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Court throws out defamation charge against Farotimi

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The Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has dismissed the criminal charge filed by the police against Lagos based legal practitioner and author, Dele Farotimi.

Justice Babs Kuewumi struck out the charge after an application by the police prosecutor, Samson Osobu.

Osobu told the court that the prosecution had filed a notice of discontinuance.

“The matter is slated for hearing today, but we have filed a notice of discontinuance dated January 29, 2025, and filed this morning,” he said.

DAILY POST had earlier reported that the Nigeria Police withdrew the alleged defamation suit filed against Farotimi.

There was no objection from lawyers to Farotimi led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika.

This paved the way for Justice Kuewumi to strike out the case, with the judge declaring, “This case is hereby struck out.”

Speaking with journalists outside the courtroom, Olumide-Fusika said that the case had been concluded in the particular court but declined to comment on related matters pending in other courts.

He also said that he had advised Farotimi against granting press interviews on the matter.

Recall that another criminal charge filed by the police against Farotimi is still pending before the Magistrate Court also in Ado-Ekiti.

The case before Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun was adjourned to February 13, 2025, and it is expected that the police will also move to discontinue proceedings in that court and withdraw the charge.

There are also civil cases against Farotimi pending before the FCT High Court, Abuja, the Ogun State High Court, Oyo State High Court, and Rivers State High Court which were filed by lawyers in the Afe Babalola Chambers in those states.

Some of the courts had granted interim orders restraining Farotimi or any person acting through him from further printing, publication and sale of his book titled ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’.

It is yet not clear whether those cases will also be discontinued.

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EFCC Arrests Kano TikTok Influencer, Murja Kunya for Alleged Naira Mutilation

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Operatives of the Kano Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , EFCC, have arrested popular TikTok influencer, Murja Ibrahim Kunya, for allegedly abusing and mutilating the Naira.

Specifically, Kunya was arrested for allegedly spraying Naira notes for fun during her stay in a hotel room at Tahir Guest Palace in Kano. The arrest followed her diligent pursuit by EFCC operatives after she jumped an administrative bail granted her by the Commission over one month ago.

She was initially arrested in January 2025 for violating the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, Act which prohibits the abuse and mutilation of the Naira. She was granted an administrative bail by the Commission pending her arraignment before the Federal High Court in Kano. However, when it was time for her court appearance, Kunya absconded, evading the legal processes.

However, after weeks of intensive investigation and surveillance, EFCC operatives successfully re-arrested the TikTok Influencer on Sunday March 16, 2025. She was subsequently conveyed to the Kano Zonal Directorate of the Commission, where she is currently in custody awaiting her arraignment.

The EFCC reiterates its commitment to enforcing laws protecting the integrity of the Nigerian currency and warned against acts of abuse including spraying, stamping, or mutilating the currency during social events.

Visit efcc.gov.ng for more stories.

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Peruvian farmer takes German energy giant RWE to court over melting glaciers

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ourists walk in front of the Tuco glacier in Huascaran National Park. AP Photo/Martin Mejia, File
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Alandmark climate case brought by a Peruvian farmer against energy giant RWE resumes today (17 March) at the Higher Regional Court in Hamm, Germany.

Saul Luciano Lliuya is a Quechua-speaking farmer and mountain guide from Peru’s Ancash region. The 44-year-old believes that RWE, as one of the world’s top historic greenhouse gas emitters, should share in the cost of protecting his hometown, Huaraz, from a swollen glacial lake at risk of overflowing due to melting snow and ice.

The hearings will determine what evidence will be permissible in the final trial, which will rule on whether RWE – which has never operated in Peru – can be held liable for damages.

RWE denies legal responsibility, arguing that climate change is a global issue caused by many contributors.

What is the case about?

Lliuya first challenged RWE after a 2013 Carbon Majors Study found the company responsible for 0.5 per cent of climate change since industrialisation began in the 1850s.

He is asking for the company to pay for about 0.5 per cent of the cost of protecting Huaraz from the imminent risk of flooding and overflow from Lake Palcacocha. That amount has been tallied at around €17,000.

“What I am asking is for the company to take responsibility for part of the construction costs, such as a dike in this case,” he told reporters in Lima in early March before departing for Germany.

In 2015, Lliuya filed a suit against the company that was later dismissed by a court in Essen. In 2017, a higher court in Hamm admitted an appeal.

Following pandemic-induced delays, the initial hearings are now taking place.

What does it mean for global corporations?

The case is ground-breaking in every way.

RWE insists it has always complied with government guidelines on greenhouse gasemissions and aims to be carbon-neutral by 2040. Yet its historical contribution to a warming planethas put it in the crosshairs, raising questions about corporate accountability for climate change and cross-border legal responsibilities.

“Never before has a case of climate justice reached an evidentiary stage,” Andrea Tang, a lawyer for Germanwatch, the environmental NGO supporting Lliuya, said in Lima.

She added that the case “would set a huge precedent for the future of climate justice.”

With more than 40 climate damages cases ongoing worldwide, according to not-for-profit research group Zero Carbon Analytics, Lliuya’s case has major precedent setting potential.

How a Peruvian farmer captured global headlines

Before the case even reached this stage, it had already commanded global attention.

For one, Lliuya had never left Peru before he decided to take RWE to court. His efforts also brought European experts to Peru.

Following diplomatic talks, judges from Germany visited Huaraz and Lake Palcacocha – about 4,500 metres above sea level in the Andes – in 2022. Surrounded by dozens of journalists and documentary film teams, they assessed the potential risk to the village.

While Lliuya has won the legal battle to have his case tried, it is yet to be seen if that visit also won the judges over to his side of the scientific argument.

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Newly married couple d!es in Otedola Bridge gas tanker explosion

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A newlywed couple, Dozie and Joan Okoye, d!ed in the gas explosion on the Otedola Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

It was gathered that the couple got married on February 22, 2025.

According to reports, Dozie and Joan were on the way home when their phone lines suddenly became reachable.

After searching for them at the Burns Center in Gbagada and Yaba Mortuary, their charred remains were finally found on Wednesday evening.

The only identification was their car’s registration number, which was found among the burnt vehicles.

The explosion, which occurred at 8:08 pm on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, was caused by a 30-tonne tanker carrying gas products, said to be owned by a nearby gas station.

The blast severely affected a Dental Clinic, while the generator house and security post of a nearby church building also sustained significant damage.

Responders recovered four charred bodies, including that of an auto mechanic identified as Rotimi Adeleye.

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