Wednesday, September 9, 2026

$25,000 bribe: Court warns against distortion of facts

“It is this court that has the last say at the end of this matter; not the court of public opinion.”

• March 16, 2021

Justice Iyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has threatened to strike out a suit against former Kaduna senator, Shehu Saniover distorted publications by the EFCC.

Justice Ekwo issued this warning on Tuesday after his attention was drawn to the publication on the Twitter page of the anti-graft agency by A.A Ibrahim, Mr. Sani’s counsel.

Mr. Sani’s counsel alleged that the tweet by EFCC was a false narration of what transpired in court on Monday.

Reacting to the allegation, the judge said that the court has the last say adding that public opinion does not decide cases

“The court of public opinion is not a court of coordinate jurisdiction. It is this court that has the last say at the end of this matter. Not the court of public opinion,” Mr. Ekwo said. “From the beginning of this case, I have said the record of this case is public records and it can be obtained by anybody including the media.”

Warning the anti-graft agency against further distorted publications, Justice Ekwo said there will be consequences for misrepresenting the court proceedings.

“I don’t want to hear about distorted publications again,” he said.

“If I hear about it again, I’m going to throw away your case and you can take it to whoever you like.”

The anti-graft agency had in a Twitter post on Monday alleged that Bako Aliyu, a prosecution witness told the court that Mr. Sani, hurriedly returned the $25,000 he allegedly extorted from a complainant following the report of the case to EFCC.

Mr. Aliyu testified as EFCC’s 10th prosecution witness in Mr Sani’s trial for fraud.

The former senator was arraigned by the EFCC on January 27, 2020, over allegations of fraud. Mr. Sani was alleged to have extorted the sum of $25,000 from Sani Dauda, the chairperson of A.S.D Motors with the promise to shield him from probe by the anti-graft agency.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

APC LOGO

Politics

2027: Yobe ‌⁠APC inaugurates three reconciliation committees

The state APC chairman informed the committee members that their selection was based on merit.

Apapa port (Credit: Stears)

NationWide

Port single window will cut delays, costs, IMION tells NPERA

IMION said policies must translate into practical action to improve safety and attract investment.

Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission [NUPRC]

NationWide

NUPRC threatens to revoke unused gas flare site permits

According to Ms Eyesan, 43 gas flare sites were initially identified for award.

Ondo state map

States

Ondo govt probes death of 24 residents over suspected alcohol poisoning

Several other victims are currently receiving treatment in hospitals.

Eti-Osa LG free house-to-house refuse collection

Lagos

Eti-Osa LG embarks on free house-to-house refuse collection

Mr Ademola commended the chairman for intervening in community waste disposal.

Governor Mohammed Umar-Bago

Heading 3

Niger explosion survivors, grieving families await Gov Bago’s promise 10 months after

Mr Bago pledged ₦1 million to each family that lost a loved one in the incident and ₦500,000 to each of the injured.