A Federal high court Judge in Kano, Justice Simon Amobeda has threatened to expose Chairman Kano Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Magaji Rimin-Gado’s attempt to influence a cause of justice under his jurisdiction.

Justice Amobeda also vowed to remain resolute in dispensing judgment and resist any intimidation.

The jurist raised the alarm on Friday at an open court session when he sighted the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Kano chapter Usman Umar Fari, who also doubles as a legal counsel for the state Anti-Corruption Commission.

Justice Amobeda before attending to the business of the day, confronted Fari with questions on legal procedures required of a client.

The Judge revealed how the Chairman of Kano anti-graft filed 5 petitions before the National Judicial Council, NJC against him.

According to Amobeda, the petitions accused him of passing a judgment against the interest of Kano anti-graft while taking seven months to deliver judgment.

But the Judge insisted his verdicts were passed not in the interest of any party but based on facts available to him.

He wondered why he would be made to respond to petitions on matters that were decided by five Judges against the anti-graft.

Justice Amobeda said he was petitioned “simply because he refused to be influenced”, and subsequently declared that ” I am not a state high court Judge, I am a Federal high court Judge. And God has brought me here, I refuse to be intimidated or cowed”.

According to him, ” If there is anything I gained in Kano, it is the fact that I answered five petitions from a single person. I don’t have anything to say about it but in reply, it wasted my precious time that I would have used to write my judgment.

I delivered a landmark Judgment on the relocation of Sabon Gari drug market, I can’t count the amount of influence I refused. The Minister of Health came to Kano after the Judgment to meet with the Governor on the same issue. Nobody has ever told Amobeda you have done well but it is the one that did not favour them that they will go over the social media to blackmail.

” But by the grace of God, I am paid to do this work and I will do it very well, without fear or favour or ill will. All of us are answerable to God Almighty. If the case does not favor you today it will favor you tomorrow. That is the essence of life.

Amobeda accused the Kano anti-graft boss of disobeying several orders of the court and insisted that the Judiciary will not allow the “small power” of the Ombudsman to bring disrepute to the Justice system.

” In the petition, he said I have power to judge against the agency, yes when you exceed your powers. Your law does not envisage that you arrest somebody, detain and grant him bail. Why can’t you go to the state assembly to amend the law?

You created a department that is so empowered to breach the fundamental rights of the people of Kano. You have disobeyed the orders of the court several times. Because we are keeping quiet, you think you can continue to disgrace the system.

” Because you hold a small power today you want to use it against everybody including the Judiciary. I am not a Judge of the state high court, I am a Federal high court Judge and God has brought me here.

“I refused to be intimidated or cowed. Nobody can shake me. I have the resolution to this job and I will do it very well to the best of my ability,” Amobeda insisted.

Justice Amobeda is well known for several landmark Judgments including the sack of two serving Judges of Kano State High Court, who were sitting on two Judicial panels of enquiries and settled the dispute between the government and the Drug dealers after several years of litigation.

However, our Correspondent’s efforts to speak to the Chairman of the Commission, Muhyi Magaji Rimin Gado were not successful but a lawyer at the Anti-Graft Agency who spoke anonymously said they could not comment because the case is before the NJC.

We will not comment on this matter because it is before the National Judicial Council and it is only they or their assigned agent who can talk on it”, he added.

Daily Post

An international multimedia bilingual journalist, Alhassan Bala, has launched a Hausa fact-checking platform called “Alkalanci” (The Arbiter).

The platform focuses primarily on fact-checking claims on health, politics, and many other topics in Hausa language.

It will also be fact-checking pictures and videos to enlighten the Hausa readers in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana and beyond about misleading claims or false pictures and videos.

This becomes even more imperative at this time when people nowadays use photoshop and AI to create “deep fake” pictures and videos.

“We look at the digital space and realize how misinformation and disinformation are gaining ground among Hausa digital platform users.

“There are also many myths and false claims on health matters that a number of people believe with utmost belief.

“This is why it is important for us to provide a platform that will enlighten the Hausa readers,” Bala said in a statement on Sunday.

The statement continued: “We at the ‘Alkalanci’ would be providing media literacy so that people will know how to protect themselves from getting trapped by misinformation, disinformation or false claims, pictures and videos.”

Bala is currently a stringer with Voice of America (VOA) Hausa and English services with decades of journalism experience.

Political assitant to President Bola Ahmad Tinubu, Ibrahim Masari, has accused the opposition of spreading rumors about the President’s health, noting that President Tinubu is hale and hearty.

NIGERIAN TRACKER reports that Masari made these remarks during an interview with the Hausa medium, DCL Hausa, which was monitored by NIGERIAN TRACKER.

Masari added that he had seen President Tinubu, and after their stay in London, they flew to France. He emphasized that the rumors circulating in Nigeria are the handiwork of opposition elements.

Ibrahim Masari also noted that many hurdles were placed in the President’s path to prevent him from winning the 2023 elections, but the President managed to overcome them.

He added that even the current rumors are being spread by opposition elements, but they will not succeed.

While addressing the President, instead of referring to him as Bola Ahmad Tinubu, Masari called him “Malam Bala Tanimu Ashiru,” explaining that “Bola” stands for “Bala,” “Tinubu” stands for “Tanimu,” and “Asiwaju” stands for “Ashiru.”

This nomenclature has been used by several northern politicians to appeal to northern voters when supporting a southern candidate.

During the Babangida Transition in the 1990s, presidential candidates like Chief Olu Falae were addressed as “Auwalu Falalu” by northern politicians, while candidates like Olusegun Obasanjo were addressed as “Uba Surajo,” and Goodluck Jonathan was called “Mainasara.”

In the comments section, many people accused Ibrahim Masari of sycophancy