The President of the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) Nigeria, Mrs Caroline Ibharuneafe, has congratulated the Oyo State Chapter of AWLA on the celebration of its first anniversary, commending the chapter’s leadership for its “outstanding commitment to advancing the rights and protection of women and children across the state.”

In a statement issued in Abuja, Ibharuneafe praised Adebimpe Aex-Ndukwe, Coordinator of AWLA Nigeria, Oyo State, and her executive team for their remarkable achievements since their inauguration last year.

“The Oyo State Chapter has demonstrated vision, resilience and purposeful leadership in its first year,” she said. “Under the theme ‘Uniting to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Children,’ this anniversary reflects not only a milestone but a renewed call to action in our collective fight against online abuse, exploitation and discrimination.”

She noted that the chapter’s programmes, advocacy initiatives and community outreach efforts have strengthened AWLA’s mission to empower women, promote legal awareness, and ensure justice for vulnerable groups.

Ibharuneafe described the venue of the anniversary celebration—the Aare Afe Babalola Bar Centre—as a symbolic reminder of the legal profession’s duty to safeguard human dignity. “Your work in Oyo State continues to set a standard for excellence and impact. You have shown what is possible when women unite with purpose,” she added.

The AWLA Nigeria President reaffirmed the national body’s support for ongoing collaborations aimed at combating digital violence, promoting gender equity and defending the rights of all women and children.

“On behalf of AWLA Nigeria, I celebrate your first anniversary and commend every member whose dedication has brought the Oyo State Chapter this far,” Ibharuneafe said. “May the coming years bring greater achievements, stronger partnerships and broader influence in the struggle for justice and equality.”

The African Bar Association (AFBA) has issued a forceful condemnation of the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau, calling the action an “unlawful assault on democratic governance” and a blatant violation of regional and continental legal norms.

In a 27 November 2025. statement signed by AFBA President, High Chief Ibrahim Eddy Mark, the association denounced the sudden interruption of Guinea-Bissau’s electoral process, which occurred just as vote tabulation was underway. AFBA described the move as a direct attack on the sovereign will of citizens and a dangerous setback for the rule of law in West Africa.

According to AFBA, the coup contravenes several key legal instruments, including the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which explicitly prohibits the acquisition of power through unconstitutional means. The group noted that Articles 1 and 45 of the protocol require sanctions against any member state where democratic order is abruptly overturned.

AFBA also cited multiple articles of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG)—notably Article 23, which categorises military seizures of power as unconstitutional changes of government. Under Article 25, the African Union is obligated to impose punitive measures on perpetrators of such actions, while the AU Constitutive Act bars unconstitutional regimes from participating in AU activities.

AFBA’s Demands

The association called for:

• Immediate restoration of constitutional order and respect for electoral outcomes.
• Activation of ECOWAS and AU enforcement mechanisms, including diplomatic and targeted sanctions.
• Protection of election officials, journalists and political actors, as well as an independent investigation into the crisis.
• International solidarity with the people of Guinea-Bissau, whose right to freely choose their leaders has been violated.

AFBA further aligned itself with the joint statement issued on November 26, 2025, by the African Union Election Observation Mission, ECOWAS Election Observation Mission and the West African Elders Forum, all of whom condemned the instability triggered by the coup.

“The unconstitutional seizure of power in Guinea-Bissau is a clear breach of the continent’s most fundamental democratic norms, and it must not stand,” AFBA said. “Democracy, justice, and constitutional order must prevail.”

The African Bar Association (AFBA) has called for stronger legal and policy frameworks to protect Africa’s coastal communities, warning that the continent risks losing the vast economic potential of its Blue Economy without decisive action.

AFBA President, High Chief Ibrahim Eddy Mark, delivered the message on Tuesday at the Third Memorial Lecture in honour of the late Chief Justice Ambrose Ezeolisa Allagoa in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Justice Allagoa, a former Chief Judge of the old Rivers State and a revered traditional ruler, was celebrated as one of Nigeria’s most distinguished jurists.

Mark said Justice Allagoa embodied integrity, courage and judicial excellence, describing him as a rare figure whose contributions to law and public service “continue to illuminate the path of legal development” across Nigeria and Africa.

He noted that the memorial lecture reflects a shared commitment to the values Justice Allagoa championed—justice, fairness and a society governed by the rule of law.

This year’s theme, “Navigating the Blue Economy: The Legal and Policy Framework for Sub-National Stewardship for Coastal Communities,” addresses the increasing pressures facing Africa’s coastal regions. Mark said sub-national governments must adopt strong legal structures to safeguard resources, empower local communities and support sustainable growth.

He argued that the Blue Economy remains one of Africa’s most promising frontiers for diversification, innovation and ecological resilience. But he stressed that progress can only be achieved through inclusive policies, intergovernmental cooperation, stronger regulatory enforcement and unwavering environmental stewardship.

Mark added that coastal populations must be protected from exploitation and environmental risk, noting that their livelihoods are central to Africa’s long-term stability and development.

The AFBA president urged governments to ensure the rights and voices of coastal communities are placed at the centre of policy decisions. He expressed confidence that the memorial lecture would strengthen the region’s commitment to sustainable governance and help advance Justice Allagoa’s legacy of visionary leadership.

He also called on the governments of Rivers and Bayelsa States to formally adopt the annual memorial lecture as a state-supported institution, saying such a move would “truly immortalise this legal giant in his full essence.”

Justice Allagoa, who died in 2003, served as Chief Judge of the old Rivers State and later became the Amanyanabo of Nembe-Brass Kingdom. His career spanned the Bench, public administration and traditional leadership, earning him numerous national honours and deep respect across the country.

Mark closed his message with a reminder that Justice Allagoa’s legacy remains a guide for both Nigeria and the African continent as they pursue justice, responsible leadership and sustainable development.

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja, on Thursday ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to pay a ₦620,000 fine for stalling proceedings in the suits filed by 62 former staff members challenging their disengagement.

Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae issued the order after counsel for the former employees, Ola Olanipekun (SAN), complained that the apex bank’s late filing of a fresh application had forced an unnecessary adjournment in a matter scheduled for hearing.

The 62 former staff, who filed separate suits now pending before the court, are urging the NICN to nullify their termination letters dated May 23, 2024, which were issued under the heading “Re-Organisation”.

They contend that the action violated the CBN Act 2007 and the bank’s internal human resource policies, rendering the sack unlawful and void.

The claimants are seeking reinstatement to their former or equivalent positions, payment of all outstanding salaries and entitlements, and an order setting aside the termination entirely.

Their counsel has also applied for the consolidation of the multiple suits.

The lawsuits have had earlier procedural complications.

In 2024, the President of the NICN, Justice Benedict Kanyip, recused himself after discovering that a lawyer in the CBN’s consortium of counsel, from D.D. Dodo & Co., is his in-law.

The disengaged workers, many of whom helped establish the CBN’s now-defunct Economic Intelligence Unit, claim they were unjustly targeted despite the unit’s significant achievements.

They cite investigations into the P&ID $11 billion arbitration, recovery of ₦3.18 billion concealed by a bank agent, and probes into gaming companies involved in massive, unauthorised foreign exchange repatriation.

They maintain that their termination was punitive, arbitrary, and designed to disband a unit credited with critical financial intelligence successes.

At Thursday’s proceedings, Olanipekun told the court that parties were ready to proceed with the substantive originating summons and the CBN’s pending preliminary objection when the bank suddenly introduced a new motion—filed on November 26, and served that same morning, seeking to convert the case from an originating summons to a writ of summons on the grounds that facts were in dispute.

“It is important to say that we were served with this application this morning,” he said.

He argued that, contrary to CBN’s submission in its motion, the facts in the instant case are perfectly within the rules of hearing it via the originating summons.

He prayed the court to disregard the CBN’s application so that the case could proceed accordingly.

Olanipekun, who said the case involved 62 claimants, described the application as a deliberate setback aimed at delaying the matter and asked the court for a cost of ₦10,000 per claimant, totalling ₦620,000.

“We ask for a conservative cost of N10,000 per person and a total of N620,000.

“This is because this matter was slated for hearing and the claimants and their counsel are diligently ready to proceed so that we can address the injustice done to the claimants,” Olanipekun said.

Responding, CBN’s lawyer, Wilson Inam (SAN), told the court that he filed an application, dated November 26, seeking an order of the court to convert the claimants’ originating summons to a writ of summons because the facts are in dispute.

“I apologise for filing it just yesterday and for serving my learned brother this morning in court,” he said.

Justice Obaseki-Osaghae, however, agreed with the ex-workers’ counsel, holding that the bank’s motion had indeed disrupted the scheduled hearing.

“Cost follows event,” she ruled, awarding ₦620,000 against the CBN, to be paid before the next sitting.

“Cost is hereby awarded in the sum of N620,000, and this should be paid before the next adjourned date,” Justice Obaseki-Osaghae held.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to January 12, 2026, for hearing of pending applications.

An investigator with the Department of State Services (DSS) told a federal high court in Abuja that Tukur Mamu, publisher of Desert Herald newspaper, was allocated N50 million from ransom collected from families of victims of the Abuja–Kaduna train attack in 2022.

Mamu is accused of persuading the terrorists to negotiate ransom directly with families of abducted passengers rather than through the federal government’s committee led by the chief of defence staff, allegedly to secure personal financial benefit.

He was nominated by the terrorists as their negotiator and is alleged to have collected ransom payments on their behalf, confirmed the amounts and facilitated their delivery.

The DSS officer, who testified as the sixth prosecution witness (PW6) on Tuesday, gave evidence before Mohammed Umar, the presiding judge, while being led by the prosecution counsel, David Kaswe. The witness testified from behind a privacy screen for security reasons.

He said the testimony was based on four voice notes extracted from Mamu’s mobile devices after his arrest in Egypt and extradition to Nigeria.

The audio recordings, played in open court, contained telephone conversations between Mamu and members of the terrorist group that abducted dozens of passengers during the March 2022 train attack.

“The first voice note that played was for the defendant (Mamu) fixing a date for delivery of ransom,” the witness said.

“The second voice note that played for five minutes was the voice of Shugaba, the leader of the terrorist group. In the voice note, he was appreciating the defendant’s effort and asked him to remove N50 million for his personal use from a particular tranche of ransom sent to them.”

He added that in another recording, the group’s spokesperson, Baba Adamu, asked Mamu to help procure speakers and a public address system “for their preaching activities”, to which the defendant responded that “he was going to look into their request.”

According to the witness, the terrorists also asked Mamu to teach them how to open a website “for their activities”.

SEARCHES, SEIZURES AND FORENSIC ANALYSIS

The witness said after Mamu was intercepted in Egypt, he contacted his in-law, identified as Mubarak Tinja, and instructed him “to move out all his valuables, comprising cash, cars and other items of value, from his house to a safe location, to avoid detection by security agents.”

The witness said after Mamu’s return to Nigeria, DSS investigators executed a search warrant on his house and office in Kaduna, recovering cash in different currencies, several vehicles and other valuables.

He added that some items had already been moved out “in compliance with his directive to his in law.”

“Investigators later traced and recovered about $300,000 and seven vehicles, including a Toyota Camry (Muscle), Peugeot 5008, Lexus, Mercedes E350 and a Hyundai,” the witness said. Vehicle documents tendered through him were admitted in evidence.

He also testified that Mamu voluntarily handed over his Samsung tablet and two phones, which were analysed by forensic experts.

“He also admitted communicating with the terrorists, using his voice notes,” the witness said, adding that the defendant admitted instructing Mubarak to move valuables from his house.

Mamu also admitted ownership of a pump-action gun recovered from his residence, though investigators found that its licence had expired in December 2021 — nine months before his arrest.

VOICE NOTES, VICTMS’ STATEMENTS ADMITTED 

The prosecution tendered the extracted voice notes stored on compact discs and a flash drive.

Johnson Usman, Mamu’s counsel, reserved his objection until the final written address, and the court admitted the exhibits. The recordings were played in court.

The witness further told the court that two of the abducted victims voluntarily wrote statements narrating their experiences; however, they were unwilling to testify in court “because of fear and trauma”.

Their statements, one in English and the other in Hausa, were admitted as exhibits after no objection from the defence.

The court also admitted eight statements made by Mamu during interrogation, along with video recordings of the sessions.

The prosecution counsel said he would file a formal application for the court to visit the location where items recovered from Mamu’s home and office were kept.

MAMU LIVED ABOVE HIS MEANS

At the resumed session on Wednesday, the witness said findings showed that Mamu “was living way above his means” during the 2022 negotiations with the Kaduna train attackers.

He said investigators discovered “that during the course of the negotiations, the defendant’s lifestyle suddenly changed,” and that he “encouraged the terrorists to negotiate the ransom payment with victims’ families” and “benefitted from the ransom paid by the victims.”

He added that the defendant “provided information to the terrorists on how to create a website”, adding that cash recovered from him “was in excess of the threshold permitted by law”.

The witness also said Mamu was never appointed by the chief of defence staff (CDS) committee and “sidelined” the official team during negotiations.

Asked what he meant by Mamu’s lifestyle changing, PW6 said the defendant sponsored four family members on a trip to Egypt and “bought two flashy cars during the period of the negotiations.”

Under cross-examination, the witness admitted he had never travelled outside Nigeria, had not examined Mamu’s passport and was not aware of any DSS invitation or “wanted” notice issued for the defendant. He also confirmed he did not know Mamu’s net worth.

The judge adjourned the case to January 29, 2026, for continuation of trial.

A former First Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeazor Ajovi Akaraiwe, SAN has warned that the nation’s justice system is slowing under what he calls “tenacious clogs.”

Akaraiwe, SAN, who delivered the warning on Tuesday during the opening ceremony of the NBA Umuahia 2025 Law Week, told lawyers and judges that deep structural failures trap Nigeria’s justice system. He said the system will continue to struggle until the country confronts its institutional weaknesses.

Akaraiwe argued that the first major clog comes from the Constitution itself. He said the Second Alteration Act, which limits appeals to the Supreme Court, is still ignored. He warned that the Supreme Court remains overwhelmed by appeals that should not reach it.

He noted that some versions of the Constitution circulating nationwide are outdated or incorrect. He described that situation as “scandalous,” and urged strict enforcement of the correct constitutional text.

The senior advocate then turned to poor infrastructure and manpower shortages. He said Nigeria’s courts are far too few for a population exceeding 200 million people. He compared Nigeria’s facilities with Canada’s, noting that Vancouver alone has sixty high courts.

He argued that states like Abia should have at least one hundred High Courts. He said judges are overworked, case lists are overloaded, and justice delivery is painfully slow. He urged heavy investment in technology and case management systems.

Akaraiwe also highlighted poor remuneration and weak professional ethics. He said many young lawyers struggle financially and resort to needless delays to earn appearance fees. He praised the 2023 Remuneration Order but warned that enforcement is still weak.

He said the profession is undermined by unhealthy competition, underpricing and a declining sense of dignity. He added that the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee must enforce higher standards.

Akaraiwe then addressed the quality of appointments to the Bench. He called for a transparent peer review of prospective judges. He argued that Nigeria must only select candidates with proven competence, integrity and temperament.

He warned that judicial independence remains fragile. He noted that courts in many states still depend on the executive for funding and logistics. He said no judge can be independent when basic resources depend on the goodwill of political leaders.

He described weak enforcement of judgments as another major clog. He cited repeated violations of court orders by government agencies. He warned that such disobedience destroys public confidence in the courts.

Akaraiwe also criticised the growing number of frivolous appeals linked to the quest for the Senior Advocate rank. He said many lawyers file unnecessary appeals simply to meet the numerical requirements for the title. He proposed new criteria based on subject-matter groupings. He said this would cut down on needless appellate work and reduce pressure on higher courts.

He also suggested creating a second pathway to the SAN rank. This pathway would rely on a high number of trial court judgments rather than appellate appearances. He argued that this system would encourage faster trials and more pro bono work.

Akaraiwe urged the legal community to commit to institutional, professional and moral renewal. He said Nigeria lacks statesmen who prioritise justice over power. He argued that justice delivery requires political will, professional integrity and ethical discipline.

He called for robust legal education with a strong focus on professional ethics. He said ethics should be taught repeatedly from university to law school. He argued that early training builds moral resilience in young lawyers.

He ended with a call to action. He urged lawyers and judges to remove the clogs delaying justice. He said the courts exist for citizens, not for lawyers. He urged the profession to uphold justice with honesty, courage and humility.

Akaraiwe reminded the audience that Nigeria’s legal legends fought boldly for justice. He urged today’s lawyers to continue that legacy. He said Nigeria can fix its justice system once it finds the will to confront the problems directly.

Click here to download and read the entire paper.