In an effort to decongest correctional centres, the Lagos State Ministry of Justice on Thursday held a plea bargain session for some inmates at the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre. The plea bargain session was the first of its kind to be held at a correctional centre in Lagos State. Newsmen reports that the previous practice was for counsel to incarcerated inmates to write to the Attorney-General of the state to consider plea bargain agreements for their clients. A total of 27 inmates – 16 males and 11 females – were beneficiaries of Thursday’s plea bargain session. The Lagos State Attorney-General, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), the state Solicitor-General, Titilayo Shitta-Bey, and some of the ministry of justice staff kick-started the initiative. The state Directorate of Public Prosecuti...
Pool Photo The 1st Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), John Aikpokpo-Martins, has said that governors have not fulfilled their agreement with the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, (JUSUN) who are currently on strike. Aikpokpo-Martins, said that as things are now, the governors are holding everybody to ransom. “The agreement was very straightforward. They are supposed to have paid last week upon receiving allocations. But when they received the allocations, they didn’t pay.” he said According to him, the governors are saying that “we should wait for last week of June when they will get another allocation from the federal purse. But the question is: if they entered into an agreement whose implementation was to start this May, what guarantee do we now have that even in that ...
A human rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has faulted the call by 17 Southern governors for a constitutional conference. The governors had said such a conference would straighten knotty problems confronting the country. But Ozekhome who spoke in Anambra State on Thursday, as a keynote speaker at the 25th Law week of the Awka branch of Nigerian Bar Association, described the governors’ suggestion as unnecessary. Speaking on the topic ‘Legal profession in a lawless society,’ Ozekhome said the call for a new conference was not necessary, especially considering that the recommendations of the one held in 2014 had not been implemented. He said, “I was at the 2014 national conference headed by late Justice Idris Kutigi. The over 200 recommendation we made at that conference was yet to be touche...
The Anambra State Government on Monday said the ongoing strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), was a national issue and not state-driven. Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, Secretary to the State Government, made the assertion, while addressing members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Anambra branch, at a peaceful protest to the Government House in Awka. Newsmen report that the protest followed a directive issued on April 18 by the President of the NBA, Mr Olumide Akpata, to all branches of the association. Chukwulobelu said the executive was aware of the need to ensure that all aspects of the three arms of government function properly. “Your demands on independent judiciary are very important, but it is a national issue. “The fact that the courts are not sitting is not becaus...
Labour minister, Chris Ngige, has rescheduled a fresh meeting with the leaderships of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), over the lingering strike that has crippled court activities across the country for two weeks. Representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) are also expected to be at the meeting scheduled to hold in Abuja on Tuesday. Members of JUSUN had on April 6 embarked on the indefinite nationwide strike to press home their demand for judiciary’s financial autonomy. The labour minister had on Thursday announced a last-minute postponement of the meeting he was scheduled to hold with the NBA, JUSUN and other stakeholders over the lingering crisis. The abrupt postponement of the meeting infuriated the leaderships of the body ...
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Monday urged judiciary workers under the aegis of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to shelve their plan to begin a nationwide strike on Tuesday. The association in a statement signed by its President, Olumide Akpata, said although it believes in the battle for financial autonomy of the judiciary being waged by the workers, the timing of the planned strike would spell doom for the country considering the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in the last one year. Akpata stated, “However, as commendable and laudable as the proposed strike action may be, the NBA is concerned about its timing and the potentially devastating consequences it would pose for justice administration in the country, particularly coming on the heels of prolonged...
The Imo state Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has dismissed Magistrate G.C Okoli over alleged misconduct and placed suspension on another Magistrate C.P Nnoromele from further sitting, pending conclusion of series of petitions against her. Newsmen gathered that the dismissal notice served on G.C Okoli was signed by the Chief Registrar C.N Okereke on 22nd of this month. The memo which in part read, “Judicial Service Commission at its meeting held on March 16, considered the petition written against four magistrates in the state approved the immediate dismissal of His Worship G.C Okoli from judicial service of Imo state. “The commission further reprimanded and issued a strong warning letter to His Worship A.C Uzoma. “It further directed His Worship C.P Nnoromele to stop sitting pending the...
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has charged the judiciary to crave for independence to discharge their functions without intimidation and not just to control budgets. Wike said this was imperative because no government and country could make meaningful progress, if the judiciary is not allowed to carry out their functions independently. He stated this at the official presentation of 29 brand new Renault Koleos 2020 SUVS to chairmen of the Customary Courts of the Rivers State judiciary at the judiciary complex in Port Harcourt yesterday. The maintained that no one can talk about democracy without the rule of law, stressing that judiciary is pivotal in any given society where the rule of law reigns. “If Nigeria wants to move forward, if this country wants development, then, we must allow...
Pool Photo The much awaited election of the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) held last week, and a new Executive sworn in. The new team include :- Chairman – Bartholomew Aguegbodo Vice Chairman – Adedoyin Sobiye Secretary – Yemi Abijo Assistant Secretary – Ezekiel Bodunde Treasurer – Basil Owolabi Financial Secretary – Ademilola Adeola Legal Adviser – Tracy Amadigwe Publicity Secretary – Malvin Ibem Welfare Secretary – Adeola Folarin Social Secretary – Adesola Olusoga Provost – Omozusi Omokhafe Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sh...
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, on Tuesday said that contrary to the belief in some quarters that the court intentionally froze the accounts of #Endsars promoters, it only played its part as an interpreter of the law. The CJ noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria had approached the court to ask for an order freezing certain accounts of corporate bodies and names of individuals over suspicion bordering on alleged money laundering. He however stated that the CBN did not attach any names to the applications. Justice Tsoho, spoke at the opening of the 2020/2021 legal year, Abuja on Tuesday. He noted that CBN’s request came about three months before the ENDSARS protest. The CJ was reacting to the speech by the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumid...
Pool Photo A group, Northern Youth Initiative for Peace and Good Governance, has flayed the attempt by some lawyers of Northern extraction to split the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA. President of the group, Umar Faruk Lawal, in statement, pleaded that those who were championing the formation of a New NBA should sheath their sword and render the necessary support and advice to Mr. Olumide Akpata led executive for better service delivery. According to the statement, “we carefully and meticulously perused the recent happenings in Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) especially as it relates to the dis-invitation of Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai as key note speaker in NBA 2020 Annual General Conference.” According to him, inspite of the hullabaloo the dis-invitation generated in so...
In an effort to allay fears expressed by the leadership of the Church about the recently enacted Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN has said concerns can be processed through possible amendment of the contentious section of the law through a proposal to the National Assembly. The Vice President stated this on Thursday during a special conversation at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference. Responding to a question about reactions to CAMA, the Vice President said: “what can be done is that, whatever the proposal for amendment may be, whatever the views of the leadership of the church may be, regarding the question of how the trustees, whether they are interim trustees or not, can be put in the form of a proposal that...