By Funke Egbemode

Whether you are a runs-girl or a serious-ready-to-mingle single looking to settle down, you need an extra pair of eyes to ‘see’ the man on your case. Pastors call it a discerning spirit. It’s the ability to deeply and spiritually see beyond the fine face and six packs the man toasting you presents. Women, these days, need in-built sensors and alarm systems that will flash red, when the good looking, smooth-talking guy calling them ‘babe’ and opening car doors for them looks like he’s serious.

Babe, don’t fall yet. Stay steady on your feet and with clear eyes look inside yourself and his soul. You don’t need witchcraft. Just apply the same energy and and seriousness you deploy when you want to buy a second hand car or plot of land in Lagos. Do due diligence. Ask questions. Do not take anything for granted. Do not be sucked in by his nice accent and polished ways.

Some months ago, I did a piece about how hook-up girls run into yahoo plus guys’ barbed wires. Yes, the juju and ritual and jazz angle.

A fine undergraduate meets a young guy who buys her the latest iPhone, loads it with an unlimited data plan and takes her for regular suya and shawarma dates in the latest Mercedes Benz 450 GLE. He even starts calling her ‘Iyawo mi’, the future mother of my children, and buys her a promise ring. Then one day, the girl disappears without a trace or is found dead in her bed or sick and disheveled at a roundabout, eating sacrifice. Did you get the picture? Some girls somewhere, this minute, are probably falling for that poisoned chalice of fast boys on the fast lane just because they want to live the soft life.

Moving on, today is about mature women looking for husbands, and the men who are chasing them. I have reliably learnt that even they are now being pursued with jazz and juju. How? Why? These men want to know if these women have fortune, wealth written in their stars for the future or even immediately. Don’t gasp. I heard that more and more men are spiritually checking the prospects of their prospective wives.

They do not want women who will not be rich. They now wear nice-looking signets specially meant for discernment purposes. Once they use it to hold a woman and it warms up their fingers, they know they are on to a good thing. If it stays cold, they start disengaging, ignoring her calls and eventually closing her case. But if she’s found out to have ‘aasiki’, and a ‘good head,’ the guy will become Romeo and gum his body and soul to her.

Baby girl, you need to do your own checking. Don’t let a man without ‘aasiki’ come and use his fortune-less head or just pure laziness to turn you to an ATM. A woman should be a help to her man. But when men turn relationships and marriages into business ventures, something close to checking out shares on the Stock Exchange, a girl can’t be too careful. Who knows, a fetish man may one day decide to totally appropriate the fortunes of his woman using advanced jazz, instead of just shaming and enjoying his wife, in line with God’s words that whosoever finds a wife finds a good thing.

These days, desperation is leading men into doing some unholy things to women who have had children for them. So girls, keep your eyes peeled. If a man starts showing deep interest and you start feeling butterflies in your tummy, it calls for due diligence. Don’t be blinded by the roses and perfume and ‘Asun’. Take time to pray and fast, especially if you are in the ‘Evening Market’ zone. Like in your late 30s and 40s. Do not let your screaming biological clock deafen you to the alarm of spiritual invasion.

What about men who use women as social ladders? The women may be extremely beautiful and curvaceous or she might be of a earache looks with no curves at all. Then you see this young or younger man ‘loving’ her like he has never seen a woman before. But what he’s loving is the contract she can give him. She’s his plug for contracts for all and any kind. If a man who ordinarily you know will not look in your direction starts following you like a dog in heat, check your censors. Check who you know and the questions your new Beau has been asking you lately.

“Babe, can you introduce me to the Governor…”

“Is it okay if I tag along to the dinner at the Villa?”

“I can drive you to your appointment at NNPC since your driver is ill. You don’t have to cancel it.”

“The meeting with the Minister of Agric….. and I’ve been longing to meet him. I have a proposal on his table.”

How is your alarm doing? If you want to know if you are more than a contract and contact ladder, deny him access and link to those big boys and girls on your contact list and see how fast he’ll fall out of love. Ask those big babes in Abuja. Now, that does not mean men like that are always social climbers. Some, no, a few of them are genuinely there for the long haul. They have their own hustles, but won’t mind Madam’s contacts. But if it doesn’t work out, they won’t run.

There are also women who use their contacts to get the men they want. A woman may not be endowed in front and possess no ‘bakassi’ but if she knows the bigwigs on the corridors of power, what’s wrong in dangling that in the face of salivating men? It’s called using what you have to get what you want. Women are forward looking-creatures and very practical beings when it comes to choosing the men they want to be with. We do not pretend, especially when we arrive at the evening market zone. In other words, a woman who’s scored low in the looks and figure department can decide to use her wealth and contacts to negotiate the kind of relationship she wants. Isn’t that one of the reasons behind some women throwing it out there that they are British or American citizens, when they get desperate for marriage?

Well, an added advantage is an added advantage, whether it is an MBA or a blue passport.

Heart of the matter? Let all women know that men are now doing spiritual due diligence, financial investigations, to determine the eligibility of the women they are dating. They do not want to buy ‘black market’. They do not want to fly blind. So my dear women, do your thing too. Put your investigators to work, all of them and ensure you are not being played, that you are not being used or set up by an opportunist and player.

Funke Egbemode was managing director/editor-in-chief of New Telegraph Newspaper, president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and commissioner for information in Osun State. Email: [email protected]

Press Release

While marriage is noble, and any humanitarian gesture that seeks to support or promote the noble institution is commendable, such acts or intentions must be in compliance with due respect for the fundamental rights of either or both parties to the planned union —FIDA Nigeria

FIDA Nigeria Condemns Political Exploitation of Girls’ Rights and Welfare

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria has observed with mixed-feelings, some developments arising from the ill-advised plans of the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, to sponsor a mass marriage of 100 poor orphan girls whose parents were lost to banditry attacks in Maringa Local Government Area, Niger State.

While marriage is noble, and any humanitarian gesture that seeks to support or promote the noble institution is commendable, such acts or intentions must be in compliance with due respect for the fundamental rights of either or both parties to the planned union.

The case of these poor orphans becomes even more delicate and deserves the utmost sensibility and responsibility in devising altruistic gestures that preserve and protect their constitutional rights to compulsory education and respect for the dignity of their persons. The offer of sponsorship of a mass marriage in this instance smacks of poor observance of any respect for the dignity of the young girls, and may pose a threat that hampers their right to compulsory education or acquisition of other vital vocational or professional skills that are necessary to equip them in leading dignified, purposeful, resourceful and fulfilling lives.

FIDA Nigeria heartily commends the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hon. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, for her prompt intervention in condemning the plans and also commend the grant of an injuction by the Federal High Court, Niger State, against the ill-contrived mass-marriage plans. This twin developments will greatly serve in bolstering the confidence of the citizenry in the sincerity of government, and the readiness of the court to wield its powers, towards protecting and upholding the rights of vulnerable Nigerians.

Though the wise step of the Rt. Hon. Speaker in heeding good counsel by rescinding the mass marriage sponsorship plan is noted, it is hoped that this sad episode serves to advise public office holders, and the general public, on vital informed considerations that should guide any actions or intentions on matters that affect the rights and wellbeing of children and vulnerable persons.

FIDA Nigeria wishes to clearly distance itself from the unauthorized Press Release purportedly issued by the Chairperson and Secretary of its Niger State branch, and firmly place on record that as a non-partisan, non-religious and non-cultural organization, it shall continue to discharge its mandate of protecting, promoting and preserving the rights and interests of women and children without cowering to any political expediency.

It is hoped that the resolved plans by the Honourable Minister and the Honourable Speaker to collaborate towards empowering the young girls is followed through and FIDA Nigeria will be monitoring to observe developments in this regard.

This episode reiterates the importance of our collective duty to hold all persons in positions of trust to accountability, and how such efforts yield gradual successes that ultimately contribute to building a future that meets our aspirations. Kudos to all persons of good conscience who have lent a voice to the respect and protection of the vulnerable, who like everyone else, is entitled to a life of dignity.

Signed

Amina Suzanah Agbaje

Country Vice/National President

FIDA Nigeria

A public-interest advocate observing an organ transplant trial in Abuja, Muhammed Suleman, says three prosecution witnesses admitted before Justice Kezziah Ogbonnaya of the Federal High Court in Abuja that no staff member of Abuja-based Alliance Hospital discussed the donation of their kidneys with them at any point in time.

Suleman, in a statement, said he has attended all the court sessions since the suspects were arraigned by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the hearing which took place from May 6 to May 9, 2024 before the trial judge adjourned hearing to May 21, 2024.

The social observer said during the four-day hearing, six prosecution witnesses brought by NAPTIP testified and were cross-examined in the trial of four staff members of the hospital – Dr. Christopher Otabor, Emmanuel Olorunlaye, Chikaodili Ugochukwu and Dr. Aremu Abayomi; in an 11-count bordering on illegal organ harvesting.

He said, “The key witnesses fumbled several times upon cross-examination by the defence counsel. It got so bad that twice in the four days of hearing, on Tuesday, 7th and Wednesday, 8th May, during the cross-examination of prosecution witness two and three respectively, the judge spoke in Pidgin English in utter disappointment and said ‘NAPTIP, una see una self?’.

“All three kidney donors, Oluwatobi Saliman (Prosecution witness 1), Musa Yahaya (Prosecution witness 2) and Yahuza Aminu (Prosecution witness 3) admitted upon cross-examination by defence counsel, Afam Osigwe, SAN, that they did not at any time discuss the sale of their kidney with any staff of Alliance Hospital and that they were not offered any money by any staff of the hospital.

“Particularly note-worthy is the fact that all the prosecution witnesses so far presented said they never met the Medical Director of Alliance Hospital (Dr. Christopher Otabor) until they saw him at the Police Station when he came to bail his staff that were arrested by the police several months after their organ surgery.

“The three donors also informed the court that their bargain on the organ sale was with one Abdulrahman and Mayor (the first defendant) and the bargain was outside of Alliance Hospital. They were all paid after the surgery, largely by money transfer from the agents after they were discharged from the hospital.

“My independent observation shows that the initial story line of the donors followed a particular pattern that portrayed them as ignorant little kids who were lured and or forced to undergo surgery for removal of their kidneys. However, following cross-examination and confrontation with documents from the defence counsel which the court accepted as exhibits, it was revealed that there was actually a bargain and agreement of terms between the boys and the agents even before they came to Alliance Hospital.

“The defence counsel got permission from the judge to present two documents to each of the three donors: (i) The informed consent form which was duly signed by the donors and (ii) The court affidavit which was carrying their photographs and signatures.

“All the boys stated in their affidavit that they were above 18 years old and that they were donating willingly to their relatives without any financial inducement.

“The judge asked them if they signed the documents. The first two witnesses said yes, but asserted that the content was not explained to them while the 3rd witness denied every document presented to him including the witness statement he thumbprinted on and signed at NAPTIP. Nevertheless, the documents were bearing his pictures and they all had similar signatures.”

Hearing was subsequently adjourned to Tuesday, 21st May, 2024.

Meanwhile, civil society organisation, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed concerns over the plot by some people to malign Alliance Hospital and its Medical Director, Dr. Christopher Otabor, in the ongoing trial.

In a press statement, HURIWA noted that since the trial’s inception, some Fifth Columnists have consistently painted the hospital as a den of criminal activity, disregarding the principle enshrined in Section 36(5) of the Nigerian Constitution, which presumes every individual innocent until proven guilty by a competent court.

“Dr. Otabor has shared his side of the story, emphasizing that the kidney donor, Oluwatobi Saliman, presented an affidavit confirming he was above 18 years old and, thus, legally competent to consent to the organ donation. The transaction was facilitated by a third party who brought the donor to the hospital for the procedure, and Alliance Hospital acted within the legal and ethical boundaries of medical practice.

“Despite these facts, the court proceedings have been misrepresented to suggest a nefarious operation within the hospital. The misleading reports by these media outlets seem to ignore due process of law and the cross-examinations that have revealed significant discrepancies in the prosecution witnesses’ testimonies.”

The supporters of a Nigerian PhD student who is facing potential deportation after her doctoral studies were halted by illness and a breakdown in relations with her supervisor have claimed her plight highlights the precarity of international students who complain about their course.

Sue Agazie, a copywriter from Lagos, moved to the UK in January 2023 to begin a PhD in marketing at Newcastle University Business School on the understanding, she claimed, that she was likely to receive a full scholarship for her studies or would gain enough part-time academic work to cover her living costs.

However, funding and paid work did not materialise in the way suggested, said Ms Agazie, who added that she has run up huge debts to finance her PhD.

Amid a breakdown in relations with her primary supervisor over her money troubles, Ms Agazie was then diagnosed with kidney failure in September 2023.

With a formal complaint launched against Newcastle and her supervisor over allegedly misleading her over funding, Ms Agazie has now been informed that Newcastle has contacted the Home Office over her absence from supervisions – a move that could see her visa revoked.

That would mean her husband and young child, who travelled with Ms Agazie to north-east England, would also be forced to leave the country.

Her case is now being championed by Unis Resist Border Controls, a campaign group that raises awareness of how migrant university staff have been affected by the UK’s hostile environment policies. More than 250 people – including many PhD students and scholars – have signed a petition urging the Home Office to stop any visa curtailment.

Its spokeswoman Sanaz Raji, a visiting researcher at Northumbria University, said the notification of the Home Office was an example of the “weaponisation of her immigration status” in a disputes process.

In a statement, Newcastle said “complaints are investigated following the university’s standard procedures”. “Where a complaint has been made by a postgraduate student about their supervisor, our normal practice would be to investigate the matter and explore arrangements for an alternative supervisor if that becomes necessary,” it continued.

“We can’t discuss individual cases, but we offer a range of support to postgraduate students including advice on visa issues, hardship funding, and support to have a break in study where there is an illness or other circumstances.”

Under Home Office rules, higher education institutions must notify authorities if students fail to attend class or discontinue their course, although Ms Agazie said she intends to finish her studies.

The lack of support for a “critically ill” student also indicated how “universities instrumentalise migrant students from the Global South as sources of income that they can afterwards dispose of”, said Ms Raji in a reference to the multimillion-pound revenues received by universities from international postgraduates.

According to official statistics, Nigeria is the UK’s third largest source of international students behind China and India with about 44,000 studying in 2021-22, mostly at postgraduate level.

According to Ms Raji, Ms Agazie was led to believe that many PhD students in her situation had found plentiful paid work and obtained scholarships, but these apparent success stories did not stand up once they were investigated.

With the threat of visa revocation looming, students would, however, be reluctant to complain if things go wrong, said Ms Agazie. “Forcing an international student into immigration problems while a complaint is under way…is basically telling international students not to complain,” she said.

[email protected]

A retired 74-year-old Ghanaian man, Nelson Shardey who has lived in the United Kingdom (UK) for 42 years  has been notified by the UK Home Office that he is not British.

BBC reports that the Home Office asked him to wait another 10 years before he could stay permanently.

Shardey, from Wallasey in Wirral, had for many years assumed he was officially seen as British, until he discovered otherwise in 2019.

He said he had paid taxes all his adult life, now faces paying thousands of pounds to stay and use the National Health Service (NHS).

The 74-year-old is a retired newsagent who first arrived in the UK in 1977 to study accountancy, on a student visa that also allowed him to work.

He said after a coup in his native Ghana, his family could no longer send him money for the fees.

He took on a series of jobs, making Mother’s Pride bread and Kipling’s Cakes near Southampton, and Bendick’s Chocolate in Winchester, and said no-one ever queried his right to live or work in the UK.

Shardey married a British woman and moved to Wallasey to run his own business, a newsagent called Nelson’s News.

When that marriage ended, he married another British woman and they had two sons Jacob and Aaron.

“I tried my utmost to educate them the best way I could, so that neither of them would depend on social or anything,” Shardey said.

He told his sons to “learn hard, get a good job, and work for themselves”, and both went on to university and then careers as a research scientist and a public relations executive.

Shardey said he had never left the UK, as he saw no need to and regarded it as his home.

“Nobody questioned me. I bought all my things on credit, even the house. I got a mortgage. And nobody questioned me about anything,” he said.

Shardey has performed jury service, and in 2007 was given a police award for bravery after tackling a robber who was attacking a delivery man with a baseball bat.

But in 2019, when he applied for a passport so he could go back to Ghana following the death of his mother, he was told he was not British.

The Home Office said he had no right to be in the UK, BBC reports.

As the shocking story of his life unfolds before him, the UK officials told him to apply for the 10-year route to settlement.

BBC said 0ver the 10 years it costs about £7,000, with a further £10,500 over the same period to access the NHS.

“I cannot afford to pay any part of the money they are asking,” said Shardey, who is recovering from prostate cancer. “Telling me to go through that route is a punishment, and it’s not fair in any way.”

“I don’t understand why this fuss at all, because I put my life, my whole self into this country. “

When he tried to extend his right to stay in the UK online two years ago, he filled out the wrong form. That meant the 10-year process had to begin again in 2023. As a result, the Ghanaian will not be allowed to stay in the UK permanently until he is 84.

“I just thought it was a joke. It’s just ridiculous,” said his son Jacob, who does research in cardiovascular physiology.

“Why would he need to go and start this 10-year route when he’s been here since 1977?

“He’s been here longer than the people who are working in the Home Office on his case have been alive.”

Shardey, however, took the Home Office to court with the help of Nicola Burgess, a lawyer at Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU).

His case – which his sons are trying to pay for through crowdfunding – is that the Home Office should have treated him as an exception because of the length of time he has been in the UK, and because of his bravery award and service to the community.

“We know that at least one caseworker has looked at his file and suggested that he should be granted indefinite leave to remain because there are exceptional facts,” Burgess said.

“And when you look at it on a personal level, if Nelson was your friend or your neighbour, you would absolutely agree that he should be given the immediate right to settle.”

When a Home Office spokesman was reached by BBC on the case, the source said, “It would be inappropriate to comment on active legal proceedings.”

Vanguard

By Lillian Okenwa

“The society not giving boys adequate care “, wrote Olufunke Oyinlola, founder of Boys Against Crime Campaign. May 16 every year is International Day of the Boy Child but many do not even know about it. Very few also realize the pressure, pain and hurts the boy child undergo day by day. After all He is A Man…

Although the observance for 2024 is themed, “Cool Boys: Teaching Boys How to Manage Anger and Aggression”, other voices contend that there should be much more for the boy child.

Olufunke Oyinlola revealed that, “In the course of my work, I’ve found that many boys are dropping out of school, many more are doing poorly academically, many others lack guidance and positive role models, and many are turning to crime and drugs. We’ve all been so immersed in closing the gender gap and creating better opportunities for the girl child that we’ve forgotten that boys are not pre-programmed from the womb to be perfect, but need to be properly taught, encouraged, positively mentored and made aware of the importance of their roles in society.

“Growing up and even now, I’ve had a lot of training on how I can be a great woman in society, how I can be a perfect wife and mother and how I can make my marriage successful. Most of the projects and conferences I’ve seen advertised are targeted at women and girls. And, while I’m really glad that women like me are doing great in our various fields, I find myself thinking, what about the boy child? What about men?

“What happens if a woman who is empowered enters society and encounters a man who is viewed as deficient? A deficient man is a man who is denied assistance due to the prevailing belief that he is “the advantaged one” and who has little or no opportunity to acquire the necessary skills to become the kind of man that society wants. Some men fear showing weakness and being judged as a weakling for not being able to handle fundamental duties. What unfolds when an empowered woman decides to get married and start a family? Will she meet a man who shares her ambition and success? We don’t seem to have realised yet that a neglected boy will probably grow up to become a broken man, and you can’t expect a man like that to contribute positively to society….” 

Halima Layeni, Founder & Executive Director, Life After Abuse Foundation explored another angle.

“It is important to draw attention to a pressing issue that warrants immediate action: sexual abuse against boys. Global statistics reveals that approximately 1 in 6 boys worldwide experience some form of sexual abuse before adulthood. Regrettably, these figures likely underestimate the true scope of the problem due to stigma, shame, and societal disbelief.

One of the most troubling aspects of this crisis is the neglect of sexual abuse against boys. Survivors frequently face scepticism and blame, with their experiences dismissed due to harmful misconceptions. The horrifying reality is that some believe if a boy experiences an erection during abuse, or actively participated in the act, somehow implies consent or enjoyment, perpetuating a culture of silence and shame, leaving survivors feeling isolated and invalidated.

It is important to emphasize that abuse perpetrated against boys below the age of consent constitutes rape, regardless of whether they actively participated in the act. The age of consent varies globally but typically ranges from 16 to 18 years old. Any sexual activity with a child below the age of consent is a violation of their rights and is a criminal offence.

The long-term effect of sexual abuse on boys are profound, extending beyond immediate trauma. Male survivors often suffer psychological and emotional challenges, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and difficulties in forming healthy relationships. The impact of abuse can persist into adulthood, impacting self-esteem, ability to trust others, and overall well-being…

“[A]chieving gender equality in access to support services for male survivors of sexual abuse is a fundamental human right. As we commemorate the International Day of the Boy Child, let us reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that all individuals, regardless of gender, receive the support and assistance they need to heal and thrive.”

Below are two inspiring videos on the imperative to support the male child.

L

The National Judicial Council (NJC) led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has barred three judicial officers from being elevated to the higher bench while giving a nod to the appointment of 86 others.

Under the Chairmanship of the CJN, the NJC at its plenary of the 105th Meeting held on 15 and 16 May 2024 resolved to issue warning letters to Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court and Justice GB Brikins-Okolosi of Delta State High Court as well as put a hold on their elevation for a number of years.

A statement by the NJC Director of Information, Soji Oye, says Justice Ekwo is warned for abuse of the discretionary power of a Judge by wrongly granting an ex parte order in a suit between Juliet Ebere Nwadi Gbaka & 2 Ors V Seplat Energy Plc & 12 Ors. He is also barred from being elevated to a higher Bench for two years.

Hon. Justice GB Brikins-Okolosi of Delta State High Court on his part, is also issued a warning for failure to deliver judgement within stipulated period in Joseph AneneOkafor Vs Skye Bank, after parties had filed and adopted their final Written Addresses. He will also not be elevated to a higher Bench for a period of three years.

The NJC also cautioned Justice Amina Shehu of Yobe State High Court for issuing Writ of Possession Conferring Title on the Defendant in a  suit when there was no subsisting judgement of any Court to enable His Lordship issue the Writ.

The Council at the meeting considered two Reports of its two Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees that filtered 35 petitions written against Judges of the Federal and State High Courts and decided to empanel eight Committees to further investigate the petitions that were found meritorious by the Committees.

The Council also considered the recommendation of its Interview Committee on Appointment of Judicial Officers of all Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria and resolved to recommend 86 Judicial Officers for appointment to the Court of Appeal, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Sharia Courts of Appeal and Customary Courts of Appeal of States in Nigeria.

All recommended candidates are expected to be sworn-in after the approval of the NJC recommendations to the President and their respective State Governors.

Find below the NJC’s full statement:

PRESS RELEASE​

16 May 2024

* NJC issues warning letters to three Judges and bars them from elevation to higher bench for a period;

* Empanels Committees to investigate 8 Judges of the Federal & State Courts;

* Appoints 86 Judicial Officers for Federal & State Courts;

The National Judicial Council under the Chairmanship of Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON, at its plenary of 105th Meeting held on 15 & 16 May 2024, resolved to issue warning letters to Hon Justice Inyang E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court and Hon. Justice G. B. Brikins-Okolosi of Delta State High Court.

Hon Justice Inyang E. Ekwo is warned for abuse of discretionary power of a Judge by wrongly granting an ex parte order in Suit No FHC/ABJ/C/626/2023 Juliet Ebere Nwadi Gbaka & 2 Ors V Seplat Energy Plc & 12 Ors,

The Hon Judge is also barred from being elevated to a higher Bench for a period of two years.

Hon. Justice G. B. Brikins-Okolosi of Delta State High Court is also issued a warning for failure to deliver judgement within stipulated period in Joseph Anene Okafor Vs Skye Bank, Suit No A/94/2010 after parties had filed and adopted their final Written Addresses.

Justice G. B. Brikins-Okolosi will also not be elevated to a higher Bench for a period of three years.

Council cautioned Hon. Justice Amina Shehu of Yobe State High Court for issuing Writ of Possession Conferring Title on the Defendant in Suit No YBS/HC/NNR/1cv/2020 when there was no subsisting judgement of any Court to enable His Lordship issue the Writ.

Council at the meeting considered two Reports of its two Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees that filtered 35 petitions written against Judges of the Federal and State High Courts and decided to empanel eight Committees to further investigate the petitions that were found meritorious by the Committees.

Petition against various Judges were dismissed for lack of merit, evidence of misconduct, subjudice or that they were matters that could be appealed.

The dismissed petitions were against Hon Justices A. M. Liman, A. A. Okeke, D. E. Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Hon Justices S. B. Belgore, Bello Kawu both of the High Court of Federal Capital Territory, Hon Justices O. A. Chijioke, A. E. Akeredolu and Kadi M. U. El-Mainari who sat on Election Petition Tribunal in Edo State, Hon Justice Okey Paulinus Aneke, High Court Enugu State and Hon Justice C. Anya of Abia State.

Others are Hon Justices M. A. Ikpambese and W. I. Kpochi both of Benue High Court, Hon Justices T. E. Chukwuemeka Chikeka Chief Judge and B. C. Iheka of Imo State High Court, Hon Justice Rose Godwin Soji of Nasarawa State High Court, Hon Justice T. J. Yakubu, High Court Taraba State, High Justices W. N. Danagogo and Chinwendu Nworgu, High Court Rivers State, Hon Justice C. C. Okaa, High Court Anambra State and Hon Justice Abdullahi Sulyman High Court, Kogi State.

The Council deliberated on the notification of retirements of three Judicial Officers including that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Hon Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON and notification of death of three Judges of the Federal and State Courts.

Council at the Meeting also considered the recommendation of its Interview Committee on Appointment of Judicial Officers of all Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria and resolved to recommend the under-listed 86 Judicial Officers for appointment to the Court of Appeal, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Sharia Courts of Appeal and Customary Courts of Appeal of States in Nigeria.

They are as follows:

1.​TWENTY-TWO (22) JUSTICES, COURT OF APPEAL

​1.​Hon. Justice Kwahar Polycarp Terna

​2.​Hon. Justice Ruqayat Oremei Ayoola

​3.​Hon. Justice Eleojo Eneche

​4.​Hon. Justice Asma’u Akanbi-Yusuf

​5.​Hon. Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman

​6.​Hon. Justice Abdu Dogo

​7.​Hon. Justice Fadawu Umaru

​8.​Hon. Justice Ishaq Mohammed Sani

​9.​Hon. Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar

​10.​Hon. Justice Abdulazeez M. Anka

​11.​Hon. Justice Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba

​12.​Hon. Justice Nwoye Victoria Tochukwu

​13.​Hon. Justice Nwabunkeonye Onwosi

​14.​Hon. Justice Okorowo Donatus Uwaezuoke

​15.​Hon. Justice Ngozika Uwazurunonye Okaisabor

​16.​Hon. Justice Ntong Festus Ntong

​17.​Hon. Justice Nehizena Idemudia Afolabi

​18.​Hon. Justice Nyesom-Wike Eberechi Suzzette

​19.​Hon. Justice Lateef Babajide Lawal-Akapo

​20.​Hon. Justice Akinyemi Abiodun Azeem

​21.​Hon. Justice Oyewumi Oyejoju Oyebiola

​22.​Hon. Justice Olukayode Adegbola Adeniyi

2.​TWELVE (12) JUDGES, HIGH COURT, FCT ABUJA

​1.​Ademuyiwa Olakunle Oyeyipo

​2.​Bamodu Odunayo Olutomi

​3.​Anumaenwe Godwin Iheabunike

​4.​Odo Celestine Obinna

​5.​Hauwa Lawal Gummi

​6.​Abdurahman Usman

​7.​Buetnaan Mandy Bassi

​8.​Sarah Benjamin Inesu Avoh

​9.​Maryan Iye Yusuf

​10.​Ariwoola Oluwakemi Victoria

​11.​Lesley Nkesi Belema Wike

​12.​Munirat Ibrahim Tanko

3. SEVEN (7) JUDGES, IMO STATE HIGH COURT
4. Akowundu Cletus Ndubuisi​
5. Uchenna Mary Njoku​
6. Chibuogwu Ojiugo Chukwumaeze
7. Ononogbo Chidi Linus​
8. Adaego Peace Nosiri​
9. Emeka Ozoma Orafu​
10. Mathew Chinedu Ijezie​

4.​ SIX (6) JUDGES, BAUCH STATE HIGH COURT

​1.​Amin Umar Ilelah

​2.​Aliyu Bin Idris

​3.​Ahmed Shuaibu Ningi

​4.​Shafa’u Ladan Yusuf

​5.​Abdussalam Idris Waziri

​6.​Kawu A. Yerima

5.​THREE (3) JUDGES, TARABA STATE HIGH COURT

​1.​Hamidu Audu

​2.​Bibonga Jeniffer Nauma

​3.​Joel Daniel Ubandoma

6.​THIRTEEN (13) JUDGES, LAGOS STATE HIGH COURT

​1.​Sunmonu Tunde Bashiru

​2.​Azeez Fimisola Augusta

​3.​Alebiosu Olawale Lawal

​4.​Adewale Russel Musiliu

​5.​Popoola Oluwatosin Ajose

​6.​Anjorin-Ajose Tanimola Abdulwaheed

​7.​Muyideen Abdul-Raheem Tejumade

​8.​George Alfred Akingbola

​9.​Balogun Adegboyega Ganiu

​10.​Shonubi Adenike Kudirat

​11.​Badejo-Okusanya Yewande Jokotola

​12.​Layinka Oyeladun Amope

​13.​Ojuromi Nalirat Olayinka Oluwatosin

​7.​FOUR (4) JUDGES, KOGI STATE HIGH COURT

​1.​Ajesola Joseph Sunday

​2.​Ojoma Rachael Haruna

​3.​Kadiri Badama

​4.​Ezema Beatrice Ada

8.​TWO (2) JUDGES, JIGAWA STATE HIGH COURT,

​1.​Mohammad El-Usman

​2.​Nilfa Abdullahi Gambo

9.​FIVE (5) KADIS, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, BAUCHI STATE

​1.​Ishaku Magaji

​2.​Abdurrahman Hassan Sabo

​3.​Bello Mohammed Sambowal

​4.​Muhyiddeen Mohammed

​5.​Mahmoud Idris Shehu Tiyin

10.​FIVE (5) KADIS, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, KOGI STATE

​1.​Muhammad Muhammad Bello

​2.​Okino Isah Saidu

​3.​Yakubu Adavenge Abbas

​4.​Shaibu Ridwan Aliyu

​5.​Idris Alhaji Abdullahi

11.​ONE (1) KADI, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, JIGAWA STATE

​1.​Mukhtar Shuaibu Adam

12.​THREE (3) JUDGES, IMO STATE CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL

​1.​Everyman Ezenna Eleanya

​2.​Ofoha Sylvesta Uchenna

​3.​Ibeh Rosemond Oluchi

13.​TWO JUDGES, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, TARABA STATE

​1.​Esther Tata

​2.​Benjamin Samuila Bawage

​14.​ONE (1) JUDGE, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, KOGI STATE

​1.​Maryann Oziohu Otaru

All recommended candidates are expected to be sworn-in after the approval of the NJC recommendations to the President and their respective State Governors.

Soji Oye, Esq.

Director, Information

Following a heated argument over sex, a 29-year-old woman known as Torkwase Kpile has reportedly stabbed her husband to death in Achusa Village, Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.

DAILY POST reports that the couple, who got married two months ago, disagreed over sex before the lady picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed the man in the neck.

She allegedly stabbed Igbah Kpile, her husband, in several parts of his body before he collapsed.

Neighbours who were attracted by Kpile’s scream rushed into the house and met him in a pool of blood while his wife, unremorseful and angry, alleged that her husband was disturbing her for sex.

Although he was rushed to a nearby clinic in Makurdi, Kpile died on the way and was confirmed dead on arrival by the doctor on duty.

Meanwhile, the suspect, is said to be been on the run. The police has however reportedly commenced investigation into the murder.

The spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, SP Catherene Anene, could not be reached to confirm the incident despite several calls to her phone.

Daily Post