• NAPTIP tasks parents on child protection, reportage of SGBV cases

Joseph Jimoh, a 45-year-old man, and one Helen Bada, a 55-year-old woman, were on Thursday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly abducting a 12-year-old girl.

The defendants were alleged to have conspired together to commit felony to wit: abduction.

This is even as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on Thursday challenged parents on child protection in Kwali communities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Insp John Iberedem, the police prosecutor, said the defendants committed the offence in Ejigbo area of Lagos State on Jan. 27, 2023.

He said that the defendants abducted the 12- year old girl, daughter of Felix Anyigor following an altercation.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Sections 268 and 411 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that section 268 stipulates seven years imprisonment for any one found guilty of abduction of a girl under the age of 18 years.

However, the defendants each pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Magistrate  E. Kubeinje admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N250,000 each with two sureties each in like sum..

She said that the sureties must be gainfully employed and must show proof of tax payment and verification of address.

She adjourned the case until June 25,  for hearing.

Tasking parents on child protection, the Director-General of the agency, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi at a one-day community dialogue and advocacy on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) also urged parents not to shield perpetrators of SGBV, saying such act is a crime in the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act.

She added that “the Child Rights Act (CRA) is a strong law that protects children, their interest should take prominent place in the hearts of parents.

“Grievous cases of SGBV like rape, incest should not be covered, we must always learn to do the right thing in reporting these cases to law enforcement officers, or to NAPTIP.

“Preservation of evidence in these cases must be guided well so that NAPTIP can prosecute the matter, such offences are not allowed to be settled at the community level.

“Everybody must ensure victims are protected, while perpetrators are brought to book, settling grievous SGBV cases at the community level is doing injustice to the victim.

“NAPTIP has started sending strong messages to parents who try to shield perpetrators of SGBV cases, or hide evidence, it is a crime that attracts jail sentence.”

Mr Danladi Chiya, the Chairman of Kwali Area Council, pledged readiness to support NAPTIP in watching out for SGBV crimes.

Represented by Mr Mathew Yakubu, the acting Head of Social Welfare of the council, the chairman charged communities in Kwali to also support NAPTIP and report SGBV cases happening in the area.

Mr Mohammed Kwainanga, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), disclosed that a lot of SGBV cases are reported at the division, while blaming the various chiefs and parents on some of the rape cases happening in Kwali.

He said “we receive such complaints a lot, parents do compromised when it comes to reportage, this is not helping matters, parents in Kwali communities must wake up to their responsibilities.

(NAN)

For allegedly defiling his two daughters, an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, ordered the remand of a 40-year-old businessman, Opeyemi Olanrewaju, in Kirikiri Correction Centre.

The police charged Olanrewaju, who resides in the Ijegun area of Lagos, for defilement.

Chief Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi did not take the plea of Olanrewaju for want in jurisdiction.

Osunsanmi, therefore, adourned the matter until June 26 for legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Prosecutor ASP Raji Akeem had earlier told the court that the offence was committed between May and September 2021.

He said Olanrewaju’s wife caught him molesting their seven-year-old daughter.

Akeem added that Olanrewaju’s wife also caught him assaulting their five-year-old daughter .

The case, he said, was reported at the police station and the defendant was arrested.

He said the offence contravened the provisions of section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The Conclave

By Sonnie Ekwowusi

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a report stating that, pursuant to its 2023 Report, Nigeria ranks first on the list of the top 20 zero-dose countries, with over 2.3 million estimated zero-dose children—about 16 percent of the global total. Zero-dose children are defined as those who lack access to or are never reached by routine immunization and vaccination services. The report was released ahead of the 77th World Health Assembly, which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 27 to June 1, 2024.

Considering the WHO’s response to recent disease outbreaks worldwide and the numerous controversies surrounding its vaccination and health statistics, it is difficult not to question these latest WHO vaccination statistics on Nigeria. In principle, vaccination is one of the wonders of modern medicine in the 21st century. It is a simple, safe, and effective way of protecting the body from harmful diseases. Vaccines have played a significant role in reducing the fatality rates of diseases such as measles, chickenpox, tuberculosis, and several others. However, the WHO has recently come under scrutiny for allegedly deviating from its health mandate and promoting vaccines that purportedly cause infertility, as well as for its involvement in LGBT issues, population control, abortion, teen sexual rights, teen masturbation, and transgenderism, particularly in African countries.

Formally founded on April 7, 1948, under the United Nations to promote international health care and improve access to essential medicines and health products worldwide, the WHO has enjoyed decades of success and global recognition. As an arm of the United Nations, the WHO is supposed to educate, advise, and establish health and disease prevention programs worldwide. Unfortunately, the WHO has been criticized for being influenced by a narrow Western ideological perspective, prioritizing the funding and promotion of controversial issues such as vaccines causing infertility, LGBT rights, abortion, population control, teen sexual rights, teen masturbation, and transgenderism in Nigeria and other African countries.

To achieve these objectives, the WHO is significantly funded by pro-LGBT and pro-abortion organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Marie Stopes International, Rutgers, and International Planned Parenthood Federation. These organizations provide the WHO with specific funding, directing its work toward their intended purposes. Consequently, the views of the vast majority of countries have very little impact on the actual operations of the WHO, leading to a clear erosion of their national sovereignty.

It is on record that the WHO’s vaccination in Nigeria is unsafe and deadly. A few weeks ago, the Global Prolife Alliance (GPA) petitioned the Senate President, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, concerning the recent introduction by WHO of routine malaria vaccination in Nigeria and other African countries. The group noted that the WHO endorsed the first vaccine based on the initial two years of a four-year pilot study, raising concerns about the transparency of the WHO regarding the vaccine’s safety. According to the group, “recent data from clinical trials associated the vaccine with increased risks, including an elevated risk of clinical malaria after four years, a tenfold increased risk of cerebral meningitis, an increased risk of cerebral malaria, and a higher risk of death, especially among female children.” Consequently, the group warns that a precautionary approach should be taken to ensure safety and the strict observance of ethical standards related to parental informed consent in accordance with the 2014 WHO Policy Document.

It should be recalled that at the height of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO endorsed policies such as lockdowns that had been previously acknowledged by the WHO itself to cause significant collateral harm, disproportionately affecting low-income populations and countries in Africa. The lockdown regulations were a class-based and unscientific instrument, disproportionately harmful to lower-income people and useless for crowded informal settings, such as in urban parts of Africa. At the same time, African governments were subjected to intense pressure to merely adhere to protocols formulated outside the continent, disregarding their demographic, economic, and climatic contexts. This rendered them powerless on public health matters in their own jurisdictions, which was tantamount to eroding their health sovereignty with predictable and harmful consequences.

The same WHO discouraged the use of affordable repurposed drugs while promoting new drugs under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO also promoted mass and often mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for African populations, known to be at very low risk due to their young age and existing immunity, thereby diverting resources from malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and other urgent health problems on the continent, and violating the right to informed consent.

The WHO also partakes in the funding of the sexualization of school pupils. For example, in 2016, the WHO’s European office issued standards for Comprehensive Sexuality Education that deemed “the right to explore gender identities” appropriate for children aged 0-4 years and the right of children to have sex. School pupils in open classrooms are required to touch each other’s genitals, saying, “I like you.” The pupils are also expected to touch each other’s private parts and find out the differences in their respective private parts. Under the Youth Peer Sexuality Education Training Guide/Toolkit, funded by the WHO and used in many public secondary schools in Nigeria, the students are told to share with other students with whom they feel more comfortable things like: “Your sexual fantasies (fantasies),” “Your feelings about oral sex (oral),” “Whether you enjoy erotic material (X),” “Whether you have fantasized about a homosexual relationship (gay-fan),” “Whether you have had a homosexual relationship (gay-exp).”

But the most feared and worrisome issue is the WHO’s Pandemic Treaty. At the moment, widespread opposition is being fueled by growing suspicion that the proposed Pandemic Treaty and the modification of International Health Regulations, which would be deliberated on at the 77th World Health Assembly holding in Geneva, Switzerland from May 27 to June 1, 2024, would give the WHO unnecessary powers to dictate and impose obnoxious health policies on nations. Under the WHO’s Pandemic Treaty, the WHO would be empowered to tell countries to lock down and close businesses, schools, pubs, churches, and mosques. We would be forced to take injections, whether we want to or not. We would be forced to wear masks again. We would be forced to do whatever the WHO tells us to do, including restricting our personal liberties. This is why some countries opposed to the proposed Pandemic Treaty are rebelling at the moment. For example, massive rallies are occurring in Japan, with tens of thousands of citizens taking to the streets protesting Japanese ratification of the upcoming WHO’s Pandemic Agreement and the proposed modifications to International Health Regulations.

It is gladdening that Africa is opposed to the proposed Pandemic Treaty. For example, the Pan-African Epidemic and Pandemic Working Group, a network of senior African academics from a variety of disciplines committed to advocating for sound public health policies at the national, regional, and global levels, has recently alerted the African Union to table a motion to postpone the votes for the draft WHO Pandemic Treaty and amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR). According to this group, these instruments are designed to provide the WHO with new and greater powers. More specifically, they would give the WHO Director-General the authority to personally declare a public health emergency of international concern and thereafter exercise unprecedented sweeping powers over all state parties to the proposed instruments.

The Pandemic amendment will pave the way for the WHO to take over jurisdiction of everything in the world under the pretext that climate change, animals, plants, water systems, and ecosystems are all central to health. In addition to that, it will remove human rights protections, enforce censorship and digital passports, require governments to push a single ‘official’ narrative, and enable the WHO to declare ‘pandemics’ on its whims and caprices.

In view of the foregoing, we call on Nigeria and the African Union (AU) to sift the activities of the WHO in Africa in the light of African cultural heritage. Certainly, the sexualization of school pupils is antithetical to African cultural heritage and philosophical convictions. LGBT is illegal in Nigeria and many African countries. LGBT has no respect for the religious and philosophical convictions of the African people and therefore cannot be imported into Africa. Laws are made in consonance with the values of a people. Every country is interested in protecting what it holds dear or its cherished values. LGBT is a complete break with African civilization.

As the 77th World Health Assembly holds in Geneva, Switzerland from May 27 to June 1, 2024, we urge Nigeria and other African countries to desist from voting at that Assembly in order to assent to the proposed Pandemic Treaty. The AU, in particular, should table a motion at the Assembly to halt the process of enacting the draft Pandemic Treaty and the Amendments to the International Health Regulations by the WHO. The AU should take appropriate steps and measures to ensure that the rights of African countries are affirmed and respected so that African countries will freely prepare their own context-sensitive vaccines and approaches to public health crises.

Finally, the AU should facilitate a transparent and accountable review of the role of Western-based international governmental and non-governmental health entities in the WHO’s operations and policies. Such a review must ensure the full participation of African countries, as they are the bearers of the major health burdens.

As more and more multinationals continue to exit Nigeria on account of the economic crisis, Huggies diaper and sanitary pad manufacturer Kimberly-Clark is considering shutting down its Ikorodu production facility in Lagos Nigeria, nearly three years after a $100 million investment and a factory inauguration.

The economic downturn in Nigeria, leading to high energy costs, rising raw material prices, and weak consumer demand, is the reason for the sudden decision by Kimberly-Clark, resulting in the closure decision.

Reports revealed that production has been below capacity since late 2023 due to these economic difficulties. This comes after a previous closure in 2019, followed by a restart in 2021. The company initially enjoyed strong sales growth upon reopening, but the economic situation has greatly impacted its operations.

The high cost of running the factory is a major issue. Reports also note that the company spends over N500 million monthly on fixed operational costs, with an additional N100 million just for powering the gas generators. This, coupled with reduced production schedules — down to four days a week — has highly affected profitability.

The reliance on imported raw materials further heightens the problem. With the rising cost of these imports, combined with the weakening Naira, Kimberly-Clark is unable to keep up. The company initially set aside funds for operations, expecting Nigerian revenue to sustain them within five years. However, the current economic reality offers a difficult environment.

Last year, another major player in the personal care industry, Procter & Gamble (P&G), closed its Nigerian production facility after investing a huge sum (around $300 million). PZ Cussons is also evaluating strategic options for its Nigerian business, pointing at a need to maximize shareholder value.

The potential closure of Kimberly-Clark’s factory deals a huge blow to the Nigerian government’s efforts to attract foreign direct investment. It also reiterates the challenges faced by manufacturers in the real economy. 

With two of the top three diaper and personal care producers potentially exiting in the last year, issues are rising about the impact on consumers.

If Kimberly-Clark follows P&G’s lead and transitions to an import-based model, it could further inflate the cost of huggies and sanitary products for Nigerian households. This would occur at a time when the Naira’s depreciation is already placing a strain on purchasing power and when the government is pushing for increased local production.

• NBA condemns conflicting orders, says the entire saga is disgraceful

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Olukayode Ariwoola has summoned the Chief Judges of the Federal High Court and Kano State following the conflicting judgments that emanated from their courts in the ongoing emirate tussle in Kano State.

Below is a statement issued by National Judicial Council Spokesman, Mr. Soji Oye.

Sequel to the conflicting judgements emanating from the Federal High Court, and Kano State High Court of Justice on the Chieftaincy matter in Kano State, The Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, National Judicial Council, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON, has summoned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice John Tsoho, OFR, and Chief Judge of Kano State High Court, Hon. Justice Dije Aboki for an emergency meeting in his chambers tomorrow Thursday 30 May 2024.

The meeting which is a prelude to whole scale investigation by the National Judicial Council is to enable the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria have a proper briefing on this very disturbing development by the two respective Chief Judges.

There is strong indication that the National Judicial Council will conduct an emergency meeting next week where the subject Judges are likely to be invited and subjected to serious investigations.

Soji Oye, Esq.

Director, Information

Posted on: Wed, 29th May, 2024

Likewise the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has described as disgraceful the conduct of lawyers and judges involved in the issuance of conflicting and counter court orders with respect to the Kano emirate tussle.

“I must say, without any equivocation, that the conducts of counsel and the Courts in the handling of the proceedings which culminated in the orders issued by the Federal High Court, the Kano State High Court and again the Federal High Court, in a circus, have brought utter disgrace and shame to the profession – have exposed the entire legal profession in Nigeria to public ridicule and opprobrium,” NBA president, Yakubu Maikyau, wrote in a statement on behalf of the association on Wednesday.

“The damage would take the legal profession a long time to recover from. It is unfortunate and was uncalled for,” said Mr Maikyau as he called for a probe of the lawyers and judges involved in the crisis.

The Kano Emirate crisis was sparked on Thursday with the signing of a law by Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State, reversing the splitting of Kano emirate into five splinters by the former administration in the state.

Implementing the law on Friday, the governor reinstated Lamido Sanusi as the sole Emir of Kano. Mr Sanusi was dethroned in March 2020 and replaced with Aminu Ado Bayero by the former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje administration.

The new law, which came into force on Thursday, dissolved the four other emirate councils of Gaya, Karaye, Rano, and Bichi created by the past administration and merged them under one Kano emirate. The governor dethroned the emirs of the four proscribed splinter emirates and Mr Ado-Bayero and restored Mr Sanusi as the sole Emir of Kano on Friday.

Since the development, a flurry of conflicting and counter court orders issued in favour and against different parties to the tussle over the throne of the Emir of Kano has followed.

On Friday, the day Mr Sanusi’s reappointment was announced, the Federal High Court in Kano restrained the Kano State Government from implementing the new emirate law under which the reinstatement was done.

But on Monday, the Kano State High Court ordered the the police to evict Mr Ado-Bayero from the mini palace in Nasarawa area of the Kano metropolis, where his deposition was announced by the state government.

However, in a counter order on Tuesday, a judge of the Federal High Court in Kano, S. Amobeda, ordered the police to evict the reinstated Mr Sanusi from the Emir’s Palace in Kofar Kudu area of Kano metropolis of Kano State.

The judge ordered the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the police to ensure that all rights and privileges of an Emir were given to Mr Ado-Bayero.

There was also another order by a judge, Amina Aliyu, of the Kano State High Court, on Tuesday, restraining the police, the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigerian military from evicting Mr Sanusi from his palace.

These conflicting orders have created confusion and heightened tension in the state, leaving the state government and security agencies the opportunity to pick and choose which of them to obey, depending on which side of the tussle they are backing.

Call for Investigation

The NBA called on the chief judges of both the Federal High Court and the Kano State High Court to investigate the actions of the judges involved in the issuance of the confusing court orders and report their findings to the National Judicial Council (NJC). The NJC is the body saddled with disciplining of erring judges.

“I therefore call on the respective heads of the Courts of the Judges concerned, to take immediate steps to look into their conduct with the view to finding any possible abuse of their judicial offices and file a report with the National Judicial Council for necessary action,” he urged.

Regarding the lawyers involved, Mr Maikyau said the NBA would investigate their conduct and, if necessary, commence disciplinary actions through the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee against them.

He said the Chairman of the NBA Ethics and Disciplinary Committee has been directed to invite the counsel for preliminary investigations.

Mr Maikyau emphasised the importance of safeguarding the judiciary’s integrity. Quoting Sheikh Othman Dan Fodiyo, he said, “A people can exist without religion, but they cannot exist without justice. Let us quit being religious as a people and begin to search for God and justice for the people, to attain the peace we all desire for the benefit of our nation.”

He reiterated the need for the legal profession to resist any attempt to compromise its independence.

He stressed the NBA’s commitment to maintaining the highest ethical standards within the legal profession and ensuring justice is upheld in Nigeria.

“That as Vice Chairman to Honourable Justice Mary Odili DSC Rtd.], he was informed of all appointments made by the latter. Hence, my appointment made during the tenure of Honourable Justice Mary Odili DSC Rtd.] without his knowledge, was null and void as he was the center of power at the material time..”

“That in his thirty [32] years as a member of the 2nd Defendant, no member of the 2nd Defendant had challenged any decision or action of a Chairman of the 2nd Defendant and I should do whatever I wanted but his decision cannot be challenged…”

A Federal High Court in Lagos has made an interim order of restraining the Chairman, Body of Benchers (BoB) Asiwaju A.S. Awomolo, SAN from removing Mr. Augustine Alegheh , SAN, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) or interferring with his duties as Chairman of the Body of Benchers appointment Committee.

The Court which held that nothing must be done to alter this appointment during his tenure from 28 March 2024 to 27 March 2027 pending the determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction however refrained from the prayer that Awomolo be restrained from acting as “Chairman of the Body of Benchers pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory injunction.”

Listed as defendants in the suit are: Chief Adeboyega Solomon Awomolo, SAN, 1st Defendant and Body of Benchers, 2nd Defendant.

Alegeh who in the Origination Summons asked the court to determine “Whether having regards to the Body of Benchers Regulations, 2024, the 1st Defendant can unilaterally and in breach of the Regulations, alter and rename the Standing Committees of the 2nd Defendant listed and set out in Regulation I I (3) of the Body of Benchers Regulations 2024′, also made the following allegations:

“The 1st Defendant had stated severally that he is not bound by the Regulations of the 2nd Defendant and will neither respect and/or implement the aforesaid Regulations as the Chairman of the Body of
Benchers;

“The 1st Defendant has been accused of forgery, criminal misrepresentation, impersonation and fraud by the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria [BOSAN], which said allegations have ridiculed, brought dishonor, disrepute and odium to the revered Office of Chairman of the Body of Benchers and may likely lead to disciplinary measures against the 1st Defendant….

” On 29th April, 2024, an email was forwarded to all Benchers by the 2nd Defendant’s Secretary on the instructions of the 1st Defendant notifying all Benchers of the 1st Defendant’s unilateral and unlawful reconstitution of the membership of the 2nd Defendant’s Standing Committees and the shortening and/or reduction of the tenure of office of the Committee Members from three (3) years to two (2) years
in flagrant breach and violation of the Benchers Regulation. A copy of the aforesaid email dated 29th April, 2024 issued on the instructions of the 1st Defendant is pleaded and herewith exhibited as EXHIBIT P3.

“In the aforesaid email under reference, the 1st Defendant unilaterally and maliciously purported to remove me as Chairman of the Appointment Committee of the 2nd Defendant before the expiration of the term of three [3] years that I was appointed to serve.

” I wrote to the Secretary of the 2nd Defendant via email, drawing his attention to the obvious illegality of the 1st Defendant’s actions and the apparent breach of the Benchers Regulations. A copy of my Letter dated 2nd May, 2024 is pleaded and herewith attached as EXHIBIT P4.

” When I did not receive any response from the 2nd Defendant’s Secretary regarding my email, I forwarded the aforesaid email directly to the 1st Defendant for his attention and immediate action.

“When I still did not receive any response from the 1st Defendant to my email, on I 0th day of May, 2024, I sent a copy of my letter in reply to all the Benchers copied in the 2nd Defendant’s email of 29th April, 2024.

“Following my email of I 0th May, 2024, the 1st Defendant sent a private response to me via email stating that he just read my email and was unaware of my appointment as Chairman of the Appointment Committee of the 2nd Defendant, but rather sought my understanding and acceptance of his unilateral, unlawful and illegal decision on the matter. A copy of the 1st Defendant’s email to me dated I 0th May,
2024 is pleaded and herewith attached as EXHIBIT PS.

“The 1st Defendant, in his aforesaid email response to me, also stated that he had unilaterally and unlawfully created an ‘Executive Committee for the Body of Benchers’ which he claimed had approved all the projects and programs of his administration.

“That I replied the 1st Defendant’s email drawing his attention to his apparent breach of the Benchers Regulations, with particular emphasis on the creation of an ‘Executive Committee’ for the Body outside the contemplation of the Benchers Regulation. A copy of my email to the 1st Defendant dated I 3th May, 2024 is pleaded and herewith exhibited as EXHIBIT P6.

“On Wednesday I 5th May, 2024, the 1st Defendant sent me a text message inviting me for a meeting to discuss the matter. I responded via WhatsApp and we agreed to meet at his office at 10am on Thursday, 16th May, 2024. I visited the 1st Defendant’s Office for the meeting, in the company of my Learned Brother Silk and Life Bencher, Joe Agi SAN and left at about I I am after the 1st Defendant failed to
turn up for the meeting he fixed in his own office. The 1st Defendant was well aware that I moved my flight from 8.40 am to I pm to enable me meet with him to resolve the matter.

“Surprisingly, shortly after I left the 1st Defendant’s Office, I received a call from the 1st Defendant who said that he was now in his Office and that he would discuss the matter with me over the phone.

“That Immediately the 1st Defendant called me I activated my speakerphone so that Joe Agi, SAN who was with me in the same vehicle would be fully aware of all our discussions. The 1st Defendant informed me over the phone to the hearing of Joe Agi, SAN as follows:

a) That Honourable Justice Mary Odili DSC Rtd.] did not inform him that I had been appointed the Chairman of the 2nd Defendant’s Appointment Committee and consequently my appointment was not binding on him.

b) That as Vice Chairman to Honourable Justice Mary Odili DSC Rtd.], he was informed of all appointments made by the latter. Hence, my appointment made during the tenure of Honourable Justice Mary Odili DSC Rtd.] without his knowledge, was null and void as he was the center of power at the material time.

c) That he had personally interviewed all the people who he appointed as Chairmen of the various Committees and selected them on the basis of their commitment to help him achieve his projects and programs during his one [I] year tenure and had assigned them to the Committees they had
indicated an interest in.

d) That he is not bound by the Benchers Regulations and that it is his decisions as Chairman that is important, not the Benchers Regulations.

e) That in his thirty [32] years as a member of the 2nd Defendant, no member of the 2nd Defendant had challenged any decision or action of a Chairman of the 2nd Defendant and I should do whatever I wanted but his decision cannot be challenged.

“That my suggestion to the 1st Defendant that he is bound by the Benchers Regulations and the rule of law infuriated the 1st Defendant and he got very angry on the phone.

“GENESIS OF 15t DEFENDANT’S MALICE TOWARDS THE PLAINTIFF

“That I met the 1st Defendant in the course of conducting campaigns for election as President of the Nigerian Bar Association.

“That I told the 1st Defendant that I was a son of a Policeman who served the Force meritoriously for 35 years and retired in 1985.

“That the 1st Defendant told me that he was a former Policeman but did not tell me how long he served in the Police Force and/or the circumstances that led to his exit from the Police Force.

“That when I became the President of the NBA in 2014, the 1st Defendant approached me and requested me to recognize him as a Past President of the NBA on the basis of his claim that during the period of interregnum of the Bar in 1991, he was the Chairman of the Committee of Chairmen that presided over the affairs of the Bar during the period of Interregnum.

“I informed the 1st Defendant that I would consult with Past Presidents and Bar Leaders over the issue and that if his claim was correct, I would present the issue before the NBA National Executive Committee [NEC] for its decision on the matter.

” Upon consultation with Past Presidents and Bar Leaders, I discovered that the 1st Defendant was not a Chairman of any branch of the NBA at the time. That the Bar could not have had a Past President during the period of Interregnum occasioned by a dispute over elections.

“I informed the 1st Defendant of the result of my findings and he was clearly displeased with the outcome as he told me it his life ambition to be recognized as a Past President of the NBA

“In the heat of campaigns for the NBA Presidency in 2020, I was yet again approached by the 1st Defendant who informed me that he would deliver a political masterstroke which will guarantee Olumide Akpata’s victory at the Polls.

“That I dismissed his statement at the material time as I considered him to be an elder of the “Egbe Amofin” group of the NBA which had already endorsed Dele Adesina, SAN as their preferred candidate in the elections.

“That I told the 1st Defendant of Dele Adesina SAN’s endorsement by Egbe Amofin but he dismissed it as he stated that he was not in support of Dele Adesina, SAN’s candidacy as Dele Adesina, SAN was Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN’s stooge and would be unable to perform creditably in Office.

“That a few weeks to the conduct of the NBA elections, the 1st Defendant authored a letter in which he claimed that the Presidency of the NBA be ceded and reserved exclusively for Senior Advocates of Nigeria. A copy of the 1st Defendant’s aforesaid letter is pleaded and herewith exhibited as EXHIBIT P7.

“That following Olumide Akpata’s emergence as the President of the NBA, the 1st Defendant once again approached me to convince Olumide Akpata to recognize him as a Past President of the NBA He stated that his letter according to him, was the master stroke that gave Olumide Akpata victory at the Polls and that I should put pressure on Olumide Akpata to grant his request. He stated that he believed Olu Akpata would accede to my request as he was very close to me.

“That I immediately told the 1st Defendant that I could not raise such a request with Mr. Olu Akpata for the same reasons I declined to accede to his request during my tenure of office as NBA President between 2014 and 2016. The 1st Defendant was visibly displeased and unhappy with my position and stated that I had betrayed him a second time.

“I firmly believe that the above-mentioned facts collectively constitute the basis for the malice and bad faith being exhibited by the 1st Defendant against me and which has led to 1st Defendant’s unlawful and illegal move to remove me as Chairman of the 2nd Defendant’s Appointment Committee…”

Click here to download the originating summons, motion et al.

A 27-year-old woman, Khanyisile Mndayi, is reportedly in a coma and in a critical condition after being stabbed over 20 times by her boyfriend in front of their children on Sunday.

The attack reportedly occurred at their residence in Berea, Johannesburg, South Africa.

According to a Facebook post by one Gillian Mogale, Mndayi arrived home late from her shift and was allegedly subjected to physical assault and ultimately stabbed multiple times by her boyfriend, identified as Bongani.

Mogale’s caption partly read, “Mndayi came home late from her shift at Tempo.

“Upon her arrival home at Metropolitan flat in Berea, she was insulted, beaten, and ultimately stabbed multiple times right in front of her kids by her boyfriend, BONGANI, who is known as Luuk De Jong on Facebook. She is currently fighting for her life in hospital.”

A non-profit organisation, Women For Change, working to combat gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa, said in a statement on Monday that the boyfriend fled the scene after locking the injured Mndayi and her children indoors.

The statement read, “Khanyisile Vanessa Mndayi, 27, was stabbed more than twenty times, allegedly by her boyfriend, in front of their children on May 26, 2024. Khanyisile is currently in a coma, fighting for her life.

“It is alleged that the boyfriend stabbed Khanysile multiple times in their home in Berea, Johannesburg. He then locked Khanysile and the children, who witnessed the gruesome attack, in the house.”

He was, however, arrested when he allegedly returned with the intention of inflicting further harm, the statement revealed.

It added, “The boyfriend took his belongings, leaving the severely injured Khanysile and the children behind.

“Neighbours alerted the police, and when the boyfriend came back to allegedly continue to stab Khanyisile, police were able to arrest him.

“We pray for Khanysisile’s healing and recovery and call for justice for her and her children!”

PUNCH Online reported in April how a United Kingdom-based Nigerian man, Olubunmi Abodunde, beat his wife, Taiwo, to death with their son’s skateboard.

The couple who are said to be repeatedly clashing over alleged affairs and bills have three children.

The are said to have arrived UK from Nigeria in 2022.

The PUNCH

The Management of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has announced that it is investigating the case of alleged sexual harassment of a student by one of its lecturers.

Gatekeepers News reports that the University made the disclosure in a press release titled “TRENDING ON-LINE ALLEGATION AGAINST A UNIBEN LECTURER” signed on Monday by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the school, Benedicta Ehanire.

The university management said, “A trending on -line chat, in which a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, University of Benin, is alleged to have committed the offence of s*x for grades has been brought to the attention of the Management of the University.”

“Management is already looking into the matter and will release a statement as soon as the facts are known.”

Before this, Prof. Tony Asekhauno, A lecturer at the Department of Philosophy in the school was openly accused of demanding s*xual gratification from female students.

A former student of the department, Mercy McQuin, through a post on her official X account, alleged that Asekhauno s*xually and financially exploited her.

She alleged that the lecturer demanded sex and other financial gratifications from her before marking her final year exam script.

Mercy said that Asekhauno demanded sex from her, molested her in his office, and also confessed to having had sex with several girls in the department.

She posted “That man, Tony Asekhauno, is the major reason I have not gone to collect my certificate!! A very useless and unfortunate man.”

“It was during the exam period in my final year. I was walking into the faculty to get materials for my next exam, and then this guy, a student, walked up to me and asked, ‘You are Mercy Daodu, right?’ I was like, Yes, and so. I thought I was a low-key student, so in my mind, I was wondering. Why did this guy dey find me? Then he responded, ‘Dr. Tony wants to see you.’ I replied ‘why?’ The guy looking relieved responded, ‘I don’t know, but he asked me to bring you to his office.’”

“Bring me, Keh! Okay, I will go and meet him when I’m done. The guy is already tired. ‘Nooo, I must take you to him myself. Please let’s just go and meet him now, then you can go and do what you want.’”

“Knowing who Dr. Tony is, I refused and assured the guy I would go and meet him. Then I tried walking away when suddenly this guy grabbed me by my hands and was ready to lift me (as in legit wanting to carry me).”

“I eventually agreed to follow the guy. While we were on our way to Tony’s office, the guy kept apologizing to me and told me Tony was refusing to mark his script until he brought me to his office. I was like, Ah! God Abeg.”

“We got to his office, and Tony told the boy to go and not worry anymore. I met other girls in his office that day, and he took me to where our script was and showed me mine (he singled it out); it was unmarked, whereas he has marked others except mine.”

Mercy added “this man told me he wanted to see me before marking it and that I have been avoiding him all these years, and I will explain why I’ve been avoiding him. According to him, he’s heard my name but never really encountered me because I was too smart to try to avoid him.”

“This was past 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. This man kept me and the other girls in his office talking, drinking, and being stupid. He made sure I stayed in his office till 6 in the evening and said I was going with him to the staff club (I didn’t know what it was or what they did there). I begged this man and told him that I just come to pick up some materials and was not prepared for any kind of waka. This man ignored me.”

“One of the girls there just quietly told me to follow him; they were also going with him, and I did not want to get him angry. I maintained myself because my script had not been marked.”

Mercy disclosed that she is still traumatized by the things she went through in Asekhauno’s hand. She mentioned that he took her to his office, flashed his phallus at her, and demanded she kiss him or he would ensure she did not graduate.

She further said, “See, I am traumatized all over again just by remembering.”

“Or was it when this man flashed his smelling, dirty little dick at me in his office? Or when this man asked me to call him “Erama” because he discovered his wife came from my hometown and said that’s what they call elders in my place, or whatever that means.”

“Or is it when I will save money just to buy this man alcohol so he won’t even think of wanting to sleep with me? Or is it when I almost pay hook-up girls to help me sleep with him so he won’t reason with my side? Or was it when this man tried to kiss me with his dirty and smelly mouth!?”

“Or is it when this man will tell me he has slept with almost all the girls in my department and I was nothing special?? Or is it the constant reminder from this man that I can never graduate without his input?”

The former student of UNIBEN finally asked God to publicly embarrass the lecturer for all the things he makes his students go through.

She added “Whatever God wants to do on this earth, all I know is that he must punish and publicly embarrass that man called Tony Asekhauno. A bastard man of many fathers.”