The presidency is not yet done with Leadership newspapers over the publication in the April 3, 2013 edition of the newspaper of a purported “Bromide of the Presidential Directive” with the logo of the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which the presidency described as a forgery.

One month after the federal government dropped its charges against the newspapers, the federal government’s prosecutor, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), on June 19 filed new charges, comprising 11 counts before an Abuja High Court.

Included in the charge is a proof of evidence, which includes a list of witnesses and statements made by the accused persons.

The case has been assigned to Justice Usman Musale sitting at Kubwa Division of the court. Justice Musale granted the prosection leave to prefer the new charges last Wednesday.
A copy of the charges obtained by THISDAY showed that the Leadership journalists will be arraigned on Thursday, June 27.

Those charged are the news editor, Mr. Tony Amokeodo; political reporter; Mr. Chibuzor Ukaibe; and the Leadership Group Limited.

The same persons were last month charged before a Federal High Court but were discharged following an application to withdraw the charges.
The charges were apparently withdrawn because the Federal High Court was not the proper forum to have charged them.

However, the federal government has increased the charges from six counts to 11 in the fresh charges.

Some of the offences with which they were charged ranged from conspiracy to commit felony, forgery, making false documents and dishonestly using a false document as genuine.

However, there are also new charges including the attempt to excite feelings of disaffection against the person of the president through the false document published in Leadership newspaper. The offence is said to be punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Act.

They were also charged with the intent to cause alarm among the public whereby members of the public may be induced to commit an offence against public peace and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Act.

Count 11 reads: “That you Tony Agboola Amokeodo, Chibuzor Ukaibe on or about the 3rd day of April 2013 at Abuja within the Federal Capital Territory under the jurisdiction of this honourable court did commit an offence to wit: Having in your possession without lawful excuse a document titled ‘Presidential Directive’, the publication of which is capable of exciting feelings of disaffection against the person of the president and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 419 of the Penal Code (Northern States) Federal Provision Act, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court had last month discharged the journalists and also struck out the six-count charge following the federal government’s notice of withdrawal/discontinuance of the criminal charges against the newspaper, Amokeodo and Ukaibe.
Before government withdrew the charges, the journalists through their lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, had filed a notice of preliminary objection to the charges filed against Leadership and the journalists.

Falana had said the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit. He argued that the charges brought against the accused persons related only to forgery and not to any loss of revenue by the federal government.

Arguing that the court lacked the jurisdiction to try the accused persons, Falana said: “In the instant case, the charge brought against the accused persons discloses no loss of revenue by the federal government to cloth the Federal High Court with the jurisdiction to entertain same.”

Source:www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-files-fresh-charges-against-leadership-journalists/151468/

Na today?

why na?

Ok

Charge them 3000000 naira

Ok

Na wa ooo

Never fight the government

i dont read any shaaaiiit about fg

So they can sue organisations abi..

But if na time to sue them, them go dey claim immunity.. SMTBGDH... Rubbish

na was o. anyway hope they win

Freedom of expression is the right of every citizen of a democratic nation. Well, i guess Nigeria is not a democracy yet.

FF dey hammer with the opposition oo,how he charges them low,because he is one of the leading counsel the "opposition" are using in most court cases. Isnt his chamber a branch of the APC?

Texas.Cowboy:
Freedom of expression is the right of every citizen of a democratic nation. Well, i guess Nigeria is not a democracy yet.

So freedom of expression includes writing outright falsehoods and forging a presidential seal??..
If the journalists are innocent let them prove it in court..

IMO, even if that document was not forged but meant to be a discreet government internal document, then they are collaborating with moles in the govt which a patriotic team should not.

If they forged that document, then that is playing dirty

Either way, Leadership newspaper hasn't my sympathy.

Count 11 is PUNISHABLE under THIS LAW? Lolz! :
Section 419 of the Penal Code
(Northern States) Federal Provision Act, Laws of
the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja
I NO FIT SHOUT

When the FG withdrew that case there seemed to be great jubilations and shouts of victory especially among opposition members. But then my apprehension grew so red cos I know that this particular issue wasnt a one the govt could take with a pinch of salt.
The FG seems to have a good case here cos if that document LN published was not forged I believe it must not be a public document ( an A-Classified document) and therefore it'd be illegal for them to have possession of it. If they actually forged it! Eh, na loooonnnngggg thing dem don enter so. And that's why Falana did not go into defending them but rather started by challenging the competence of the earlier court to handle the case. Now we wait for the battle that will either bring the PDP down for good or the opposition. But the trial judge am sure must always be putting Ayo Salami in mind when making his decisions.

As far as Nigerian law is concerned,the FG does not have a good case because SEDITION is not a purnishable offence in Nigeria. And there is nothing like insighting the public,everybody has the right of expression. It is the duty of the FG to enlighten the public more anytime she feels the source of information is deformative.

Aside the forging of document, far as Nigerian law is concerned,the FG does not have a good case because SEDITION is not a purnishable offence in Nigeria. And there is nothing like insighting the public,everybody has the right of expression. It is the duty of the FG to enlighten the public more anytime she feels the source of information is deformative.

Texas.Cowboy:
Freedom of expression is the right of every citizen of a democratic nation. Well, i guess Nigeria is not a democracy yet.

Read the charges well, it's says forgery.

Nigeria's press freedom is one of the best in the whole wide world.

But no one has the right to forge documents.

Meanwhile, their lawyers are capable of defending them.

That's what civilize people do.

MEGA-WATCH:
Aside the forging of document, far as Nigerian law is concerned,the FG does not have a good case because SEDITION is not a purnishable offence in Nigeria. And there is nothing like insighting the public,everybody has the right of expression. It is the duty of the FG to enlighten the public more anytime she feels the source of information is deformative.

You mean inciting the public?

Well, since the unfortunate genocidal incident in Rwanda in 2004, that argument has lost it's weight.

No responsible government will allow any person to incite the public to violence.

We are still dealing with the gruesome murder of immunization givers in Kano, whose killers were allegedly responding to some irresponsible broadcasters' incitement on radio.

porka:

Read the charges well, it's says forgery.

Nigeria's press freedom is one of the best in the whole wide world.

But no one has the right to forge documents.

Meanwhile, their lawyers are capable of defending them.

That's what civilize people do.

the fg is only pursuing shadows.

Texas.Cowboy:
Freedom of expression is the right of every citizen of a democratic nation. Well, i guess Nigeria is not a democracy yet.

u dnt knw wht u are saying, because of freedom of expression everyone is free to be saying things tht he or she knew where never true right? Because there is freedom of expression, i should go ahead and said, u as a person instruct or direct me to say or do some certain things which in reality u are nt the one who direct me. won't u seiu me for tht? Pls go back to school and Lean more about wht this democracy and freedom of expression meant.

FGN no go 4get all this local runs and face the real issues of not meeting the very need of Nigerians pls.

aminho: Never fight the governmenit

This is the kind of slavish thinking that is holding us down. You're asking journalists not to do their jobs because it involves Govt abi??

SMH

1MCN: When the FG withdrew that case there seemed to be great jubilations and shouts of victory especially among opposition members. But then my apprehension grew so red cos I know that this particular issue wasnt a one the govt could take with a pinch of salt.
The FG seems to have a good case here cos if that document LN published was not forged I believe it must not be a public document ( an A-Classified document) and therefore it'd be illegal for them to have possession of it. If they actually forged it! Eh, na loooonnnngggg thing dem don enter so. And that's why Falana did not go into defending them but rather started by challenging the competence of the earlier court to handle the case. Now we wait for the battle that will either bring the PDP down for good or the opposition. But the trial judge am sure must always be putting Ayo Salami in mind when making his decisions.

u got it all wrong my guy.....you cant go into the merit of the case when there are preliminary objections...the foundation is wrong so u cant build...meaning...if the charges are in the wrong court then everything done in the wrong court will be a waste of time as preliminary obejection on grounds of jurisdiction can be raised at any time before judgement....if the documents are genuine and not forged then all other charges against them will fail...jst watch.the government jst wants to waste the time of the court and nigerians....we have a freedom of information act and am sure that document is not enough to incite anybody if we have not been incited by all the treasonable statement made by dokubo and buhari and a host of others

nonysmith: u got it all wrong my guy.....you cant go into the merit of the case when there are preliminary objections...the foundation is wrong so u cant build...meaning...if the charges are in the wrong court then everything done in the wrong court will be a waste of time as preliminary obejection on grounds of jurisdiction can be raised at any time before judgement....if the documents are genuine and not forged then all other charges against them will fail...jst watch.the government jst wants to waste the time of the court and nigerians....we have a freedom of information act and am sure that document is not enough to incite anybody if we have not been incited by all the treasonable statement made by dokubo and buhari and a host of others

My thoughts exactly... But if the document is not a forgery, does the freedom of information act allows for the obtaining and publishing of such documents? *well, just musing*

Texas.Cowboy:
Freedom of expression is the right of every citizen of a democratic nation. Well, i guess Nigeria is not a democracy yet.

freedom of expression is not the same as freedom to talk nonesense and lie. ACN APC mouth. Idiota.