A High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has sentenced the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Francis Idu, to prison for failing to comply with a court ruling regarding the use of a disputed parcel of land in the Yenizue-gene community.

The ruling stems from a judgment delivered on November 26, 2016, in suit number YHC/210/2014, which upheld a prior Court of Appeal decision in appeal suit number CA/PH/170/2018.

The verdict favoured nine families from the Yenizue-gene community over land currently occupied by the state’s security outfit, Operation Doo-Akpo.

The lead counsel for the claimants, Barrister Ukunbiriowei Saiyou, confirmed during a press briefing that the court issued the imprisonment order following a ruling by the presiding judge, Honorable Justice R. Ajuwa, on December 27, 2024.

He stated, “The claimants initiated committal proceedings against the Commissioner of Police in 2022 due to his noncompliance with a court ruling.”

According to him, the police failed to appear before the court or challenge previous decisions.

The final application for committal was determined in 2024, leading to the judge’s order for the Commissioner’s imprisonment.

The claimants have urged the Inspector General of Police to intervene, ensuring that the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police complies with the Court of Appeal’s judgment delivered in Port Harcourt on June 10, 2021, or risk facing arrest.

Saiyou further explained, “Since Saipem vacated the land in Asam, situated along Elebele-Opolo Road and now housing Operation Doo-Akpo, our clients have been unlawfully denied possession of their property.”

He pointed out that the police and Operation Doo-Akpo continue to occupy the land without the consent of the families, despite both the High Court and Court of Appeal ruling in their favour.

Representatives of the affected families, Chief Honest Boye Wilson and Hon. Manager Fabiri, also spoke on the matter, stressing their commitment to legal means in reclaiming their property.

“We remain peaceful and law-abiding citizens. We will not engage in public demonstrations against either the state government or the police,” they stated in a joint release.

When contacted for a response, the spokesperson for the Bayelsa State Police Command, ASP Musa Mohammed, said: “The Bayelsa Police Command is not aware of this. But if you have the court document, please kindly send it to me on WhatsApp for proper findings.”

The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has upheld the January 18, 2018, ruling of the Federal High Court, which proscribed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and designated it a terrorist organization.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, a three-member panel of justices unanimously ruled that the Federal Government acted within the law in banning IPOB, citing its activities as a threat to national security and stability.

Justice Hamma Barka, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed IPOB’s appeal as lacking merit and affirmed the earlier decision of the Federal High Court.

A Federal High Court has granted bail to the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore, in the sum of ₦10 million with one surety in like sum.

The trial judge, Justice Musa Liman, ruled that the surety must be a responsible individual who owns landed property of equivalent value.

The original property documents, along with a passport photograph, must be submitted to the court registrar.

Additionally, the court directed Sowore to surrender his international passport.

Justice Liman gave him 24 hours to meet the bail conditions or face remand by the police until the requirements are fulfilled.

Sowore was invited by the police on January 27, 2025, for questioning at the Force Criminal Investigation Department.

Although he was granted administrative bail, he rejected the conditions and remained in custody.

Following his continued detention, the police filed a 16-count charge against him under the Cybercrime Act.

One of the charges alleges that on December 20, 2024, Sowore referred to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, as the “illegal IG of the Nigeria Police Force” in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Another count accuses him of sharing a picture of Egbetokun with the caption: “Mediocrity, incompetence, corruption, a country run by characterless people cannot make progress.”

He is also alleged to have written, “IGP Kayode Egbetokun will destroy the Nigeria Police if we don’t act now.”

Sowore pleaded not guilty to all 16 charges.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced plans to stage a nationwide protest on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, in opposition to the proposed 50% increase in telecommunication tariffs.

In a communiqué issued after its National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting in Abuja, NLC President Joe Ajaero stated that the one-day demonstration would take place across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The union also warned of further actions against state governments and employers who fail to implement the N70,000 national minimum wage and the necessary salary adjustments before the end of the first quarter of 2025.

“To resist this unjust tariff hike, NLC will hold a nationwide mass rally on February 4, 2025. This protest will highlight the dangers of imposing such an increase on Nigerians who are already struggling with a minimum wage of N70,000, soaring fuel prices, high food costs, rising electricity tariffs, and worsening inflation,” the statement read.

NLC has instructed all its affiliates and state councils to begin mobilizing workers and supporters ahead of the protest, urging civil society organizations to also join the cause.

The labour body called for an immediate suspension of the proposed tariff hike and urged the federal government, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the National Assembly to engage in meaningful discussions with stakeholders to review the proposed increase in light of the country’s economic challenges.

Describing the 50% hike as unfair and insensitive, NLC condemned it as a direct assault on workers and the public, who are already struggling under severe economic hardship.

“If our demands are not met, NLC will escalate its actions, including a potential nationwide boycott of telecommunications services and further mass protests, which may involve the withdrawal of our services to resist policies that worsen poverty and inequality,” the communiqué warned.

On the issue of the minimum wage, Mohammed Ibrahim, President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and NLC’s National Internal Auditor, stressed that state governments and institutions failing to implement the new wage policy would face serious consequences.

Speaking at SSANU’s National Leadership Retreat in Abuja, Ibrahim criticized some states and employers for treating the wage increase as a mere announcement rather than fully implementing it.

“The national minimum wage has been signed into law, and payments should have commenced across the country. However, in many institutions and states, the figures announced have not been backed by actual payments,” he said.

He also noted that several state governments only acted after NLC’s intervention, signing rushed agreements that have yet to be implemented.

“But I am glad that the NLC is actively engaging on this issue. It was only after the directive that any state failing to implement the new wage would face a strike that governors started signing agreements, many of which are not being honored,” Ibrahim added.