The charge with which the Applicant is arraigned before this court is as
follows:“That you Senator Umar Tafida while being the
Chairman of Hijrah Textiles Company Limited and
Hijrah Investment Limited sometimes between 2016 and
2017 at Sokoto within the Sokoto Judicial Division of
the High Court of Justice of Sokoto State, being
instructed with the total sum of N419,744,612.30 (Four
Hundred and Nineteen Million Seven Hundred and
Forty Four Thousand, Six Hundred and Twelve Naira
Thirty Kobo) paid by the Sokoto State Government
representing 40% investment of shareholding in your
Company to boost the economy of the Sokoto State,
dishonestly misappropriated the money in violation of
the mode in which such trust was to be discharged and
thereby committed Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to
Section 311 of the Penal Code Law Cap. 89 Laws of
Northern Nigeria and punishable under Section 312 of
the same Law.”
Jurisdiction as broadly defined, is the limit imposed on the power of a
validly constituted court to hear and determine issues between persons
seeking to avail themselves of its process by reference to the subject of the
issues or to the persons between whom the issues are founded, or to the
kind of relief being sought.
- Goldmark (Nig) Ltd V. Ibafon Co. Ltd (2012) 10 NWLR
p 291 (SC).
- Trade Bank Plc V. Beni Lux (Nig) Ltd (2003) 9 NWLR
pt 825 p 416.
- Onuorah V. K.R.P.C Ltd (2005) 6 NWLR pt 921 p 393.
- PDP V. Okorocha (2012) 15 NWLR p 205 (SC).
A trial court must have both jurisdiction and competence to be properly
sized of a cause or matter before it. This is because if a court has no
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