By Olusegun Adeniyi

Long before the late Sergei Mavrodi arrived on the Nigerian financial scene in November 2015 with his MMM pyramid scheme, his reputation as an international fraudster preceded him. As far back as 2007, Mavrodi had been convicted in Russia for defrauding 10,000 investors. But somehow, he survived brushes with the law over sharp practices to go global with a Ponzi scheme that promised 3,000 percent ‘return on investment’ after upending the savings of more than a few people in his country. With such tantalising promise, it came as no surprise that Mavrodi would hit the jackpot in Nigeria where too many citizens are looking for ‘miracle money’.

Unfortunately, by December 2016, the scam had unravelled, leaving about three million Nigerians holding the wrong end of the candle just days before Christmas. “What is the scam here, if all members are warned in advance about all the risks, the possible and impossible ones?” an unrepentant Mavrodi asked in a letter he posted on the page for swindled participants of the scheme but addressed to then President Muhammadu Buhari. “They know there are no investments at all. The warning is a red text on a yellow background placed on the most prominent place of the website.”

Following that misadventure, the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) warned Nigerians about patronizing Ponzi schemes. SEC listed a few of these ventures to include Now-Now Alert, Flip Cash Investment, Result Investment Nigeria Limited, Helping Hand and Investment, No Failure Development and Empowerment Nigeria Ltd, and several others. Despite the warning, patronage for these Ponzi schemes only increased. A few of them also devised a clever way to legitimise their businesses: They boycotted industry regulator, SEC, and secured certificates of registration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). That became the tool for deceiving the unwary.

The latest of these ‘businesses’ is Crypto Bridge Exchange otherwise called CBEX which has scammed our people to the tune of more than a trillion Naira, going by most reports. Registered with the Corporate Affairs (CAC) last September, its EFCC certificate was obtained in January this year. Because they do their businesses online, it is easy for most of these crooks to evade accountability, but it is also obvious that they have collaborators within the system. It is important that they be identified and brought to justice.

Meanwhile, I have read the lamentation of several of the victims, but they have only themselves to blame. The Yoruba people have a way of putting this: “Ẹni ńwá’fà ńw’ófò.” Crudely translated, it means financial deals that are too good to be true most often end in tears. Perhaps the United States SEC definition of Ponzi schemes would be more useful. “A kind of pyramid scheme that operates on the ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ principle,” the US commission explains. “With the promise of large returns as bait, the fraudster takes in money from new investors and uses it to pay off the earlier investors until no more new recruits can be found and the whole scheme collapses, with the newest investors losing everything.”

It is easy for all kinds of dubious businesspeople to prey on the greed and ignorance of gullible Nigerians. That is because the virtual collapse of the moral frame of our government mirrors other fractures in our society. There is also a way in which we can connect this to the get-rich-by-any-means mentality that is at the heart of the activities of ritualists as captured in my column of last week. Incidentally, I received several mails on that column but one stood out for me. It is from a young man, Oluwafisayo Agbolabori. He highlighted several things that are often ascribed to ‘miracles’ by many Church leaders in Nigeria in a manner that absolves people of their responsibilities. “At the individual level, such ‘miracles’ corrupt the minds of the gullible into thinking that there is an ‘invisible hand’ somewhere that could change N3,000 to N3,000,000,” he wrote. “As a Christian, I strongly believe in miracles. But my point is this: Instead of sharing these ‘miracles’ that, at best, can’t be replicated by most of our people, the clerics can share the potency (miracle) of self audit, hard work, self reliance etc…”

I agree with Oluwafisayo. The mentality that stupendous wealth could be ‘created’ outside productivity or credible investment also explains why promoters of Ponzi schemes continue to thrive. But the real enablers are the regulatory institutions whose certificates assist these crooks in their nefarious activities. That is where the real inquisition should begin on this matter.

Francis, The Exemplary Pope
Whether you are a Pentecostal or a Catholic, there is something about the Papacy that makes almost every occupant a unifying force for Christians. But in the death of Pope Francis, just as it was with Pope John Paul II in 2005, there is a sense of universal grief. Whatever misgivings anybody had about some of his positions on contemporary issues, Pope Francis was a genuine shepherd who preached love and tolerance in a world where hate and bigotry have become the defining ethos. “Pope Francis will long be remembered for his outreach to those on the margins of the Church and of society,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

From his humble background as a chemical technician and bouncer in his early life, to Bishop in his native country of Argentina, Pope Francis preached social justice for all humanity. He emphasized that clerics must be like medics in a “field hospital” attending to people where they are. And he demonstrated uncommon humility throughout his life and ministry. For instance, in an unprecedented gesture to make the notorious warlord rivals of South Sudan embrace peace, he kissed their feet one by one at the Vatican, after organizing a spiritual retreat for them in April 2019.

There is hardly any worthy social cause that the late Pope did not endorse. On immigration, he tasked leaders to erect bridges and not walls and he supported the campaign on the sustainability of our environment. “The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face,” Pope Francis wrote in his famous ‘Laudato Si’ delivered in 2015 while advocating “a new way of thinking about human beings, life, society and our relationship with nature.” 

But perhaps the most controversial legacy of Pope Francis was his taking sides with the marginalised communities in every sphere of life by preaching inclusivity. On that score, he challenged doctrinal orthodoxy on the LGBTQ issue with his famous refrain, “Who am I to judge?” on matters of faith and sexual choices. It was not a popular position even among the Catholics, to put it mildly. Within the Pentecostal family, it was almost an anathema.

As I write this piece, I received a forwarded message. After reading it twice, I felt it perhaps sums up the message Pope Francis was trying to pass to some of us who could not understand him. Almost as if the sender was reading my thoughts, she followed up with a terse message: “It’s easy to be judgemental. The late Pope is a shining example of how NOT to be. A sad loss.” I was shocked that the message reflected exactly what I was thinking at the time.

On reflection, it couldn’t have been an accident that Pope Francis died on Easter Monday. “There are three virtues that the world still needs — faith, hope and love,” King Charles of England wrote in his Easter message last weekend. “And the greatest of these is love”. Yet, to love means we must embrace and respect others even when we disagree with their choices. Therefore, to those whose knowledge of the Bible is restricted to what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, Pope Francis is reminding us that there is also Psalm 130 verse 3 in the same Bible: “Lord, if you kept record of our sins, O LORD, who could stand?”

Now, to the WhatsApp message. Like all such messages, nobody knows the original writer, but here it goes, though slightly abridged:

I chuckled the first time I came across the phrase, “Until you have money to finance your temptations, don’t brag about morals. Too much is hidden in poverty.” It peeled back the comfortable layers of ‘self-righteousness’ we often wear and exposed an uncomfortable truth: that what we sometimes call morality may, in fact, be a privilege of limited options. It reminded me of another saying: “You call it corruption – until it comes your way. Then you’ll call it connections. And if you’re religious, you might even call it grace.”

In our moral superiority, we mistake the absence of opportunity for strength of character. And in doing so, we judge others through a lens clouded by comfort, detachment, and unchecked privilege. It’s easy to seem disciplined when nothing desirable is within reach. Easy to appear loyal when there’s no better offer on the table. Easy to claim honesty when a lie has never promised to save you. And so, we stand on our ‘safe little hills’ of assumed virtue, pointing fingers at those who fall—never pausing to ask whether we’d have done any better in their place. Maybe we haven’t resisted as much as we think. Perhaps we’ve just never been offered the shortcut.

This isn’t to romanticize failure or excuse poor choices. It’s not to say wrong becomes right if it’s understandable. No. It’s a call to humility. A reminder that judgment without context isn’t strength. It’s easy to judge others simply because they sin differently than you. It’s easy …to scoff at the one who compromised – until your own values are tested not in theory, but in fire. And when that ‘fire’ comes – and it does come – you begin to understand that real morality is quiet. It’s forged in private. And it costs.

We shouldn’t glorify mistakes or blur the line between right and wrong. But we must stop weaponizing virtue. Because morality isn’t proven by the absence of failure. It’s revealed in the presence of options. It’s folly to assume we’re better simply because we haven’t faced the same storms. Life has a funny way of humbling people. The very thing you once judged may become the thing you one day understand. And when that moment comes, may you be met with compassion – not condemnation. We’re all human. All learning. All navigating the chaos of life with the tools we’ve been given, in stories the world may never fully know. So, hold your standards high – but hold your heart higher. Speak truth—but season it with tenderness. And let your integrity be the kind that doesn’t need a stage to be real.

Pope Francis did not author the above. But that, I guess, was the message he was trying to pass to some of us. May his legacy endure!

You can follow me on my X (formerly Twitter) handle, @Olusegunverdict and on www.olusegunadeniyi.com   

The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.

By Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja

Prof. John E. Oshodi is a professional psychologist and prolific writer, and commentator on Nigerian affairs.

In an article dated 13th April 2025, he made reference to a psychologist’s term “trauma looping” as the reason why Nigerians have refused to forgive President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) for things/crimes/indiscretions that happened over thirty years ago. According to him, some former Presidents of the United States of America (USA) had committed illegalities in the past which did not inhibit their performance during their tenures. He gave the examples of President Barack Obama who admitted the he previously experimented with cocaine and President Bill Clinton who committed perjury and illicit sexual affairs,just to mention a few.

However, the difference between these former Presidents of the USA and PBAT is that these former Presidents were one-time and one-off offenders.

Whereas since the year 1993 when the last drug and money laundering case of PBAT that was handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), PBAT has proved to be a repeat offender that is caught up in a cycle of recividism.

Recidivism is defined as “a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior
especially: relapse into criminal behavior”.

Let me provide some examples of both illegal and ethical infractions committed by PBAT since his assumption of office in the year 2023, they are as follows:

1. Assenting to Bills (such as the Bill for increasing the retirement age of judges to seventy-five years) that were enacted by the 9th Assembly of the National Assembly which was dissolved on 29th May 2023, whereas PBAT is constitutionally permitted to only assent to Bills enacted by the 10th Assembly which came into existence in June 2023;
2. Illegally assenting to a Bill for extension of the tenure of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), without alteration of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999;
3. Illegal assent to the Bill for Re-Introduction of the old Nigerian National anthem, a Bill that never underwent public hearing in the year 2024;
4. Obtaining humuguous amounts of foreign loans and expending such loans without prior consent of the National Assembly; and
5. Proclamation of a State of Emergency in Rivers State without waiting for the actual occurrence of the pre-requisite circumstances as prescribed under Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution.

The above list is not exhaustive.

It just provides evidence that PBAT (unlike the former and current Presidents of the USA, who were one-time offenders) is an unrepentant person caught up in the rapture of recidivism.

The only difference between his 1993 crimes and the ones he is committing now is that this time around he has the backing of the National Assembly, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and others who provide legal backing to make such infractions appear legitimate!!!

The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.

By Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja

It was reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) spent a combined total of about nineteen (19) days on a working vacation between the United Kingdom and France!!!

While PBAT was in those two colonial master countries (France and the United Kingdom), it appears that he took his time to read a lot about the methods that France and Britain applied in their conquest and domination of pre-colonial African nations.

It appears that PBAT really read and grasped the method known as “gunboat diplomacy”.

The only problem is that PBAT is applying a method that the inventors themselves have long since abandoned during the 1960s when the colonial masters granted independence to Nigeria and other African countries.

In other words, instead of making progress, PBAT is driving Nigeria into retrogression.

Retrogression is defined as: “the process of returning to an earlier state, typically a worse one.
“a retrogression to 19th-century attitudes”.

The method that PBAT and the National Assembly applied in the Proclamation of State of Emergency in Rivers State can be defined as a form of gunboat diplomacy.

It was a blatant show of force, a disguised threat to other Governors especially those in the Opposition, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), that a similar State of Emergency could be proclaimed in their States regardless of whether the ACTUAL EXISTENCE of the pre-requisite circumstances for invocation of Section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

The expression “gunboat diplomacy” is an oxymoron of sorts.

An oxymoron is defined as “a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (side by side in the same sentence).

The phrase “gunboat Diplomacy” is an oxymoron considering that on the one hand “gunboat” is an instrument of threat, war and destruction. Whereas “diplomacy” refers to a congenial approach of discussion and amicable resolution of issues between parties.

In other words, “gunboat diplomacy” is a method wherein a gunboat is stationed and pointed at one of the parties (just like holding a gun to the head) and telling the threatened person to sign his or her signature in agreement to the terms of an otherwise diplomatic discussion.

This is exactly how King Jaja of Opobo was dethroned and sent on exile by the officials of the British Empire in the year 1887.

He was lured to a meeting aboard HMS GOSHAWK for a supposed peaceful meeting to seek an amicable resolution of issues (diplomacy).

However as soon as King Jaja of Opobo stepped into the said ship, which was also gunboat, the guns/cannons of the said shop and others were pointed towards the Kingdom of Opobo, King Jaja of Opobo was given an ultimatum, either he agrees to be kidnapped and taken to Accra, Ghana for trial or the gunboats would destroy the Kingdom of Opobo. King Jaja chose to save the beloved Kingdom of Opobo which he started building in the year 1870.

PBAT is applying the same method of gunboat diplomacy in his interaction with Governor Fubara.

There is no level playing field between himself and Governor Fubara.

Before the alleged meeting with Governor Fubara in the United Kingdom, PBAT had installed his “gunboat” on the ground in Rivers State in the person of the Sole Administrator.

So whatever looks of a peaceful meeting pretending to employ diplomacy is only a ruse.

Below is a detailed description of gunboat diplomacy as follows:

“Gunboat diplomacy is the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of naval power, implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare should terms not be agreeable to the superior force.

The term “gunboat diplomacy” comes from the nineteenth-century period of imperialism, when Western powers – from Europe and the United States – would intimidate other, less powerful entities into granting concessions through a demonstration of Western superior military capabilities, usually represented by their naval assets. A coastal country negotiating with a Western power would notice that a warship or fleet of ships had appeared off its coast.

The mere sight of such power almost always had a considerable effect, and it was rarely necessary for such boats to use other measures, such as demonstrations of firepower.

Diplomat and naval thinker James Cable spelled out the nature of gunboat diplomacy in a series of works published between 1971 and 1993. In these, he defined the phenomenon as “the use or threat of limited naval force, otherwise than as an act of war, in order to secure advantage or to avert loss, either in the furtherance of an international dispute or else against foreign nationals within the territory or the jurisdiction of their own state.

King Jaja of Opobo was a significant figure in the history of the Niger Delta, and his story is intertwined with the practice of “gunboat diplomacy” used by Great Britain during the 19th century. This involved using naval power to exert pressure and achieve political and economic objectives, often without resorting to direct military conflict.

Gunboat diplomacy, as exemplified in the case of King Jaja, was a tool of imperialism employed by European powers to assert dominance and control over weaker regions. In the Niger Delta, British naval power was used to intimidate and eventually remove King Jaja from power, leading to his exile.

Here’s a more detailed look at how gunboat diplomacy impacted King Jaja :

The context:
King Jaja rose to power in Opobo, a trading center in the Niger Delta, and established a thriving palm oil trade. This successful enterprise, however, led to conflict with British traders who sought to control the trade routes.

The use of force :
The British, using naval power, pressured King Jaja to sign treaties that would allow them greater control over trade and resources in the region.

The arrest and exile :
King Jaja was lured onto a British warship under false pretenses, arrested, and tried for treaty violations. He was subsequently exiled to the Caribbean, effectively ending his rule and paving the way for British control over the Niger Delta.

The broader implications :
The King Jaja affair highlighted the use of gunboat diplomacy and other forms of coercion by the British in their efforts to establish and maintain control over the Niger Delta.”

The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.

By Bayo Akinlade, Esq

In a recent development, Policemen from FCID Alagbon, led by A.I.G. Margaret Ochalla,
are again connected to being used by individuals to resolve disputes over land. What is upsetting here is that this dispute is already before the courts!

Why is it too hard for the police to stay out of land disputes? Why can’t the police simply obey the laws? What is the AIG’s personal interest in this land?

It is becoming intolerable for law abiding citizens to continue to accept the excesses of BAD policemen and corrupt Police leadership in this country.

Duty Solicitors Network was just made aware of an incident involving a church whose workers were arrested by the Nigeria police.

A complaint addressed to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police by the church is as follows:

The Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Dept. (FCID) Annex Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos

Dear Madam,
RE: SUIT NO. LD/5321LM/2025 RICHARD DOSU ADELU & ORS VS MAKUACHUKWU CHUKWUJAMA AND CHIEF JOHN OGUNYEMI IN THE MATTER OF ASSAULT OF PERSONS, DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND USE OF FORCE/SELF-HELP IN ATTEMPT TO ILLEGALLY TAKE OVER PROPERTY AT NO. 12, OYE BALOGUN STREET, OFF FREEDOM WAY, ITEDO, LEKKI, LAGOS – CONTEMPT OF COURT.

The above subject matter Suit and our letters dated 7th March, 2025 and 14th March, 2025 in respect of the above Suit refers.

We remain Solicitors to Richard D. Adelu, Eunice A. Adelu and Babatunde Aina of Celestial Church of Christ, Zion Parish , off Freedom Way, Itedo, Lekki, Beneficial Owners and Occupiers of the above mentioned property on whose instructions we communicate the following.

On behalf of our Clients, we write to complain of the unlawful arrest and detention of members and workmen (16 in total) at the Church property upon your direction which unfortunate event took place on Thursday 17th April, 2025.

This was in disregard of the Order of Court of 4th April, 2025 served on MR. MAKUACHUKWU CHUKWUJAMA AND CHIEF JOHN OGUNYEMI and delivered to you on 14th April, 2025 through Force Headquarters Annex, Kam Salem House, where you began to handle the matter.

We recall that before then we had also delivered Court processes to you on 7th March, 2025 to show that the property in question was the subject matter of litigation by which our Clients had sought pre-emptive orders of injunction from the Court.

By Ruling of the Court on Friday 4th April 2025, honourable Justice O.O. Ogunjobi of the High Court of Lagos State granted our Clients 3 pre-emptive injunctions among which was an injunction restraining MR. MAKUACHUKWU CHUKWUJAMA AND CHIEF JOHN OGUNYEMI from trespassing, threatening or disturbing our Clients’ peaceful enjoyment of their property, either by themselves or through the use of third parties.

That meant that the Respondents, either directly or indirectly through use of third parties, including law enforcement agents are forbidden to threaten or disturb our Clients’ peaceful enjoyment of their property, which includes working on their land.

However, the 1st Respondent illegally attempted to circumvent the Court Order by further complaining to police through a third party (Elegushi family) through whom he claims title. This was in disobedience of the Order of Court since the Order restrains the Respondents, by themselves, agents or other persons acting on their behalf.

To be clear, a complaint to the Police by the Elegushi family for the benefit of their purported purchaser, MAKUACHUKWU CHUKWUJAMA, was an act done on behalf of the 1st Respondent, MAKUACHUKWU CHUKWUJAMA and therefore in clear breach of the Order of Court. Such an attempt to circumvent a Court Order on behalf of the 1st Respondent in order to disrupt our Client’s peaceful enjoyment of their property was in contempt of Court and the Police lack jurisdiction to entertain it.

Consequently, the arrest of the 16 men from our Client’s property and the seizing of artisan/work implements was unlawful, in contempt of Court and lacking in jurisdiction.

The petition surreptitiously lodged by a Mr. Adedeji of the Elegushi family at the instance of the 1st Respondent amounted to giving false information to the Police. The Petitioner alleged that our Clients brought armed men to work on their own land within their own fenced compound in disobedience of a Court order which he claimed restrained all parties from working on the land. This was false. None of the 16 persons arrested was armed and upon enquiry by the Solicitor who attended FCID Alagbon to represent the men, no Court order was presented by the Police. Until such Court order is produced, it will appear that the Police invaded our Clients’ property to arrest members and workmen on the basis of unverified and false information given to the police.

Following the unlawful arrests of members and workmen on 17th April, 2025 and seizing of their artisan tools, Church Chairman, Mr. Babatunde Aina, was served with a letter of invitation to attend a fact finding investigation scheduled for Tuesday 22nd April, 2025 at 10.00 hrs. We are of the humble view that to continue to investigate a matter which is the subject matter of on-going litigation undermines the jurisdiction of the court at the risk of contempt proceedings ensuing.

The matter being “sub judice”, the Complainants’ recourse is to the Court only, without further attempts to undermine the Court’s jurisdiction in whatever guise. Our Clients therefore humbly decline the invitation and any further invitation by the Police regarding challenge to the peaceful enjoyment of their property now the subject matter of Court proceedings. To do otherwise will be disrespectful of the Court and an undermining of the rule of law.

Any aggrieved party is at liberty to join issues with our Clients in Court wherein the Court has assumed jurisdiction in the matter of peaceful enjoyment of our Clients’ property, rather than engage in self-help either directly or indirectly through use of third parties, including law enforcement agents.

Thank you for your co-operation.
Find attached a copy of the enrolled order of Court.

My Comments
I will continue to have hope in the Police and in the administration of justice in this country.

The police should STOP taking petitions and complaint made to it at face value but must thoroughly investigate these claims by so-called petitioners.

We know the police is under funded and underpaid but to collect bribes and gratification to arrest and detain citizens is a criminal act in itself and the Police must desist from such activities lest we face the ugly consequences of a failed State.

Yes, don’t care today because the Police is hungry but who is not hungry in Nigeria today, who is not pained by the current economic situation? The excuse to take bribes is no longer acceptable and if goes unchecked will compromise the safety and security of this nation.

THE NIGERIA POLICE SHOULD STOP GETTING INVOLVED IN LAND MATTERS.

STOP ILLEGAL ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS!

By Dr. Kolawole Olaniyan

One Lere Olayinka on Monday posted a so-called press release on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account, with the heading, “How many major cases did you win to become SAN?”, referring to Femi Falana, SAN. This is very ill-judged!

His venomous and deeply personal attacks on Falana, one of the finest advocates of his generation, clearly portray Lere as a grumpy critic! His purported question as to the ‘major cases’ that have been won by Falana reflects either Lere’s wilful ignorance or mischief, or both.

If Lere needed someone to defend him, who would he choose? Falana, a passionate advocate, or his clueless paymaster, on whose behalf he wrote the nonsense?

In case Lere cares to know, Falana is a formidable advocate and a defender of the voiceless, the vulnerable and the disadvantaged, and who has for many decades demonstrated absolute command of the courtroom.

Let’s look at some of Falana’s legal victories in the field of human rights.

Unlike Lere’s paymaster, Falana’s legal career has been devoted to bringing about systemic, material change to peoples’ lives, through law and with law. He wields his legal skills to save others from injustice, as aptly demonstrated by his very successful representation of civil society organizations and victims of human rights violations at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul.

His winning appearance for SERAP in July 2022 in the Twitter (X) ban case is one of several legal victories over the government’s abuse of power and crackdown on human rights, something which clearly has given Lere a chance to express himself on X.

In November 2010, Falana won another landmark decision for SERAP from the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which declared for the first time that the right to education is a legally enforceable human right in Nigeria.

Falana also won a major legal victory for SERAP when the ECOWAS Court of Justice in March 2022 ordered the Nigerian government to amend the repressive provisions of the Cybercrime Act and bring them in conformity with the country’s international human rights obligations.

In June 2008, Falana successfully defended a Gambian journalist Ebrimah Manneh at the ECOWAS Court of Justice. In the case, the court ordered the Gambian government to release Ebrimah and to pay him $100,000.00 as compensation for his unlawful arrest and detention.

Through Falana’s brilliant legal advocacy on behalf of SERAP, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in October 2009 ordered the Libyan authorities to stop the execution of Nigerians on death row in that country. Following the Commission’s decision, Libya under the late Muammar Gaddafi suspended the execution of Nigerians on death row.

In September 2022, Falana persuaded the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights to denounce the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara as a serious violation of the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination. The court has upheld the right to self-determination and independence of the Saharawi people and underlined the obligation of African States to assist it. The decision has reverberated throughout the African regional human rights system.

Falana routinely provides pro bono legal services– without a fee–to victims of human rights violations.

Falana brings clarity and insight to complex legal concepts through his excellent work as a writer and academic. He has written extensively about the law, human rights and the ECOWAS Court of Justice, including his seminal books on Fundamental Rights Enforcement (2004), ECOWAS Court: Law and Practice (2010), and Nigerian Law on Socio-Economic Rights (2017).

Falana is deeply principled and utterly independent. His outstanding achievements are a product of his deep commitment to human rights, social justice, the legal profession and a fearless approach to the practice of law, as well as to the rule of law.

The ECOWAS Court regularly pay tribute to his legal advocacy skills and the mark he has made (and continues to make) on the case-law of the court. The International Bar Association in 2008 saluted his abilities by awarding him the prestigious Bernard Simons Memorial Award.

These are the qualities and achievements to which Lere’s paymaster ought to aspire.

What, exactly, does Lere’s paymaster stand for?

Will Lere tell Nigerians the intellectual contribution of his paymaster to the development of the legal profession and legal jurisprudence? Or shut up!

Kolawole Olaniyan, PhD, is the author of Ownership of Proceeds of Corruption in International Law, Oxford University Press (2023)

The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.