Police officers of Course 18, 19 and 20 who were compulsorily retired over allegations of age and entry falsification have instituted an action against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP,  the Police Service Commission PSC and the Force Secretary of the Police.

The aggrieved officers are demanding the enforcement of an earlier Court order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) that has not been appealed.

The officers pointed out that when the issue came up in 2017, it became a subject of litigation which has been settled since 13th January 2021 by the NICN Abuja Judicial Division in suit Nos NCIN/ABJ/345/2019 and NICN/ABJ/353/2019.

They expressed shock that the police authority and the police service commission have yet to enforce the judgement.

The affected officers, who were part of Force Entrants Courses 18, 19, and 20, were wrongly accused of falsifying their service records. However, court documents reveal that the issue had been settled in their favour by the NICN Abuja, with judgments delivered on January 13, 2021, in suit numbers NCIN/ABJ/345/2019 and NICN/ABJ/353/2019.

Consequently, the officers have again approached the court following a directive from the Police authorities on 10th February 2025 in a signal No DTO 101845/02/25 requesting the affected officers to evacuate their offices.

The current Suit ( NICN/ABJ/28/2025) filed by Edwin Okoro Esq, has ACP Chinedu Ambrose Emengaha and seven others as Claimants, with the Police Service Commission, Inspector General of Police and Force Secretary, Nigeria Police as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Defendants.

In their Originating Summons, the Claimants are seeking the determination of the following relieves:  “Whether taking into consideration the judgement of the National Industrial Court Abuja delivered by Hon. Justice O.O. Iyewunmi in Suit NHS NICN/ABJ/ 345/2019 – ACP Chinedu Ambrose Emengaha & Ors Vs PSC & Ors and NICN/ABJ/353/2019- CSP Sunday Okuguni & Ors Vs PSC & 2 Ors, resolving the issues of date of appointment of Cadet officers(Force  Entrants) as the date of their first appointment and the said judgement having been implemented by the defendants since 29th July 2021, the defendants are not estopped from reopening the issue of their first appointment.  

“A declaration that the date of first appointment into service of the Claimants as contained in their respective appointment letters are not subject to a review by the defendants; a declaration that members of Cadet ASP (Force Entrants) of course 18, 19 and 20 who are yet to serve 35 years of pensionable service nor attained the age of 60 years are by virtue of the said judgement of the National Industrial Court delivered by Hon. O.O Oyewunmi in suit no NICN/ABJ./345/2019 – ACP Chinedu Ambrose Emengaha & Ors Vs PSC & 2 Ors and NICN/ABJ./353/2019 CSP Sunday  Okoguni & Ors Vs PSC & 2 Ors, excluded from the decision of the first extraordinary meeting of the 6th Management Board held on Friday 31st January 2025 , approving the immediate retirement of those officers who have spent 35 years in service or above 60 years in age. 

The officers are seeking a further declaration that, by virtue of the said judgments of the National Industrial Court affirming the dates of appointment of Claimants as Cadet Officers as fresh appointment, the said appointment is not a merger of service.

“A declaration that the defendant cannot by any decision, set aside the valid and subsisting judgements of the National Industrial Court delivered by Hon. Justice O.O. Oyewunmi in suit Nos NICN/ABJ./345/2019 – ACP Chinedu Ambrose Emengaha & Ors Vs PSC & 2 Ors, and NICN/ABJ./353/2019 CSP Sunday Okoguni& Ors Vs PSC & 2 Ors, already implemented by the defendants since July 29th 2021. 

“An order setting aside the 1st defendants directive to the 2nd paper 3rd Defendants  contained in the press release of 31st January 2025 as it concerns Courses 18, p19, and 20 ( Force Entrants); a further order of perpetual injunction, restraining the Defendants jointly and severally from unlawfully and illegally reviewing the issue of dates of appointment of Cadet ASPs of Force Entrants –Courses 18, 19 & 20 already settled by the Judgments of the National Industrial Court and  an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the Defendants jointly and severally from unlawfully and illegally retiring any member of Cadet ASPs of Force Entrants – Courses 18, 19 & 20 who has not served 35 years in service nor attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 years.”

The convicted billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, has told the Lagos State High Court, sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, that he is now a teacher at the correctional centre in Kirikiri after obtaining a teaching diploma in economics from the Yewa College of Education, and is no longer a criminal.

Evans said he was prepared to surrender all his property, as part of a plea bargain agreement, should the court consider his application on compassionate grounds.

This was contained in his application for a plea bargain.

As part of the proposed plea bargain arrangement, he pledged to forfeit his 14 brand-new trucks to the Lagos State Government for sale, with the proceeds to be transferred to the victims of his criminal activities.

This is the second time Evans has approached a court seeking a plea bargain for his involvement in the kidnapping.

On 30 January 2025, he approached Justice Adenike Coker of the Ikeja High Court to ask for a plea bargain.

Evans had five criminal cases across various high courts in Lagos State. Two of these have already resulted in convictions, one carrying a life sentence, while the other has a 14-year prison term.

In his application before Justice Sherifat Sonaike, Evans through his lawyer, Etudo Emefo expressed remorse for his actions, stating that he had undergone a transformation during his time in Kirikiri Maximum Prison.

According to the process filed before the court, during his time in prison, the Federal Government offered Evans and other inmates the opportunity to further their education.

Evans took up this offer and was granted a scholarship. As a result, he earned a National Certificate in Education in Economics and is now a teacher, no longer identifying as a criminal. Copies of his NCE certificate and project work were submitted as appendices.

Also, he argued that he would be unable to practise the new skills he acquired while incarcerated, which would amount to a waste of government resources.

In addition, Evans was offered admission to the National Open University of Nigeria under the Federal Government’s scholarship scheme.

He is currently in his second year, studying Political Science. His admission letter and student ID card were presented to the court as part of the application.

Evans said he also underwent training in welding and metal fabrication through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, successfully passing all relevant tests. A copy of the test results was included as an appendix.

When the case which was fixed for trial, came up on Thursday, the prosecuting counsel, Alaba Kuku, told Justice Sherifat Sonaike that the defendants had expressed interest in pursuing plea bargain agreements with the state government.

He confirmed that Evans’ counsel, Etudo, had given him an advance copy of the application which is currently before the state government for consideration.

Evans and his co-defendants, Joseph Emeka, Victor Aduba and Linus Opara, are seeking plea bargain agreements with the Lagos State Government.

The four men are standing trial on five counts bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping and attempted murder before Justice Sonaike who began the case afresh in January 2023, following the retirement of Justice Adedayo Akintoye.

Other counsel – Emeka Azubuike representing the second defendant, Chinyere Udeh, representing the third defendant, and Emmanuel Ochai, who appeared for the fourth defendant, confirmed the development to the court.

But the third defendant’s counsel said he had yet to submit his application for a plea bargain to the state government, through the office of the Attorney General of the state.

Consequently, Justice Sonaike adjourned the case till April 17, 2025, for a report on the applications for plea bargains.

Seyi Sowemimo, SAN, and son of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, George Sodeinde Sowemimo (1983–1985) has countered some of the recent posts made by Professor Chidi Odinkalu.

In an 18 February 2025 letter addressed to the law Professor and to the Editor of Law Times, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said the posts “contains some misinformation, which requires correction so that they do not become accepted for all times as the true versions of the events to which they relate”

The full text of his letter reads:

I have in recent times come across two posts or write-ups put up by Professor Odinkalu, which contain some misinformation, which requires correction so that they do not become accepted for all times as the true versions of the events to which they relate.

The first has to do with the events of 31st December 1983 which heralded in the Buhari/Idiagbon Administration. From his account, the then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice George Sodeinde Sowemimo GCON (who happens to be my late father) was out of the country at the material time. The Military in his absence then proposed to swear in Justice Aniagolu in his place as Chief Justice but the learned Justice declined the offer.

I have some personal knowledge of the events of that day and it has therefore become necessary to correct some aspects of your narrative. Firstly, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Sowemimo was certainly in the Country at that time. What actually happened was that on the night of the coup, the military officers sent the then Secretary to Federal Government, Mr. Gray Longe to CJ’s official residence to invite my father to their gathering at Bonny Camp. In panic, my late mother sent word to me to alert me of the development but happily by the time I got to the house, my father had returned from Bonny Camp.

What happened at Bonny Camp was that the Military Officers requested that my father swear him General Muhammadu Buhari, as the new Head of State and possibly thereafter accompany him to the Television Station where he was to make his maiden Broadcast. The Chief Justice refused and impressed on them the fact that they had by their actions suspended the Constitution and that he could not therefore as the Chief Justice legitimately swear General Buhari as the Head of State. The military officers were persuaded by this explanation and General Buhari thereafter proceeded with the takeover without formality of a swearing-in.

When my father got to Bonny Camp that night, he met some Judges at the venue but their presence has never been fully explained. I, however, believe that if such offer was ever made to Justice Aniagolu it would be easy for me to appreciate his disinclination towards the offer as Judges of their ilk were not consumed by ambition and Justice Aniagolu would well have recognized that there were other Justices of the Supreme Court who were senior to him and that an acceptance of such an offer would have created a very awkward situation for the judiciary, especially at the level of the Supreme Court. Anyone familiar with the level of camaraderie which existed amongst the Justices of that Court at the material time will readily appreciate why such an offer would have been spurned.

The second post concerns the compulsory retirement of Hon Justice Yaya Jinadu from the High Court Bench. An aspect of the narrative which is incorrect concerns the claim that Hon. Justice Adefarasin, the then Chief Judge of Lagos State, unilaterally withdrew the Garba case file from Justice Jinadu. The version that I am familiar with is that it was Justice Jinadu who requested that the case file be reassigned to another judge. The advisory Judicial Council made up of the Chief Justice, the President of the Court of Appeal and several other Justices actually called for the case file and observed for themselves the minutes by Justice Jinadu requesting that the case file be assigned to another judge. It is therefore not correct or fair to give the impression that the case file was unceremoniously withdrawn from him by Justice Adefarasin, the Chief Judge. What infuriated members of the Supreme Military Council was the fact that the Judge had made those false claims against the Chief Judge. This was the background to the compulsory retirement of Justice Yaya Jinadu. Undoubtedly, the compulsory retirement of Justice, Yaya Jinadu was an unfortunate development and prematurely brought to an end what was otherwise a laudable judicial career.

Finally, you described as infamous the judgment of Justice Sowemimo which convicted the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. You referred to the judgment as “infamous”. This characterisation clearly ignores the fact that the judgment was in fact upheld and confirmed unanimously by a panel of five justices of the Supreme Court, comprising Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, Sir Lionel Brett, Justice JIC Taylor, Sir Vahe Bairamian and Sir Louis Mbanefo. The appeal is reported as MICHAEL ADEDAPO OMISADE & ORS vs THE QUEEN (1964) 1 All NLR Pg 23. The only significant deviation was the observation by Justice Mbanefo to the effect that Onabamiro was a tainted witness, but His Lordship agreed with the ultimate conclusion of the other Justices. At page 293 of the judgment, His Lordship Mbanefo Ag JSC observed as follows:

“With regard to the 27th accused, I agree that the conviction should be
sustained as I am in full agreement with the conclusions reached on
overt act 4 on the first count which by itself is enough to sustain the
conviction on that count.”

The judgment in the Omisade case was in fact preceded by the judgment handed down in the treasonable felony trial of Chief Anthony Enahoro, who was convicted by Hon. Justice S.O Lambo on the very same set of facts; as Chief Enahoro was a central figure in the transaction comprising the offence of treasonable felony. He was convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. This was about two weeks before the judgment in the Awolowo case. Chief Anthony Enahoro appealed his conviction and his appeal was decided by another set of five Supreme Court Justices, who affirmed the conviction of Chief Enahoro for treasonable felony but reduced the sentence from 15 years to 7 years. The Panel of the Supreme Court that heard the appeal was comprised of Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, Sir Lionel Brett, Sir Vahe Robert Bairamian, George Baptist Ayodola Coker and Justice Chukwunweike Idigbe. The leading judgment was delivered by Justice Idigbe, who in the course of the Judgment observed as follows:

“We think, however, that in the circumstances of this case/ the sentence
imposed on the appellant obviously a “lieutenant” should not exceed
that imposed on the ‘leader/ (Chief Awolowo) and accordingly the
sentence imposed on the appellant will be reduced. The appeal against
sentence therefore succeeds, and we direct that the sentence of twelve
years lHL on the 1st count on the information be and is hereby reduced
to seven years lHL”

It is unfair in the circumstances to describe the judgment of the trial Court as infamous, considering the fact that 10 reputable Justices of the highest Court upheld the conviction of the accused persons. Write-ups on such sensitive issues like the treasonable felony case should strive to better inform the public rather than perpetuate popular misconceptions.

Seyi Sowemimo, SAN

As a sequel to the withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Republic of Niger has begun enforcing restrictions on Nigerians travelling with the ECOWAS passport, barring entry for those without a valid international passport.

This move follows the country’s recent withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States alongside Mali and Burkina Faso.

Despite maintaining an open border with Nigeria, new immigration measures are being implemented at crossings such as Illela (Nigeria) and Konni (Niger). Cross-border traders and commuters now face difficulties as Nigerien authorities refuse to recognize the ECOWAS passport as a valid means of identification.

Alhaji Mansur Abdullah, a trader who frequently travels between the two countries, confirmed the development.

He said, “I believe there is a move to abolish the ECOWAS passport as a means of traveling here; they have started harassing us if we are entering the country.

“Some of our people are being turned back home. We learnt that there is a new passport being issued now to everyone coming to Niger Republic to replace the old ECOWAS passport.

“Some of our people are getting scared of the aftermath of all these issues, which have started to affect our business and trading activities”

According to a source in Taiwan, a state in Niger Republic, border officials have started turning back individuals relying solely on the ECOWAS passport.

“Some of our people have already been sent home. The authorities insist on their own national passport, making it difficult for traders and travellers,” he explained.

Abubakar Isa, a commercial driver on the Illela-Konni route, alleged that security officials in Niger have begun exploiting the situation to extort travellers.

“They demand between 5,000 to 10,000 CFA before allowing those with an ECOWAS passport to pass. If you can’t produce Niger’s new identification document, they take you to their office and pressure you to pay a bribe…

“Once they stop either the vehicle or motorcycle at their border, they take you to their office and make the demand for the passport, which they know we don’t have, they then collect money as bribe before you can be allowed to go, “ he added.

A trader in Illela, Alhaji Nuhu Abubakar, confirmed that Niger’s withdrawal from ECOWAS has had no immediate impact on trade or movement across the border.

He said, “We have continued our normal activities as usual, and there is no sign of an impending closure.

“The border remains open on both the Nigerian and Nigerien sides. We’ve heard rumours that the military junta in Niger is considering restricting motorcycle movement between the two countries, but for now, nothing concrete has been decided.”

Although official communication from the Nigerien government is yet to confirm a complete ban on ECOWAS passports, affected travellers fear that the situation could worsen, disrupting trade and movement across the border.

When contacted on Monday, Head of Communication ECOWAS Commission, Joel Ahofodji., said the regional bloc was unaware of Niger Republic’s policy to bar ECOWAS passport holders.