Peter Obi, Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has kicked against the deregistration of some political parties by a Federal High Court.

He described the development as a challenge to public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic and judicial institutions.

Obi, in a statement on his X handle, warned against what he called the growing politicisation of institutions that are supposed to be independent and insulated from political influence.

Reacting to the court ruling deregistering some political parties including the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Obi said nations thrive when institutions are stronger than individuals and politics.

He said the judgment of the Federal High Court ordering the de-registration of the ADC and other political parties would further undermine the confidence of the public in the country’s legal system and called for a reversal.

“We can never put our sacred institutions on the altar of politics. “Nations rise when institutions are stronger than individuals,” he said.

He recalled raising concerns during the controversy that followed the removal of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.

And the worst damage such actions did was often the impression they created of the sanctity and independence of national institutions, he said.

His case is that strong economies are built on trust. Investors can cope with security, policy and market risks, but they are often put off by uncertainty in the rule of law and perceptions of judicial intervention.

“Today, many Nigerians do not have confidence in the systems that are supposed to protect them, because increasingly, businesses insist that their contracts be governed by foreign jurisdictions because they have more confidence in those institutions than in our own.”

He vowed to dedicate himself to restoring the dignity, independence and integrity of the judiciary, stressing that justice should be impartial, accessible and respected by all citizens.

He also appealed to the judges, senior advocates, lawyers and other legal professionals to defend the rule of law and strengthen the democratic institutions in the country.

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Kano State High Court has sentenced a man, Abdulaziz Umar, to death by hanging for killing Mubarak Salisu during a robbery incident involving a Samsung phone in Kano.

The trial judge, Justice Zuwaira Yusuf in her judgment on Monday held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, adding that she found the defendant guilty on all the counts and convicted him as charged.

The incident occurred on October 1, 2020 at about 6:00pm at Race Course, Badawa area of Kano when the victim was attacked and robbed of his Samsung handset valued at N100,000.

Umar was charged with several accomplices namely Muyi, Umar Sarki, Diga, Ashosho, and Taduke who are currently at large.

Aisha Salisu, a Deputy Director of Public Prosecution in the Kano State Ministry of Justice, who led the prosecution during the trial, called four witnesses whose testimonies established the culpability of the defendant while the defence counsel, Ya’u Abdullahi Umar, called only the convict to testify in his defence.

“The defendant and his accomplices conspired to rob the victim, carried out the robbery using a knife and caused his death by stabbing him, knowing that such action could result in fatal consequences,” the charges said.

The court found him (Abdul Aziz Umar) guilty of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, culpable homicide punishable with death and brigandage under relevant provisions of the Penal Code Law of Kano State.

Justice Yusuf then sentenced Abdulaziz Umar to death by hanging in accordance with the law.

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Maj.-Gen. Umar Mohammed, a former Group Managing Director of Nigerian Army Properties Limited, was found guilty and sentenced for theft and misappropriation of corporate funds by the Court of Appeal.

The appellate court denied Mohammed’s appeal against the Special Court Martial’s jurisdiction and the legality of its decision in the Certified True Copy of the ruling.

On October 10, 2023, Mohammed was found guilty by a Nigerian Army Special Court Martial of crimes involving the theft and criminal misappropriation of cash that belonged to Nigerian Army Properties Limited.

After being found guilty, he was forced to return $2,099,700 and ₦1.65 billion to the company, sentenced to prison, and expelled from the Nigerian Army.

On February 12, 2025, the former army officer, dissatisfied with the ruling, filed action number CA/ABJ/CR/383/2025 with the Court of Appeal, claiming that the conviction was unsupported by reliable evidence.

Abba Mohammed, Okon Abang, and Eberechi Nyesom-Wike, the three justices on the panel, rejected the appeal.

The panel determined that the court martial’s evidence adequately proved the offenses.

The Special Court Martial was justified in rejecting Mohammed’s defense, according to the court’s ruling on Monday.

The justices characterized his testimony as contradictory and untrustworthy.

They pointed apparent inconsistencies in his assertion that Nigerian Army Properties Limited never provided berthing services, using his own written documentation to the contrary.

According to the court, these contradictions damaged his credibility.

The Special Court Martial’s conviction and imprisonment were later upheld by the appellate court on all counts other than forgery.

In a related incident, Mohammed and businessman Kayode Filani’s shares worth over ₦5 billion were ordered to be forfeited by Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Lagos.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s application, which informed the court that the 245,568,137 shares were obtained with the proceeds of illegal actions carried out during Mohammed’s employment at NAPL, led to the order.

Hanatu Kofanaisa, the EFCC’s attorney, told the court that Mohammed had previously been found guilty of 14 out of 18 counts of theft and related offenses by the Special Court Martial.

She added that no objections had been raised, and the commission had complied with all legal criteria for final forfeiture, including the required newspaper notice.

Judge Dipeolu granted the application, ruling that the EFCC had proven its case and directing the Federal Government to permanently relinquish the shares in Nigerian Army Properties Limited’s favor.

Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act, 2006 and Section 44(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution were the legal bases for the application.

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