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Justice Olukayode Ariwoola Sworn In as New CJN

Justice Olukayode Ariwoola

President Muhammadu Buhari has sworn in Justice Olukayode Ariwoola as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, NAN reports. This is coming after the former Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad tendered his resignation citing ill health as the reason for hanging up his wig for good.

Ariwoola was appointed to the Supreme court bench in 2011, following 6 years of serving as the Justice of the court of Appeals between 2006 and 2011. As the court of Appeal justice, Ariwoola served across three states – Lagos, Enugu, and Kaduna states.

A native of Oyo State, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola was born on the 22nd of August 1958. He began his legal practice in the private sector before joining the public sector in 1992, starting out as a Judge of the Superior Court in Oyo State. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Ariwoola, though only with the title of Acting Chief Justice of the Nation, is projected to be in active service until the year 2028.

Read Also: UK Police Arrests Sen. Ike Ekweremadu On Child Trafficking and Organ Harvesting Charges

Justice Ariwoola’s appointment has been frowned upon by many Nigerians as well as his colleagues in the legal practice many of whom have accused him of being corrupt, and in bed with the ruling executives. The resignation of his predecessor, Tanko Muhammad which came only a few weeks after the retirement of Justice Odili (wife to former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili) has been deemed controversial. Analysts have said that Tanko only chose to resign now after Odili had hung her gown because he did not want her to succeed him as the next CJN. Odili would have been the one to succeed Tanko as she would have been the most senior on the bench if she had not retired. Retired Justice Mary Odili was widely perceived as one of the few Justices who were concerned about the independence of the Judiciary. Her stance on jurisprudence put a threat on her life when in October 2021 there was an attempt to abduct her.

The Buhari administration has been accused of complete dominance and control of other arms of government. The immediate outgoing CJN was preceded by Justice Walter Onnoghen who was unconstitutionally removed by President Buhari on allegations of false asset declaration. Buhari would immediately appoint Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, a move that cemented the widely held belief that the president was an ethnic bigot. Tanko’s tenure as CJN was marred with allegations that he was a lackey to the executive arm.

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Gunmen abduct Kwara APC chairman’s wife, daughter in midnight raid

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted the wife and daughter of Alhaji Muhammad Swasun, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The victims, identified as Hajiya Fatima and her daughter Amina, were seized on Sunday, September 7, at night when a five-man armed gang stormed the party chairman’s residence in Sakpefu.

Eyewitness accounts revealed that the attackers scaled the compound fence and opened fire indiscriminately to terrify residents before breaking into one of the rooms.

“They entered into one of the rooms where they found his wife and daughter and took them away, shooting into the air,” a party executive told reporters, adding that the chairman narrowly escaped being kidnapped himself.

Another APC member confirmed that the gunmen operated for several minutes before whisking the women to an undisclosed location.

“The bandits abducted his wife, Hajiya Fatima, and his daughter, Amina, and took them to an unknown destination,” the source explained, according to Vanguard.

The latest abduction has heightened anxiety in Patigi, a region already grappling with recurring cases of kidnapping.

Residents have repeatedly urged the government and security operatives in recent months to intensify efforts to curb the menace.

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Ace Comedian Ali Baba evicted from Victoria Island property over legal dispute

Veteran Nigerian comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba, has been evicted from his luxurious, multi-million-naira property located in Victoria Island due to a court dispute.

The property, which was purchased for ₦220 million by Ali Baba, is the subject of an ownership dispute at the Federal High Court.

Amid the legal dispute, Ali Baba and his company, XQZMOI TV, were evicted from the property located at 324A Akin Ogunlewe Street.

The eviction was carried out by bailiffs of the Federal High Court following a writ of possession signed on August 15, 2025.

The property in question was initially sold to Ali Baba by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in 2021 for ₦220 million.

At the time, AMCON claimed it was recovering debts allegedly owed by Harold Expansion Industries Nigeria Limited.

But Harold Expansion disputed the debt and counterclaimed that they had already made repayments. Their lawyer, Benjamin Olayiwola Sadibo, insisted that the property was sold wrongfully.

On July 31, 2025, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court delivered a verdict that changed everything as he dismissed AMCON’s case, ruling that the corporation had failed to provide convincing evidence of the alleged debt.

The Justice stressed that AMCON did not even present a statement of account to back its claims a fatal omission for a creditor. Worse still, AMCON did not file a defence against Harold Expansion’s counterclaim, leaving the court with no choice but to side with the company.

In addition to ordering the property to be returned to the family of its original owner, the judge also imposed ₦500 million in damages on AMCON.

Ali Baba’s culpability in the case came as a result of the timing of the purchase. Records show that he purchased the property while the case was still in court, despite an existing preservation order.

He was said to have been a tenant of the property’s original owner before AMCON evicted the family and sold it.

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Police summon El-Rufai, other Kaduna ADC chieftains over alleged criminal conspiracy

Anti-Open Grazing

The Kaduna Command of the Nigerian Police has summoned former Governor of the state, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, and other top chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In the summons letter dated September 4, 2025, the ADC members were invited for questioning over alleged incitement of public disturbance, criminal conspiracy, mischief, and causing grievous hurt.

Signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Uzainu Abdullahi, the letter said the invited individuals are required to come and clarify the allegations against them.

“This Department is currently investigating the above-mentioned case involving the following members of your party. You are requested to come along with them to SCID to clarify allegations reported against them by the complainants on 8th September, 2025.

“Mal. Nasir El-Rufa’i, Bashir Sa’idu, Jafaru Sani, Ubaidullah Mohammed, aka 30, Nasiru Maikano, Aminu Abita, and Ahmed Rufa’i Hussaini, aka Mikiya,” the letter reads.

Sani, one of the invited members and ADC North-West Vice Chairman, told Daily Trust that he learned of the invitation through social media.

“Yes, most of us only saw the statement on social media,” he said, declining further comments.

The development followed the heated exchanges between the Kaduna State government and El-Rufai over the violence that rocked an ADC meeting in the state last week.

The government accused the former Governor of plotting to cause destabilisation in the state through provocative actions and inflammatory statements.

In a statement signed by Dr. Suleiman Shuaibu, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, the government said it wouldn’t sit idle and watch El-Rufai plunge the state back into violence, division, and insecurity.

“This Government will not fold its arms and allow a discredited former leader, who left the state in ruins, to ignite chaos and plunge the state into another era of ethno-religious tension, insecurity, and economic stagnation,” the statement read.

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