Court rejects Lissu’s bid to block evidence

Dar es Salaam. Chadema chairman Tundu Lissu yesterday suffered a setback in his ongoing treason case after the High Court dismissed his attempts to block part of the prosecution’s evidence.

Mr Lissu argued that he was unaware of the charges against him and insisted that certain testimony presented by the prosecution was irrelevant to the case. The case, being heard at the High Court (Subordinate Courts) in Dar es Salaam, revolves around allegations that Mr Lissu, on April 3, 2025, incited the public to disrupt the upcoming General Election and threatened the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania.

He faces a single count of treason under Section 39(2)(d) of the Penal Code, based on statements he allegedly made that were aimed at halting the 2025 polls. During yesterday’s proceedings, Mr Lissu raised objections twice during the testimony of the first prosecution witness, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) George Wilbard Bagemu.

ACP Bagemu, who serves as Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations for the Dar es Salaam Special Zone (DZCO), was testifying about a video clip showing Lissu making various statements included in the charge sheet. Mr Lissu objected to parts of the witness’s testimony, claiming that statements such as police carrying ballot boxes with alleged fake votes into polling stations were not contained in the formal charges and, therefore, should not be admitted into evidence.

However, the court rejected Mr Lissu’s objections. Representing the prosecution, Principal State Attorney Nassoro Katuga argued that it is the responsibility of the prosecution to present all relevant evidence.

He said that the witness should not be precluded from giving testimony and that the defence would still have the opportunity to cross-examine the witness on any points raised. Mr Lissu maintained that allowing such testimony could open the door for the prosecution to introduce other evidence not directly connected to the charges.

He insisted that under the law, evidence not explicitly mentioned in the charge sheet should not be included in the court record. After considering submissions from both sides, Principal Judge of the High Court Dunstan Ndunguru, leading a three-judge panel with judges James Karayemaha and Ferdinand Kiwonde, ruled that the court has the ultimate authority to determine whether evidence is relevant to the charges.

He noted that the witness would continue to provide testimony and that the accused would have the opportunity to cross-examine him later. During his testimony, ACP Bagemu also cited additional statements allegedly made by Mr Lissu, claiming that judges are loyal to the president and affiliated with the ruling party, CCM and that they preferred appointments to the Court of Appeal.

Mr Lissu objected again, arguing that these remarks were not mentioned in the charge sheet and therefore irrelevant to the case. The court, however, dismissed this objection as well, reiterating that it is the court’s role to assess the relevance of all evidence presented.

Mr Lissu first appeared in court on April 10, 2025, at the Resident Magistrate’s Court in Kisutu, Dar es Salaam, for preliminary proceedings, which included pre-trial investigations and the completion of evidence collection. Following the conclusion of investigations, the case was formally transferred to the High Court on August 18, 2025, for full hearing.

The court hearings are being closely monitored by members of the public and political analysts, as the case has attracted significant attention given its implications for political discourse and the upcoming general election. Legal experts note that the case raises important questions about freedom of expression, the boundaries of political speech and the interpretation of treason laws in Tanzania.

Mr Lissu has remained defiant throughout the proceedings, insisting that he is being unfairly targeted for political reasons. His defence team, led by senior advocates John Seka, Edson Kilatu and Jasper Sabuni, has consistently challenged the prosecution’s evidence and procedures, arguing that the case lacks merit and that the charges are politically motivated.

The prosecution, represented by Principal State Attorney Nassoro Katuga and a team of four lawyers, maintains that all evidence presented is crucial to proving that Mr Lissu deliberately attempted to incite public unrest and obstruct the democratic process. As the trial continues, both sides are expected to present further evidence and the court will determine whether Mr Lissu’s statements constitute treason under Tanzanian law.

The proceedings remain a focal point of national debate as Tanzania prepares for its 2025 General Election. .

Kenya converts $3.5 billion loans from China into yuan to cut interest

Nairobi. Kenya has completed converting three railway construction dollar-denominated loans from China into yuan in order to save on interest payments, its Finance Minister John Mbadi said on Tuesday.

The swap, which allows the floating, dollar-based interest rates across the three loans from China Exim Bank to drop into their lower, yuan-based rates, will save the country about $215 million a year, Mbadi told reporters. “It kicks off immediately and it is a saving in our fiscal space,” Mbadi told journalists at a briefing, without providing a figure for the outstanding loan amounts that were converted.

The East African nation borrowed three loans amounting to $5 billion in 2014 and 2015 for the construction of a modern railway line from the port city of Mombasa to a station near the Rift Valley town of Naivasha in the hinterland. The outstanding loans stood at a total of $3.5 billion by June last year, figures from the finance ministry showed.

China has not commented on the currency switch. Apart from the financial relief, Kenyan officials attribute the currency switch to the fact that the East African nation’s debt is concentrated in dollars, exposing the government to higher currency and interest rate risks.

About 68% of the stock of Kenya’s external debt is denominated in dollars, according to government officials. President William Ruto’s government has been trying to cut its overall debt, which stands close to 70% of gross domestic product, in order to make repayments more manageable.

The government has revamped its debt management strategy to smooth out its maturity curve and lighten the pressure on public coffers. It has also been turning to securitisation of revenue to raise funds for key projects like the extension of the railway from Naivasha to the Ugandan border, and the upgrading of its main airport in Nairobi.

A team from the International Monetary Fund is currently in Kenya for talks on a new Fund-supported programme after the expiry of the last one in April. Mbadi said the talks were going well.

“We need the IMF,” he said. “Yes, our economic conditions have improved but we must not lose sight that we need more concessional loans and they come from multilaterals like the IMF and the World Bank.

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Shettima warns PENGASSAN: ‘Dangote is an Institution, don’t mess with him’

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday issued a stern caution to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), urging the union to exercise restraint in its dealings with Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and his conglomerate.

Speaking during a plenary session at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit held in Abuja, Shettima described Dangote as ‘an institution in Nigeria’s economic parlance’, warning that any attempt to undermine him could send damaging signals to foreign investors about the nation’s commitment to supporting homegrown enterprise.

‘Aliko Dangote is an institution in Nigeria’s economic parlance, and how we treat this gentleman will determine how outsiders will judge us,’ Shettima declared.

‘If he had invested $10 billion in Microsoft, Amazon, or Google, he would probably be worth $70 to $80 billion by now, but he chose to invest in his country. We owe it to future generations to jealously protect and promote him,’ he added.

The Vice President’s remarks come amid recent tension between PENGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery over alleged labour issues, a dispute that has drawn public attention and raised questions about the industrial harmony within Nigeria’s critical energy sector.

Shettima stressed that national interest must take precedence over organisational disputes, adding that labour and the private sector must handle conflicts with tact and patriotism.

‘I wish to call for more caution from both labour and the organised private sector in defining and improving the relationship between labour and industry,’ he said.

‘Nigeria is greater than PENGASSAN. Nigeria is greater than each and every one of us,’ he added.

He urged the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) to intervene by proposing actionable recommendations that would preserve the stability of major industries while ensuring fair labour practices.

‘The government is hereby tasking the NESG to take more than a passing interest in the matter. We expect recommendations from the NESG in addressing this issue, even as the government takes steps to protect big industry,’ Shettima stated.

The Vice President reiterated that his message was not partisan but a call for unity and strategic collaboration to secure Nigeria’s economic growth.

‘I’m not coming to you as partisan. I’m coming in search of solutions to our national challenges. The fortunes of our economy depend on how we protect those who invest in it,’ Shettima stated.

Judiciary workers fault Osun CJ’s “inaction” on prolonged strike

The Osun chapter of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has said that the attitude of the state Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo, to its ongoing strike is not encouraging.

Consequently, the union has urged Ojo to find a lasting solution to the issues surrounding the industrial action which has entered its third week.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that JUSUN had, on Sept. 19, embarked on a strike to compel Judicial Service Commission to consider promotions for its members for 2024 and 2025.

The union also wants the commission to organise training for judiciary staff members at the National Judicial Institute’s capacity-building programmes, among others.

Chairman of JUSUN in the state, Idris Adeniyan, in a statement issued on Tuesday in Osogbo, said that the chief judge had refused to engage the union leadership on the strike.

Adeniyan said that this was not in the interest of the union members’ welfare and that of the general public.

According to him, the union is dissatisfied with the ongoing strike, without any resolution in sight by the chief judge.

‘Her lordship’s abrupt departure from the state on the day the strike commenced without any step to resolve the issue is not encouraging,’ he said.

Adeniyan, however, said that the union had scheduled a meeting for Friday with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in the state to resolve the issue.

He commended members of the union for their total compliance with the strike.

How Ruth Kadiri pushed me into YouTube filmmaking – Omotola

Nollywood star Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has revealed that her colleague, Ruth Kadiri, was the driving force behind her decision to embrace YouTube filmmaking.

The veteran actress made the disclosure during an interview on the Nollywood on Radio podcast, where she recounted how Kadiri persistently encouraged her to join the digital film revolution.

Omotola, 47, said the conversation happened in 2023 while she was on vacation.

‘I came on vacation in 2023, and Ruth called me. She said, ‘Mama, do you know what’s going on? There’s a whole revolution with YouTube.’ She showed me numbers and everything,’ Omotola said.

According to her, Kadiri described YouTube as a ‘phenomenal’ platform that gives creators control over their content.

‘She told me, ‘You can do what you want on YouTube, but I think you should get in on this. You would do very well.’ She didn’t let me rest,’ Omotola added.

Eventually, the pressure paid off.

‘That girl gave me no peace of mind. So I called my producer and said, ‘Let’s just try something.’ We shot the first project in four days and used the fifth day for cleanup. I surprised myself. I was thankful to her for giving me the courage to try.’

Omotola said the success of her first YouTube project inspired her to shoot Mother’s Love, a feature film that later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

‘Mother’s Love came because I was under pressure. I just told my producer, ‘What if we did a feature film?’ and that was it. We started planning immediately and shot it in less than two weeks,’ she said.

The actress admitted she initially felt self-conscious about her return to the screen but decided to push through.

‘It took long to release because I was scared people might laugh at me or say it wasn’t good enough,’ she added.

Omotola’s move to YouTube marks a major shift in Nollywood, as more filmmakers explore the platform to reach global audiences.

Last year, Ruth Kadiri explained her own transition to YouTube, saying it allowed her more creative freedom away from the ‘too many regulations’ in traditional Nigerian film production.

How a ‘string vest’ claim may send Damilare Ajao to jail

A City investment banker, Damilare Ajao, may be heading to jail after falsely claiming that his female manager sexually harassed him by commenting on his string vest.

Ajao, who worked with German finance giant Commerzbank in London, had alleged that his boss made flirtatious remarks about seeing his vest through his shirt and even tried to touch his Gucci belt buckle in the staff canteen.

But the claims, which formed the basis of his 2019 employment tribunal suit against the bank, were later dismissed by Judge Anthony Snelson, who ruled that Ajao’s story was ‘false and in large part made up’, calling it ‘pure invention.’

Now, Commerzbank has dragged the former banker back to court, accusing him of ‘wicked lies’ and seeking to have him jailed for contempt. If found guilty, Ajao could spend up to two years in prison.

According to the bank’s lawyers, Ajao’s fabricated allegations caused severe psychological distress to the female manager, identified only as Q, who has since developed a serious psychiatric illness.

‘What Mr Ajao has done is to manufacture a wholly bogus claim of sexual assault and harassment,’ the bank’s lawyer, Louis Browne KC, told the High Court. ‘He did that to obtain compensation, and those false allegations have had a very detrimental effect on Q’s health.’

But Ajao insists he did not lie. His defence lawyer, Sasha Wass KC, argued that he genuinely believed he was a victim of harassment, saying he merely ‘perceived’ the comments about his vest to be inappropriate.

‘She says it happened once and didn’t mean it sexually,’ Wass said. ‘He says it happened more than once and took it as a sexual comment. There’s room here for a grey area.’

The case continues, but for Ajao, what started as a workplace complaint over a string vest may now end with the loss of his freedom.

Embargo on Admission: OAU queries Law firm for operating without License

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has responded to a law firm that issued a pre-action notice against the university concerning alleged irregularities in its Post-UTME process and admission, PM News has gathered.

In a reply dated October 4, 2025, OAU’s Legal Unit pointed out that the letter from the lawyer, Kene Nnadi of F.K. Nnadi and Co., Enugu State, carried a 2024 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal.

This, the university noted, shows that the lawyer had not renewed his practicing license for 2025.

The university therefore asked him to prove that he is qualified to practice law for the current year, as required by professional regulations.

PM News reports that In a letter signed by the Director of Legal Services, Yinka Ayantola, OAU stated:

‘It is our observation that the seal you affixed to your letter is your 2024 seal.

As you know, you must pay your practicing fee for 2025 before you can act as a lawyer.

We therefore request that you confirm your right to practice for this year as required by the relevant regulations.’

Earlier, the law firm had sued OAU and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) over alleged issues in their Post-UTME exercise.

Queen Camilla mourns English writer Dame Jilly Cooper

English author and novelist, Dame Jilly Cooper, has passed on at the age of 88. The famous author, known for her best selling books like The Rutshire Chronicles, was mourned by the British royal family.

Queen Camilla led the tributes for Cooper, regarding her as a compassionate friend.

‘May her hereafter be filled with impossibly handsome men and devoted dogs. Very few writers get to be a legend in their own lifetime but Jilly was one, creating a whole new genre of literature and making it her own through a career that spanned over five decades. I join my husband The King in sending our thoughts and sympathies to all her family.’ she said.’ she said.

Cooper’s children, Felix and Emily also expressed their grief, stating that their late mother’s love knew no bonds.

‘Mum was the shining light in all of our lives. Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds. Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock. We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can’t begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us,’ they said.

The author, was reported to have passed way on Sunday morning, after a fall.

N200m gone? EFCC arraigns accountant in Lagos

ýThe Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, October 6, 2025, arraigned one Oguibe Promise Nkwachukwu and his company, Wifamapp Royalty Global Limited, on a 13-count charge bordering on stealing before Justice R.A. Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.

Specifically, he was arraigned for allegedly stealing the sum of N200,000, 000 while serving as an accountant of Travelstar Web Logistics Limited

One of the counts read: ‘That you, Oguibe Promise Nkwachukwu, being the alter ego of Wifamapp Royalty Global Limited and Wifamapp Royalty Global Limited, being a company incorporated in Nigeria sometime in March, 2020 in Nigeria, within the Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of $ 36,000 (Thirty Six Thousand United States America Dollars), property of Travelstar Web Logistics Limited entrusted to you, being the custodian as an accountant to the Travelstar Web Logistics Limited, thereby committed an offence stealing, contrary to Section 280(1) (b) and (2) (f) and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.’

Another count read: ‘That you, Oguibe Promise Nkwachukwu, being the alter ego of Wifamapp Royalty Global Limited and Wifamapp Royalty Global Limited, being a company incorporated in Nigeria sometime between 29th January, 2018 and July, 2018 in Nigeria, within the Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of $ 156,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand United States America Dollars), property of Travelstar Web Logistics Limited entrusted to you, being the custodian as an accountant to the Travelstar Web Logistics limited, thereby committed an offence Stealing, contrary to Section 280(1) (b) and (2) (f) and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.’

He pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges when they were read to him.

Following his plea, prosecution counsel, A.A. Usman, asked the court for a trial date for the prosecution to open its case and also prayed the court to remand the suspect at a Correctional Centre.

The defence counsel, Kelvin C. Uzozie, informed the court of a pending bail application on behalf of his client and also pleaded that the defendant be remanded in the EFCC custody .

After listening to both parties, Justice Oshodi adjourned till October 17, 2025 for the hearing of the bail application and also ordered the remand of the defendant at the Correctional Centre, Kirikiri, Lagos.

Breaking: Geoffrey Nnaji resigns as Minister from Tinubu’s cabinet, gives crucial reason

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accepted the resignation of Mr Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, following allegations reportedly levelled against him.

Nnaji, who was appointed in August 2023, tendered his resignation in a letter to the President on Tuesday, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve the nation.

In his letter, the former minister claimed he had become the target of ‘persistent blackmail and political attacks’ orchestrated by opponents seeking to tarnish his reputation.

‘I thank Your Excellency for the privilege to serve and contribute to the administration’s vision of a more innovative and technologically advanced Nigeria,’ Nnaji reportedly stated in his letter.

President Tinubu, while acknowledging the resignation, commended Nnaji for his service to the country and wished him success in his future pursuits.

The announcement was contained in a statement signed by Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, dated 7 October 2025.