A Federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Justice Deinde Dipeolu has ordered the remand of a middle-aged man, Solomon Ehiem, at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre following allegations of fraudulently taking over companies belonging to a deceased businessman.

According to the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ehiem and an accomplice who remains at large conspired to unlawfully assume control of three companies—Refron 22 Gas Limited, Refron 410 Gas Limited, and J.C. Nwadike Tech Company—previously owned by the late Chima Joseph Nwadike.

The police further alleged that Ehiem fraudulently transferred, retained, and took possession of ₦200 million from the companies’ accounts for his benefit.

Ehiem was arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy, stealing, and fraudulent conversion. He pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution, led by Justin Enang, told the court that the offences took place in Lagos in February 2025 and violated Sections 20(a) and 18(1) & (2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The offences are punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.

Following the plea, the prosecution requested a trial date and asked the court to remand the defendant pending the conclusion of proceedings.

The matter has been adjourned to 12 August 2025 for the hearing of the bail application.

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned Tuesday’s arrest and detention of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of Anambra State and three other lawyers in her department, describing the action as “shocking and indeed provocative.”

Sounding an alarm over the incident in an X post (formerly Twitter), Law teacher and ex-Chair of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Prof. Chidi Odinkalu said: “The Inspector-General of @PoliceNG has absolutely no powers to even think about arresting a DPP & State Counsel for doing their jobs. This lawlessness cannot be allowed…”

The NBA President, in a statement titled: IT IS AN OVERREACH FOR POLICE TO PURPORT TO HAVE POWER TO INVESTIGATE AN ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR DISCONTINUING A CRIMINAL MATTER, stated that: “The Police need not be educated or reminded that they cannot question the Attorney General’s decision to exercise the power of nolle prosequi.”

The full statement reads:

In another new low and affront to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as the legal profession, the Nigeria Police Force has purported to have the power to investigate the exercise of the power of the Attorney General of Anambra to take over, continue, and/or withdraw criminal proceedings before the courts of the State.

It is shocking and indeed provocative that the IGP Monitoring Unit of the Nigeria Police invited and released on bail the Director of Public Prosecution and some other law officers in the Ministry of Justice for exercising the power of the State Attorney General to enter a nolle prosequi in respect of a criminal matter. In continuing to display their brazen assault on the office of the Attorney General, the Police have also extended an invitation to the Attorney General of the State in purported exercise of constitutional powers.

We will be failing in our duty if we shut our eyes to this unsavoury development, as we are committed to ensuring that all forms of executive recklessness and impunity are stopped by our law enforcement agencies.

The Police need not be educated or reminded that they cannot question the Attorney General’s decision to exercise the power of nolle prosequi. This power is not even subject to judicial review or questioning by other authorities, including the Police. This prerogative power of the Attorney General is spelt out in Section 211 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The NBA will not, therefore, sit idly by while the Police overreach themselves by brazenly assaulting the Constitution in this manner. We fear that if this is allowed to happen, the Police may one day purport to have the power to investigate a judicial officer for delivering judgments.

The office of the Attorney General will never be cowed. No amount of invitation, purported investigation, and/or intimidation will deter the holder of the office and the officers in his/her Ministry from discharging his/her constitutional duties. An Attorney General and his/her law officers should be able to execute these duties without any form of intimidation, threat, harassment, fear, and/or victimization. The Police must not only cease and desist from any further invitation and purported investigation of the Attorney General and the law officers, but also must tender an unreserved apology to the Attorney General and these officers for this unlawful act.

The matter also calls into question the needless invitation of these law officers to Abuja from Anambra State and the purported investigation of these law officers. The purported investigation once more calls into question our policing and investigative model, which requires that matters that should ordinarily be investigated by Police divisions are investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of Police. This not only suggests that the divisions or the Police in a state may not be competent to investigate matters within their jurisdiction, or cannot be trusted to do a good or thorough job. This mode of investigation, which is usually abused, imposes great cost on persons being investigated and puts them to severe hardship and disruption of their daily activities. It must be reviewed.

The Nigerian Bar Association calls on the Inspector General of Police to call off this investigation, as this action is clearly in breach of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 [as amended], and portends a grave danger to our democracy.

The Bar must also take this as a wake-up call to provide adequate protection of lawyers from job hazards and abuses by insisting on prosecution and discipline of errant officers, naming and shaming affected officers, etc.

If the invitation and investigation is not called off immediately, the NBA National Litigation Committee, led by Ama Etuwewe, SAN, is hereby directed to provide legal services to these lawyers and also immediately consider taking all legal actions necessary to protect them from the abuse of their fundamental human rights and the subversion of the prerogative powers of an Attorney General to take over, continue, and/or discontinue a case.

Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN
President, Nigerian Bar Association

• ‘An Amazon and an icon in Nigerian journalism’ — President Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has mourned the death of Dr. Doyin Abiola, Nigeria’s First female editor-in-chief of a national daily newspaper, and one of the county’s most influential media figures.

She died at the age of 82, early on Wednesday.

In his condolence message on Wednesday, President Tinubu described Mrs Abiola as “an Amazon and an icon in Nigerian journalism.”

“She broke the gender barrier, becoming the first woman to edit a national newspaper and the first Managing Director of a daily newspaper,” the president wrote.

Read the full statement on Mrs Abiola by the president below.

I received with deep sadness the news early on Wednesday of the passing of Dr. Doyinsola Hamidat Abiola, a trailblazing journalist, editor, and former Managing Director of the defunct Concord Group of newspapers and wife of the late Bashorun MKO Abiola.

Doyin Abiola, 82, was an Amazon and an icon in Nigerian journalism. She stayed in the journalism course since starting as a reporter with the defunct Daily Sketch after graduating from the University of Ibadan in 1969, majoring in English and Drama.

She broke the gender barrier, becoming the first woman to edit a national newspaper and the first Managing Director of a daily newspaper.

Her immense contributions to journalism and gender equity laid a foundation for generations of women. Her impact on our democracy was even more profound.

Doyin embodied integrity, tenacity, hard work, commitment to excellence and dedication to public good and democratic good governance.

In 1980, she emerged as the pioneer Editor of National Concord, owned by the late MKO Abiola. She later became the managing director and editor-in-chief of all the Concord titles, including founding the Weekend Concord, which set new standards for making people the focus of reporting.

I had a good relationship with the late Doyin, which stemmed from my close relationship with the late MKO Abiola.

As MKO’s wife, Doyin became acquainted with politics and took a keen interest in it, particularly when her husband ran for the country’s presidency in 1993.

She played a prominent role in MKO’s election, mobilising and providing direction for the media under her control.

And when the June 12 election, won by her husband, was annulled, she did not stand aside. Despite the military junta shutting down the Concord Group, she also joined the fray, demanding the validation of the election. She was a soldier of democracy in her own right.

Nigerians will never forget Doyin Abiola’s leadership during her illustrious journalism career, her championing women’s empowerment, and her commitment to democracy.

I commiserate with the Abiola and Aboaba families, her only daughter, Doyinsola, and the government and people of Lagos and Ogun States.

May her soul rest in peace. May this nation be blessed with more women of Doyin Abiola’s calibre and pedigree.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR

President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Born in 1943, Dr. Abiola spent over three decades in the media industry, breaking barriers and shaping public discourse through journalism.

She earned a degree in English and Drama from the University of Ibadan in 1969 and began her career at Daily Sketch, where she wrote a widely read column, Tiro, focusing on public and gender issues.

In 1970, she travelled to the United States for postgraduate studies, and later obtained a PhD in Communications and Political Science from New York University in 1979.

On her return to Nigeria, she joined Daily Times as a Features Writer and rose to the position of Group Features Editor.

She was later appointed to the paper’s editorial board, working alongside the likes of Stanley Macebuh, Dele Giwa, and Amma Ogan.

Doyin went on to become the pioneer daily editor of National Concord, and in 1986, was appointed Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, making her one of the most powerful women in Nigerian media at the time.

As editor and later Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Abiola led the National Concord newspaper to become one of Nigeria’s most influential media platforms.

Under her leadership, the Concord Group expanded to publish as many as 14 newspapers and magazines.

Doyin once turned down an offer to become “Woman Editor” at Daily Times, a role she felt underestimated her capabilities.

She insisted on being judged by merit rather than gender, eventually joining as a Features Writer and rising to the role of Group Features Editor.

During General Sani Abacha’s regime, soldiers invaded the Concord premises and destroyed printing presses. The newspaper was proscribed for 18 months.

She later recalled in a 2001 interview that despite the pressure, she remained committed to truth and justice in journalism.

Beyond her newsroom accomplishments, she served the industry in various capacities.

She chaired the Awards Nominating Panel of the maiden Nigerian Media Merit Award and sat on the Advisory Council of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences at Ogun State University.

In 1986, she was named an Eisenhower Fellow.

Years later, she received the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding contribution to journalism and democracy in Nigeria, becoming only the second woman to receive the honour.

She also served as Chairperson of the CNN African Journalist of the Year Awards.

She was married to the late Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, and stood by him during the years of political turmoil that followed.

Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the family.

A lawyer who was disbarred after he was found to have sexually harassed two pupils and a person on mini-pupillage has had his appeal dismissed.

Robert Michael Kearney, called in 1996 and who practised in criminal law, was disbarred by the Bar Tribunal and Adjudication Service following a tribunal’s sanctions hearing in December 2024.

Kearney appealed against the sanction on five grounds, including that he was afforded ‘insufficient credit’ for mitigation, his rehabilitation was ‘wrongly characterised as “personal mitigation”’, and the tribunal had failed to give any or sufficient consideration to the totality principle.

However, in Robert Kearney v The Bar Standards Board, Mrs Justice Hill, sitting in Manchester, said she did not find the way in which the tribunal assessed Kearney’s evidence of rehabilitation or his wider character evidence ‘in any way “wrong”’.

She added that there was ‘nothing wrong’ in how the tribunal approached the totality issue or how ‘identified and applied the relevant mitigating factors’, adding: ‘Their approach to this issue was entirely consistent with the Sanctions Guidance and the particular facts of the appellant’s case.’

Referring to the tribunal’s sanction, the judge said the tribunal’s ‘detailed and clear reasons…fully explain why the tribunal did not consider that a further period of suspension was the appropriate sanction’.

She added: ‘The tribunal was considering an unusually serious situation in that [Kearney] was being sanctioned for two disciplinary cases involving sexual misconduct towards one mini-pupil and two pupils, and had already previously been sanctioned for sexual misconduct twice by way of sexual harassment of a mini-pupil and a pupil.’

Kearney first appeared before the tribunal in 2018 when he was reprimanded and ordered to pay a £1,000 fine. In March 2021, he appeared before the tribunal over allegations of inappropriate behaviour and was suspended for six months and fined £3,000. He appealed the sanction, which was dismissed. Kearney appeared before the tribunal again, and a consolidated sanctions hearing was held in January 2023. He successfully appealed his sanction of disbarment, and the sanctions hearing was relisted to December 2024 when the Bar Tribunal and Adjudication Service disbarred him.

The judge said: ‘The tribunal, when considering what sanction to impose, was fully entitled to have regard for his pattern of misconduct, and to reflect on the question of why the previous investigations and sanctions had been ineffective in preventing his misconduct towards Pupil A and Pupil B. For cases within the upper range of seriousness, which both cases were for the reasons the tribunal gave, the Sanctions Guidance made clear disbarment was the “indicative sanction”.

‘In those circumstances the sanction of disbarment was not manifestly excessive; nor was it wrong or clearly inappropriate, which is the test applicable to this appeal.’

Dismissing the appeal, the judge said Kearney’s disbarment was neither ‘wrong’ nor ‘clearly inappropriate’.

© The Law Society Gazette

Although both conflicts involve significant human suffering, the war in Ukraine has garnered more global attention than the genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Could it be the involvement of major global powers in the Russia/Ukraine conflict and the perceived threat to the international order? 

Is it about one conflict being more newsworthy, or the fact that the crisis directly threatens the security of European nations, leading to a greater sense of urgency? Beyond exploitation of its huge reserves of mineral resources, does Africa really matter?

DRC has criticised the seemingly lukewarm attitude civilised world to the genocide perpetrated on its soil by neighbouring countries pillaging Congolese natural resources.

Speaking during the Commemoration of GENOCOST at the Triumphant Church, Gishiri, Abuja, the DRC Ambassador to Nigeria, Pascaline Gerengbo Yakivu disclosed that: “The Congolese Government, referring to Law Number 22/065 of December 26, 2022, establishing the fundamental principles relating to the protection and reparation of victims of conflict-related to sexual violence and other crimes against peace and security, crimes against humanity, has established a National Day of Tribute to the victims and to the people who provided them with relief and assistance. This day, celebrated on August 2 of each year, is called GENOCOST, which means Genocide for Economic Purposes.”

She noted that August 2 was chosen for the commemoration because August 2, 1998, marked the beginning of the long, arduous march with multiple forms of suffering for the Congolese people, culminating in the clashes between the Ugandan and Rwandan armies on Congolese soil in Kisangani.

The Ambassador, while expressing concern that every day, peaceful citizens are forced to flee their homes to take refuge in the bush, far from their natural environments, lacking everything, dying of hunger and diseases caused by their wandering situation, said that the international community needs to take urgent action to stop the crisis.

She decried that: “They have not harmed anyone; they suffer all these horrors of war just because they are Congolese. All this, in the total indifference of other countries and the international community, even though they are praised as civilised nations.

“The armies of these neighbouring countries that continue to cause death and desolation to all these innocent and peaceful citizens are, however, known, and for nearly three decades, these foreign armies, particularly that of Rwanda, have been supporting the M23/AFC terrorist groups that are conducting operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, occupying large territories for false reasons, raping, killing, and plundering our natural resources from the Eastern part of the country. If nothing is done, the populations of this part of our territory are going to be exterminated or flee far from their native lands because it is a situation that best suits these predatory states.”

She further decried that: “Today, while we commemorate this genocide of the Congolese, a large part of our territory is occupied, causing more than 7 million internally displaced people.”

The envoy said: “All the research carried out by our state institutions and by credible foreign organisations on the numerous deaths caused by incursions and occupations by foreign armies, attest that more than 10 million deaths have been caused by this situation, and more recently, in Komada in Ituri Province, during a Catholic church service, congregants were murdered by RDF armed groups. How long will these massacres of Congolese people continue?”

She said: “Imagine what 10 million deaths represent? We have countries both here in Africa and in other continents whose entire populations do not exceed 10 million inhabitants.”

The envoy said: “The awareness of the sons and daughters of the DRC has awakened them to demand reparations for the damages suffered and to denounce the hypocrisy of the international community.

“The DRC seized this opportune moment, with the publication of the various documented UN reports, to ensure that sanctions against the perpetrators of this genocide could be taken by the appropriate international bodies in order to restore peace in the region, with a view to alleviating the suffering of our victim populations.

“It is time for the international community to gather the courage it takes to recognize this genocide which is at the same level of other known ones around the world.

“This is how the collective memory of the Congolese victims will be honoured and recognised by the International Community.”

The degenerating security crisis in Nasarawa State has reached a terrifying new height after a large convoy of heavily armed bandits stormed the Federal University of Lafia, leaving behind a devastating trail of rape, assault, and bloodshed.

Sources within the University community, who pleaded strict anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the attacks, told Daily Independent that for over two weeks, students have been subjected to unrelenting terror, ranging from kidnapping and killings to widespread sexual violence. 

But the worst came on July 26, 2025, when the bandits launched a full-scale assault.

According to witnesses, the attackers —moving in a coordinated convoy of vehicles— invaded student-populated areas surrounding the University, including Akunza, Gandu, and Burkan Kwato, slum-like satellite villages where thousands of students reside due to the institution’s inadequate hostel infrastructure. 

It was in the off-campus communities that the bandits unleashed one of the most horrific attacks on a Nigerian university in recent times.

 “On the 26th of July 2025 alone, over 30 female students were raped by the bandits who mobilised and invaded the student villages in a large convoy and vehicles.

 “The operation is similar to the Boko Haram episode in the Chibok and Dapchi Girls Kidnap incident. The Lafia rape is a sad reminder of the collapse of the Nigerian State that has led to the gross devaluation of life and human rights abuses of the Nigerian people in the hands of bandits and terrorists. 

 “In the same operation, male students who resisted the invasion were brutally hacked and butchered by the bandits. By the end of the invasion, the bandits had left a trail of blood, tears and sorrows on the mind of the University community.”

Despite the gravity of the assault, sources lamented the shocking silence from both local and national media, as well as the lack of political response.

 “What is more worrisome is the fact that the invasion did not draw the attention of both the local and national media. It appears, the non-media coverage and reportage is a deliberate strategy of conspiracy of silence by the ruling political class of the state.”

Since its establishment in 2011, the Federal University of Lafia has experienced a surge in student population, but without corresponding infrastructure, particularly housing. 

Thousands of students are left to seek accommodation in poorly secured neighbourhoods surrounding the institution, making them easy targets for criminals.

The mass rape and coordinated invasion by the bandits has now ignited urgent calls for accountability, security reinforcement, and a national response to what many are calling a “mini-Chibok tragedy in Lafia.” 

Reacting, the Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Ramhan Nansel, denied that a large number of students were raped.

While speaking to SaharaReporters, he said armed robbers attacked the University on July 31. 

“What happened was that armed robbers attacked the University on July 31st, and it was during the incident that they robbed a lady of her bag, and then one male student was injured with a cutlass while trying to escape.”

He denied that it was possible for the rape incident to have happened while police personnel were stationed in Lafia.

“We cannot be in Lafia here, and 30 students would be raped while we would do nothing, and the university management will keep quiet too. It is a sensational report, and I was surprised when I heard it that 30 students were raped.”

The Malawi Constitutional Court has declared Section 200 of the Malawi Penal Code, which criminalises defamation, unconstitutional.

While delivering its ruling on Wednesday, 16 July, the High Court of Malawi, sitting as a constitutional court, ruled that the criminalisation of defamation infringes on the right to freedom of expression.

The court argued that although safeguarding individuals’ reputations is important, imprisoning someone for defamation is an excessive measure.

The defamation lawsuit was filed by political activist Joshua Mbele, who had been facing criminal charges after allegedly making remarks about a government official.

In his suit, Mr Mbele argued that the law was being used to silence critics and stop public debate.

He contested the constitutionality of the law, asserting that it suppressed legitimate criticism and silenced dissenting voices.

Ruling in his favour, the court compared Malawi’s defamation laws with those in other African and Commonwealth countries, noting a growing trend toward decriminalisation in jurisdictions that uphold freedom of expression as a fundamental right.

“The threat of imprisonment under section 200 has a chilling effect on public discourse and democratic participation,” the court noted, adding that the broad wording of the law made it susceptible to abuse and arbitrary enforcement.

The court then ordered that section 200 of the Malawi penal code be struck down with immediate effect, effectively barring any future prosecutions under the provision. The government can appeal the ruling.

Defamation is criminalised in Nigeria

In Nigeria, defamation remains both a civil and criminal offence.

According to Sections 373–375 of the Criminal Code and Sections 391–395 of the Penal Code, individuals found guilty of criminal defamation can face imprisonment, fines, or both.

Many Nigerian scholars, journalists, and human rights advocates have argued that criminalising speech undermines democratic values.

Experts and analysts have called for decriminalising defamation, stating that it fails to meet the international human rights standard.

“All laws that support criminal defamation in Nigeria’s criminal jurisprudence should be immediately repealed and cases initiated under those laws should be struck out by the courts,” said Jibrin Ibrahim, a professor of Political Science.

In practice, these Nigerian laws have often been weaponised by powerful individuals to target journalists, whistleblowers, and critics. Many journalists and activists have been arrested, detained, or dragged through lengthy legal processes.

Legal experts also say that the continued use of criminal defamation laws enables Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), a tactic used by politicians, corporations, and other influential figures to silence legitimate criticism by burdening defendants with costly and time-consuming legal battles.

CPJ welcomes ruling

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) described the Malawi Constitutional Court’s ruling on repealing the criminalisation of defamation as a major landmark.

In a statement issued on Monday, the CPJ said, “Malawi’s Constitutional Court has taken a monumental step towards protecting press freedom and affirmed that criticism and dissent are essential to democracy by ruling criminal defamation to be unconstitutional.”

“Authorities should immediately comply with the judgment, and other laws that may unduly restrict the work of journalists must also be reformed,” Muthoki Mumo, CPJ’s Africa programme coordinator, also noted.

In the unanimous decision in Malawi, three constitutional court justices ruled that the defamation law was a “disproportionate and unjustifiable limitation on constitutional freedom,” according to a summary of the judgment reviewed by CPJ.

Similarly, the Malawian chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa and other civil society organisations urged the government not to appeal the ruling.

They also called for reform of other laws that restrict free expression.

Read Also: In the Matter of Dele Farotimi before the Star Chamber

© Premium Times