SUPREME COURT ORDERS OLD N200, N500, N1000 NOTES TO REMAIN LEGAL TENDER TILL DEC 31

The Supreme Court has ordered that old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes remain in circulation till December 31, 2023.

The apex court on Friday, also nullified the Federal Government’s naira redesign policy, declaring it as an affront to the 1999 Constitution.

Justice Emmanuel Agim, who read the lead judgement, held that the preliminary objections by the defendants (the Attorney General of the Federation, Bayelsa and Edo states) are dismissed as the court has the jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

According to the court, the policy has led to some people engaging in trade by barter in this modern age in a bid to survive. The court added that the President’s disobedience of the February 8 order, is a sign of dictatorship.

The apex court further held that President Muhammadu Buhari in his broadcast admitted that the policy is flawed with a lot of challenges.Citing Section 23(2)1 of the constitution, the court held that the dispute between the Federal Government and states must involve law or facts.Sixteen states of the Federation instituted the suit to challenge the legality or otherwise of the introduction of the policy.The suit initially instituted by Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states has been slated as the first case on the cause list for a final verdict.Justice John Inyang Okoro who led a seven-man panel of Justices of the Court had on February 22 fixed today for the court to make its decision known on the suit.

The 16 states led by Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara are praying the apex court to void and set aside the policy on the ground that it is inflicting hardships on innocent Nigerians

They accused the President of usurping the function of the CBN in the introduction and implementation of the policy and asked that the directive issued by Buhari be voided. 

Governors in attendance to witness the judgement in court on Friday include Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state, Yahaya Bello of Kogi state and Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle.

BRT DRIVER KNOCKS DOWN MOTHER AND CHILD

A 26-year-old woman, Reni Akapo, has been crushed to death by a yet-to-be-identified Bus Rapid Transit driver at Union Road, Dopemu, in the Agege area of Lagos State.

The deceased’s one-year old daughter was knocked down alongside her mother but is currently undergoing treatment at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

The duo were reportedly trying to cross the BRT lane to link another road when they were rammed into by the bus driver.

A witness , Uche, said onlookers swiftly attended to salvage the situation and rushed both mother and child to the hospital.

“After the accident, people started pouring water on the woman’s face; her daughter was unconscious. The woman’s pain was too much, but people rushed her to a hospital. It was later that I got to know that she died.”

A resident, identified simply as Remilekun, said after the accident, the driver abandoned the bus on the dedicated lane and fled.

The husband of the victim , Monday, accused LASUTH of abandoning his wife till she gave up.

“My neighbour, who hired a cab to convey my wife and daughter to the hospital, said despite getting there for an hour, no doctor or nurse attended to her. My daughter is still hospitalised, but I have conveyed my wife’s corpse to Togo for burial.”

The Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, LASUTH, Prof. Adebowale Adekoya, refuted Monday’s claims , disclosing that Reini died on arrival.

He further stated that the child is alive because of the instantaneous care she received on arrival.

“The child is now going to be moved from the emergency unit to the ward and you can physically confirm that by visiting the hospital.” 

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the incident was not reported to any station, adding that agents were deployed to the decision when they heard .


“But immediately the police got wind of it, policemen from the Shasha division proceeded to the scene. The driver was apprehended and detained, while the vehicle was towed away.

“After 24 hours of waiting to see if someone will come to the station to give useful information on the identity and whereabouts of the woman, the driver was released to a reliable surety as the case has not been concluded.

“But with the new development about the woman’s death, the surety will be contacted to provide the driver so the investigation could be updated accordingly.”

The Managing Director, Lagos Bus Services, Idowu Oguntona, has not made any statement regarding the incident as at the time of filing this report.

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