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Tag: DPP

  • Baba Ijesha: Lagos to prosecute Yomi Fabiyi for contempt over release of movie, Oko Iyabo

    Baba Ijesha: Lagos to prosecute Yomi Fabiyi for contempt over release of movie, Oko Iyabo

    The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) on Monday said it will prosecute a controversial Yoruba actor, Yomi Fabiyi, for contempt of court over production of ‘Oko Iyabo.’

    In the movie, Omiyinka Olanrewaju aka Baba Ijesha, who is being tried for allegedly raping a minor, was portrayed as being innocent of the charges against him.

    The movie has drawn a backlash from viewers and celebrities while many people have reported it on YouTube.

    The DPP director and prosecution counsel, Olayinka Adeyemi, said Mr Fabiyi made a movie from the facts of Baba Ijesha’s ongoing alleged rape case using the real names of the defendants and the survivor of the case.

    Ms Adeyemi also pleaded with the court to exclude him (Fabiyi) from the court proceeding. Fabiyi was not present at the court on Monday.

    “Despite the warnings of this honourable court, an actor called Yomi Fabiyi went ahead and made a movie about the facts of this case,” she said.

    “He used the real names of the parties and witnesses in this matter in the movie. Our application is to exclude him, his privies and his agents from proceedings in court.

    “He is not in court at the moment but his representatives may be in court. This is contempt of court and we intend to prosecute him and bring him before this court,” the DPP prosecution counsel said.

    The judge, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, responded and said the matter will be investigated.

    “This case is subjudice and you are not to be making videos and disparaging comments on social media. This needs to be investigated, let’s see whether it is true, she said.”

    Meanwhile, Dada Awosika , one of Baba Ijesha’s defence counsel, argued that he has seen the movie and it has no relation to the judicial proceedings.

    He added that, “The movie is about the controversy between two artists – Yomi Fabiyi and Iyabo Ojo” and they are not involved in the case.

    During the court proceeding, comedienne cum actress and foster mother of the complainant, Damilola Adekoya better known as Princess, gave a witness account of how she met and groomed Baba Ijesha.

    Yoruba actress Iyabo Ojo and comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, were in court during the proceedings to support Princess.

  • DPP cancels bail possibility for Nollywood sex offender “Baba Ijesha”

    DPP cancels bail possibility for Nollywood sex offender “Baba Ijesha”

    The Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), Lagos State Ministry of Justice, has stalled any possibility of releasing Olanrewaju James, popularly known as, “Baba Ijesha” on bail.

    According to it, this is based on criminal charges he had to answer to.

    The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, made the disclosure to newsmen on Friday at the Police Public Relations Office, Oduduwa, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos State.

    Baba Ijesha was arrested in April for defiling a minor.

    Adejobi said that the DPP advised the police to still detain Baba Ijesha, because the case against him, according to legal advice, is sexual assault by penetration, pending when he would be charged to court.

    “Invariably sexual assault is more like defilement too, considering the age of the victim.

    “So, Baba Ijesha is being kept with the police not within our own power, but because of the legal advice from the DPP pending when Baba Ijesha’s case will be charged to court.

    “If the DPP has advised us to release Baba Ijesha, we will have released him,” the spokesperson said.

    According to Adejobi, Baba Ijesha’s case was initially bailable, based on the statement that his offense was based on indecent assault which was a bailable offense.

    “However, after the DPP investigated the case file, the police advised not to release Baba Ijesha on bail pending when he will be charged to court.

    “The DPP said tha,t there are a number of cases Baba Ijesha will be charged for, particularly sexual assault by penetration, which is a serious offense,” he said.

    In addition, Adejobi said that police cells were managed and decongested to avoid overcrowding inmates.

    He said that most of the cases currently at their disposal were bailable offenses and they had been bailed while unbailable cases that were not yet in court, were granted tentative bail.

    “By tentative bail, the offender goes home, only after providing a substantive surety that assures to produce the offender as and when due, so our cells are well managed and not congested,” Adejobi said.

    He, however, said that several cases that make up offenders in police custody were pending cases attached to court and still within the police facilities.

    “As a result of the COVID-19 test, we can’t take them to correctional centres.

    “But they will be within our custody which makes up a number of cases we have now,” the police spokesperson said.

  • Ekiti 2018: DPP holds guber primaries May 10

    Ekiti 2018: DPP holds guber primaries May 10

    The National Chairman of the Democratic Peoples’ Party (DPP), Mr Garshon Benson, said on Thursday that the party would on May 10 hold its primaries for the Ekiti governorship election.

    Benson said the party would hold credible primaries and was seriously preparing for it.

    He said DPP would ensure that a credible candidate would emerge as its flag bearer for the July 14 governorship poll.

    He said that three aspirants had already indicated interest to contest for the governorship seat under the party.

    “We are confident that INEC will do a good job by creating enabling environment and a level playing ground for all political parties and their candidates to participate in the poll.

    “We believe we are going to give a proper account of ourselves in Ekiti when the time comes.

    “All the three aspirants that have declared their intension so far are popular and they are sons of the state.

    “It is the delegates that will decide who will be the party’s flag bearer,’’ he said.

    Benson, however, advised those had yet to register in the ongoing nationwide continuous voter registration to do so.

    “We encourage anybody that is 18 years and above that had not registered to go and register and get his or her PVC.

    “It is with your PVCs that you can determine the fate of any government. You can vote in or vote out any government,’’ he said.

  • DPP lauds Senate for rejecting El-Rufai’s $350m World Bank loan

    The Democratic People’s Party (DPP) on Wednesday praised the Senate for rejecting the 350 million dollars loan application by the Kaduna State Government.

    The National Chairman of the party, Mr Garshon Benson newsmen in Abuja that the rejection of the loan application was in the interest of people and future of the state.

    “My party’s view is that the National Assembly acted very well by rejecting that loan application from Kaduna State, under the leadership of Gov. El Rrufai.

    “From the information available to all of us, the National Assembly made us to know that Kaduna state is the second worse debtor states in the federation indebted to the tune of over 200 million dollars

    “So adding more debt is not the best for the people of Kaduna state.

    “We had expected Gov. El Rufai, given his wealth of experience in public life, to have tried to open up alternative sources of revenue for his state and increasing the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    “That will have reduced the pressure of lack of funds on the state and make more funds available for development.

    “So, I praise the courage of the Senate Committee that did the job and the position of the entire Senate.’’

    The Senate recently rejected the request by the Kaduna State Government to obtain a $350 million loan from the World Bank.

    The three Senators from the state, Shehu Sani, APC, Kaduna Central; Suleiman Hunkuyi, APC, Kaduna north and La’ah Danjuma, PDP, Kaduna South said that it became imperative for the credit facility to be rejected because critical stakeholders from the state were never consulted and for the fact that the fact that the state was already heavily indebted.

    Benson said that the action of the Senate had saved Kaduna state and its economy from increased indebtedness.

    He, therefore, advised Nigerians not to see the rejection of the loan application as political vendetta.

    He said if the loan was approved, those that would suffer the consequences would be the unborn children of the state.

    “It is our view that Kaduna can raise its Internally Generated Revenue in such a way that they can take care of salary payment without touching their federal allocation.

    “If the state can generate IGR to pay salary, it will have a lot of money left over to meet other developmental needs.’’

    Benson also advised other state governors to take proactive measures to increase their revenue base rather that increasing their debt profile.

    He said that one of the reasons most states’ debt profiles were increasing was that political office holders failed to adequately prepare for the positions they were occupying.

    “Before you want to be a governor, president or Local Government chairman, you should be able to conduct research to know how healthy is the state you want to run in terms of economic viability.

    “How much is the salary wage bill per month? How much is the state of liquidation? What per month is income that comes to the state, both from federal and IGR.’’

    “Most of them are not prepared. That is why some of them would want to add to the existing debt, rather than thinking of how to reduce or add value to the income of the state.’’