A court registrar at the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed reports circulating on social media that Justice Peter Lifu was hospitalised after developing breathing difficulties and was being prepared for medical evacuation to London.
The registrar, who spoke during an enquiry by a reporter, said the judge was attending to cases in court, contrary to claims that he had been rushed to the National Hospital, Abuja, for emergency treatment.
The report, which circulated online, alleged that Justice Lifu had experienced sudden respiratory difficulties and that arrangements were being made to transfer him abroad after attempts to treat him in Abuja reportedly proved unsuccessful.
However, the registrar challenged those circulating the claims to visit the court and verify the judge’s presence.
The report emerged against the backdrop of public reactions to the judge’s recent judgment nullifying the candidacy of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
However, the registrar’s account of the judge’s presence in court and his engagement in judicial proceedings contradicts the central claim of the circulating report.
The development has raised concerns about the growing tendency among some social media users to disseminate unverified information, particularly concerning public officials and judicial officers whose decisions may attract strong reactions.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called for an investigation into a viral video showing the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, sharing money and wrappers at an All Progressives Congress (APC) event in Rivers State.
Naija News reports that the party’s presidential campaign council, through its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to look into the matter.
In the trending clip, the minister was seen handing bundles of cash to women, along with bales of wrappers branded with the APC logo.
She was also captured distributing envelopes bearing the images of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima.
In a statement on Wednesday, Shaibu accused the ruling party of trying to buy support for the President’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 polls.
He said the ADC would no longer stay silent about what it described as the use of money and material gifts to influence voters.
