The Rivers State High Court has invalidated the amended Local Government Law proposed by the Martins Amaewhule faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The ruling was delivered Monday in a suit numbered PHC/1320/CS/2024, which challenged the extension of tenure for LG chairmen for six months after the expiration of their term.

Justice D.G. Kio, presiding over the case, declared the amendment invalid, citing its inconsistency with the 1999 Constitution and Section 9(1) of the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018.

The court emphasized that the applicable law governing the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors is the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018, which stipulates a three-year tenure.

The attempt to extend their tenure through the enactment of the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024 was deemed unlawful and contrary to their oath of office.

The ruling marks a victory for Enyiada Cookey-Gam and six others who challenged the extension, asserting the primacy of constitutional principles in governance.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed an application by alleged terrorists’ negotiator, Mohammed Tukur Mamu, seeking to be relocated from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) to Kuje prison in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In a ruling on Monday, Justice Inyang Ekwo agreed with the prosecution that it would be unwise to grant Mamu’s request in view of the incessant jail breaks being experienced in the country in recent time.

Justice Ekwo noted that Mamu neither contradicted nor disputed – as required by law – the prosecution’s averments in relation to frequent cases of jail break in recent time.

The judge held that as the defendant did not challenge the averments, they are deemed to be true facts, adding that facts admitted need no further proof.

Justice Ekwo subsequently ordered Mamu to remain in DSS custody throughout his trial in the criminal charges against him.

The judge restated his earlier order that the terrorist negotiator be allowed access to his personal physician for medical treatment with the supervisions of the DSS.

Mamu was arraigned before the court on March 21 on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism related offences, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

He was among others, accused of having relationship with terrorists and involvement in the ransom negotiation for those behind last attack on a Kaduna-bound train and abduction of the passengers.

Mamu is being kept in the custody of the DSS while his trial is ongoing.

The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the sudden death of a yet to be identified man, who reportedly came to watch television at a beer parlour in the state.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this in a statement on Saturday.

Hundeyin said that the owner of the beer parlour, whose name was not mentioned, reported the case to Elere Police Division on Wednesday at about 7.00 p.m.

He said that the report revealed that a customer (now deceased), whose name and address were yet unknown, in his 50s, came to the beer parlour located along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway at about 6.15 p.m.

The statement quoted the bar owner as saying thatthe customer walked into the open bar to sit and watch television.

The statement read in part:

“He was later observed to be sleeping on the chair and there was an attempt to wake him up, but they discovered that he was lifeless.

“The scene was visited by detectives of the division and the body was seen lifeless on the chair without any mark of violence.

“The body has been removed to Mainland General Hospital Mortuary Yaba, Lagos for autopsy. Efforts to trace his family is in progress.”