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Alleged attempted murder: NUPENG not using police, court to settle union matter- President tells court
The National President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, on Wednesday, reiterated before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, that the union was not using the police and court to settle union matters.
Akporeha made the assertion while being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Christopher Oshomegie SAN, in the ongoing trial of 21 former leaders of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, branch of NUPENG before Justice Yusuf Halilu, sitting at Maitama, Abuja.
The police dragged a one-time PTD National Chairman, Lucky Osesua, and 21 others before the court on a five-count charge bordering on attempted murder, breach of peace and assault in the charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/042/2023.
The defendants are alleged to have, on November 1, 2023, attacked Akporeha, the union’s secretary-general, Olawale Afolabi, and the new PTD national chairman, Augustine Egbon, thus acting in a manner likely to cause their death, among other offences.
Other defendants included Dayyabu Garga, Humble Obinna, Akinolu Olabisi, Godwin Nwaka, Tiamiu Sikiru, Abdulmimin Shaibu, John Amajuoyi, Zaira Aregbo, Patrick Erhivwor, Stephen Ogheneruemu, Gift Ukponku, Sunday Ezeocha and seven others.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At the resumed hearing in the case yesterday, while answering questions from Oshomegie, Akporeha told the court that NUPENG had about 150 branches, of which PTD was one, adding that there was no issue of one group against another in the union.
According to him, “It is not correct that one group is using the police and court against another to settle a union matter. I am the national president of the union (NUPENG); I oversee everybody.
“NUPENG is one body, and there are no groups. NUPENG has about 150 branches, of which PTD is one. The issue of one group against another does not arise.”
Akporeha, who is the second prosecution witness (PW2) in the case, informed the court that the union conducted PTD executive elections in June 2022 in Ibadan in which the first defendant, Lucky Osesua, Dayyabu Garga, and others emerged as winners, but the National Industrial Court, sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, nullified the elections.
He said the court ordered NUPENG to conduct another election for PTD, but some of the defendants still went to the National Industrial Court in Abuja, and the court also nullified the election.
“After the first election was nullified, the court directed that another election be conducted. This was conducted, but some of them (defendants) went to court, and the court also nullified the second election.
“After this, NUPENG conducted another election in Ibadan, while some people also conducted another illegal election in Abuja. It is NUPENG that is supposed to conduct the election. The one the court directed to be supervised by NUPENG was conducted in Ibadan,” he told the court.
He further told the court that most of those who conducted the illegal Abuja election did not show up in Ibadan for the election the court ordered NUPENG to supervise.
He admitted that the Lucky Osesua-led executives that emerged from the illegal election held in Abuja later filed a suit against the executives elected in Ibadan, adding that he was joined as a defendant in the suit.
Akporeha denied the suggestion by Oshomegie that he (the NUPENG President) came to install the person that won the Ibadan election on the day he and others were attacked at the PTD national secretariat at No. 50 Majekodunmi Street at Utako, Abuja, which also served as the NUPENG liaison office.
According to the witness, the winners of the election in Ibadan had been inaugurated thereafter, emerging victorious, adding that Osesua and other defendants were not supposed to occupy the PTD national secretariat as they were not the authentic PTD executives.
He informed the court that on the day of the attack on him and others, they met Osesua and other defendants at the premises’ gate and were stopped from driving into the premises, adding that he and others had to use the small gate to enter the premises where they were later attacked by the defendants.
The witness told the court that the defendants led a mob of youths armed with gallons of petrol and other weapons to attack the hotel he and others lodged in and destroyed doors, windows and others.
He added that he was talking with the new PTD National Chairman, Augustine Egbon, when he heard the door of his room being broken into and beaten to a pulp.
“I was not with Egbon, but I was on the phone with him when I heard the door to his room broken and he screamed. I also saw when he was being beaten and dragged from the fourth floor. He was beaten to a pulp,” Akporeha said.
He added that it took the intervention of the then acting Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Utako division to rescue him from his hotel room, and later arrested the defendants and took them to the police command.
Following the completion of his cross-examination by the defence counsel, Justice Halilu subsequently adjourned the case to November 10 for continuation of hearing.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday, swore in General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd) as Minister of Defence at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
General Musa’s appointment follows the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday, December 1, 2025. His nomination was announced the following day and transmitted to the Senate, where it received expedited screening and confirmation.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Nigerian Army in 1991 and had a distinguished military career. He was appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023 and retired in October 2025.
As Chief of Defence Staff, he championed inter-service security collaboration.
With his swearing-in, the new Defence Minister is expected to immediately assume duties as the Tinubu administration seeks to consolidate recent security gains and fast-track reforms aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability nationwide.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Sen. Adeniyi Adegbonmire, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Also in attendance were the spouse of the new Minister, Mrs Lilian Oghogho Musa; Chief of Defense Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah; and Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs (rtd).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said it has appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, which ordered the release of twenty-seven houses to James Ibechukwu Okoye and his company.
In the Notice of Appeal filed at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, the Commission expressed dissatisfaction with the decision of the trial court, which was delivered on October 31, 2025.
EFCC counsel, Abba Mohammed, SAN, sought two orders from the Court of Appeal, which include; Staying the execution of the judgment of the trial court pending the hearing and determination of the appeal; and such further or other orders as the court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.
Meanwhile, the Commission said it felt obliged to correct the distortions and misrepresentations contained in a news story titled “EFCC Invades Abuja Property Despite Court Order Restraining Agency, Awarding N20 million To Jona Brothers”.
It explained in a statement on X that the Abuja property, Plot 680-689 Cadastral Zone B06, Mabushi, Abuja, referenced in the report, is a subject of criminal charge before Justice A.I Kutigi of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court .
However, the EFCC said it sought and secured an order of interim forfeiture of the property before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja pending the determination of the criminal charge before Justice Kutigi.
“In granting the order, the court authorized the EFCC to ‘appoint competent persons/ firm to manage the assets/properties listed in the schedule therein, temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government pending the conclusion of investigation and determination of criminal charges against the suspect,’”
“It is also important to point out that the criminal charge struck out by Justice Osho Adebiyi and the N20m cost she awarded is not in any way connected to the interim order.
“In addition, the enforcement of the interim forfeiture order of the property by the Commission is without prejudice to ongoing appeals on court pronouncements about the true ownership of the property. The appeals are ongoing and the EFCC is diligently attending proceedings.”
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun has reaffirmed the commitment of the country’s judiciary to protection of human rights as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and other international laws and treaties.
She emphasized that the judiciary remains steadfast in its constitutional mandate to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of citizens.
The CJN spoke on Thursday at the conference on ‘Proportional Force and Respect for Human Dignity: A Dialogue in Governance’, organized by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, in collaboration with Citizen FM.
The Administrator of the National Judicial Institute, NJI, Justice Babatunde Adeniran Adejumo, represented the Chief Justice of Nigeria at the conference.
In the goodwill message, Justice Kekere-Ekun congratulated the National Human Rights Commission on its 30th anniversary and commended the organizers for holding the conference on International Human Rights Day.
She emphasized that when authority is exercised with restraint, discipline, and accountability, it strengthens public trust and reinforces the legitimacy of institutions.
The CJN reiterated the judiciary’s commitment to protecting human rights and providing remedies where they are infringed.
“Let me make it abundantly clear that the judiciary remains steadfast in its constitutional mandate to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of citizens,” she said.
The CJN further commended the NHRC for promoting dialogue and awareness on critical human rights issues in Nigeria.
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