the court.

Bello had filed an application for his bail on 22 November but was taken into custody on 26 November and arraigned on 27 November.

Having been denied bail, Bello will spend more days with in the custody of the EFCC pending when his lawyers file fresh bail application.

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Police parade Doctors, others over alleged Organ Trafficking in Nasarawa

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The Nigeria Police Force has paraded four suspects, including two nephrologists, over an alleged organ-harvesting syndicate in Nasarawa State.

According to the police briefing reported by Channels Television, the suspects allegedly targeted vulnerable young men, luring them into kidney donations and paying them far less than the alleged value of the organs.

Police said one victim was allegedly paid about $1,250, while another reportedly received N7 million after his kidney was removed.

Investigators also alleged that forged documents, including birth certificates, affidavits, consent letters and identification documents, were used to facilitate the procedures and conceal the identities of some victims.

One alleged victim recounted during the briefing how he was deceived into donating his kidney.

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A representative of Wellington Clinic, where some of the procedures allegedly took place, also addressed the media, claiming that the hospital only provided the platform for the surgeries and was unaware of the alleged illegal activities involving changes to donors’ identities.

The police said investigations are ongoing as they work to identify and apprehend other members of the alleged syndicate.

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How doctors unlawfully removed kidneys of over 10 youths — VDM’s Lawyer reveals

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The lawyer to social media influencer VeryDarkMan, Marshall Abubakar, has alleged that vulnerable young Nigerians are being lured into illegal kidney harvesting schemes by medical practitioners and their agents under the guise of medical procedures.

According to Abubakar, more than 10 young Nigerians may have fallen victim to an alleged illegal kidney harvesting network involving medical practitioners and their agents.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday, Abubakar said the case came to light after a young man approached the Martin Luther King Centre, headed by VeryDarkMan, with a medical report indicating that his left kidney was missing.

He said the centre independently verified the report at two hospitals in Abuja, including a government medical facility in Jabi, where the absence of the young man’s left kidney was reportedly confirmed.

He said the young man was allegedly given about $1,300 after the procedure, while his identity was changed and an affidavit obtained in another name in an attempt to conceal the circumstances surrounding the operation.

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Abubakar further alleged that other youths had been similarly targeted around Masaka, Nyanya and Mararaba, with some allegedly recruited through agents.

He claimed that kidneys harvested from some victims were subsequently sold for between ₦50 million and ₦70 million, while the donors received only a fraction of the proceeds.

Abubakar described the alleged practice as a criminal enterprise, stressing that lawful organ donation requires informed consent and must not involve financial inducement.

He also alleged that the families of the affected youths were not informed before the procedures and only became aware after the cases emerged. (Channels)

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Gunmen kill APC chairman in Kogi, abduct another

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Gunmen have killed the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Hon. Ishaq Yunusa, and abducted another occupant of his vehicle.

The incident occurred on Thursday along the Itobe-Ochadamu Expressway, around Ojuwo Olijo in Ofu Local Government Area of the state.

The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Afusat Saliu, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to journalists in Lokoja on Friday.

Saliu said the attack occurred at about 5pm when armed assailants emerged from the surrounding bush and opened fire on motorists.

She said a blue Toyota Corolla, with registration number GWA 636 CH, was subsequently found abandoned along the highway.

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“The driver, identified as Hon. Ishaq Yunusa, was found dead in the vehicle, while another occupant was taken into the bush by the assailants,” the statement said.

The police spokesperson said the command, in collaboration with other security agencies, had intensified operations in the area, with personnel combing the surrounding forest to locate and rescue the abducted victim and apprehend the assailants.

She said the deceased had been evacuated to Grimard Hospital, Anyigba, for autopsy, while the command was pursuing all available leads in connection with the incident.

The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, directed sustained security operations along the affected corridor and ordered efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The command urged motorists and residents along the route to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements to the police or other security agencies.

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