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Cubana Chief Priest Cleared as Court Concludes His Naira Abuse Case
The Federal High Court in Lagos dismissed a charge against Pascal Okechukwu, the celebrity bartender known as Cubana Chief Priest, regarding alleged naira abuse.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought charges against Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest, on April 17, accusing him of unlawfully handling and spraying naira notes at a social event held at Eko Hotel in Lagos. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail set at ₦10 million.
During subsequent court proceedings, both parties explored settlement under section 14(2) of the EFCC Act. The defence withdrew a preliminary objection, and after a series of adjournments due to counsel’s absence, they finally presented terms of settlement on June 25. Bilikisu Buhari represented the prosecution, while Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN) appeared for the defence. The prosecution filed and adopted the terms, which included the defendant entering into a bond of good behaviour, engaging in public awareness campaigns against naira abuse, and making a financial contribution to the Federation’s revenue fund.
In response, the defence agreed with the terms and requested the court to dismiss the case accordingly. The court, citing the agreement between both parties and pursuant to the EFCC Establishment Act, subsequently struck out the charge against Cubana Chief Priest.
Nigerian news analyst, Mahmud Jega, has shared his opinion on the recent airstrike carried out by the United States in Nigeria, stating that Nigerians should not blame President Bola Tinubu for the incident.
Jega made this statement during a recent interview, where he said he does not believe many people will hold the Tinubu administration responsible, as Donald Trump had issued threats against Nigeria long before Tinubu’s administration.
“No, I don’t think many people will blame the Tinubu administration for what is happening now because President Donald Trump, when he first made the threats, it was clearly not in coordination with the Tinubu administration or the government of Nigeria,” Jega said.
It has been reported that the United States carried out an airstrike targeting ISIS in the northwest region of Nigeria. The order was reportedly given by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist elements in northwest Nigeria,” Trump said.
He added, “I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.”
The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially declared the holiday dates for the festive season.
Thursday, December 25 will be observed as Christmas Day, December 26 as Boxing Day, and Thursday, January 1 as New Year’s Day.
The declaration was made by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani. He also added that Nigerians should celebrate the holidays in faith and pray for the nation.
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