A pregnant woman who was kidnapped while on her way to the hospital for delivery has reportedly given birth at the kidnappers’ den at Egede, Udi local government area of Enugu State.

The incident, which was said to have happened last Monday, saw the woman giving birth to a bouncing baby boy in the forest.

It was gathered that the woman whose name was given as Chinwendu Igwe, was with her two other little children aged between two and four years when the incident happened.

The lady’s husband, Mr. Ekene Igwe, who confirmed the development to newsmen added that he paid a ransom of N1.6 million before effecting the release of his wife and the newborn from the forest in Egede where the kidnappers asked him to deposit the ransom.

Igwe said that it was a kind motorcyclist who rescued his two kids abandoned on the road by the kidnappers.

“I paid a ransom of N1.6 million before I could get my wife and the new born baby,” he said.

Igwe who hails from Attakwu Akegbe Ugwu Awkunanaw said he was grateful to God for getting them back.

Peter and Paul Okoye popularly called P-Square and their brother Jude Okoye have been ordered to pay a promoter the sum of N25 million.

The verdict was given by the apex court after it decided a case filed against the musicians in favour of Patrick Arueze who accused the singers of breach of contract.

Vanguard reported that when Arueze invited them to perform in a show in Benin City in 2011 and the team failed to show up, he instituted a suit against them in the Edo State High court presided over by Justice Esther Edigin for a breach of contract.

An attempt by the musical twins to reverse the judgment through a motion dated 3rd of October, 2016 was dismissed by the court.

Unhappy with the judgment, the duo filed a motion of stay of execution at the Court of Appeal, Benin Division which was dismissed and they later issued a cheque through one of the commercial banks.

However, when the cheque was presented to the bank, the musicians instructed their lawyers to file a motion at the court of appeal Benin Division to stop the payment but the court dismissed the frivolous motion.

As the legal works continued, the Okoyes filed a motion at the Supreme Court seeking to appeal against the ruling of the Court of Appeal which dismissed their motion to stop the payment of the cheque they issued and joined the bank in the motion.

The opposing counsels faulted the decision as the bank was not a party at the court of appeal.

Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji agreed with the arguments of Mr. Patrick Arueze represented by a team of lawyers led by E. O. Afolabi, SAN, Dr. Samson Osage, Mrs Nosa Festus Ajayi, and others.

The Supreme Court however struck out the application of the applicants and awarded one million naira as cost for the application.

Speaking on the judgment, Afolabi told Vanguard that “Arueze got judgment against them and they now sent a cheque but when we wanted to cash they cheque, they went to court to stop it, the court refused, they went to the Court of Appeal which also refused their stay of execution, they went to Supreme Court and the lawyer now joined the bank who is not a party to the suit at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court was not happy and awarded N1m cost against P-Square and their lawyer did not appear.

“With this judgment, the applicants are to pay over Twenty five point eight million naira having accumulated since 2014 with 20 percent interest.”

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for the recomposition of the National Judicial Council (NJC), while faulting the current system which made it mandatory for the Council to be headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

The NJC is the body responsible for the appointment and disciplining of judicial officers in the country.

According to the NBA, “The inherent flaws in the composition of the NJC impacts negatively on its ability to prosecute judicial misconduct in a manner that inspires public confidence.“

Consequently, the NBA recommended that “members of the NJC should be appointed as follows: six judicial officers appointed by CJN; six lawyers nominated by the National Executive Council of the NBA including the NBA President and six non lawyers appointed by the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, subject to the approval of the Senate. 

“The Chairmanship of these bodies should be rotated between the heads of the three constituent groups.”

Besides, the NBA recommended the appointment of court administrators to take over the administrative functions if the various Heads of court such as procurement, budgeting, renovation of courts and implementation of judicial appropriations.

“These are activities within court administration that have severally been identified by the anti-corruption bodies as areas prone to corrupt activities.

“This proposal for the creation of this office takes cognizance of the role of the Chief Registrars of courts who will under the proposed arrangements enable them (together with heads of courts) concentrate solely on the business of adjudication especially case management without distraction.”

It further demanded the de-linking of judicial remuneration from that of the civil service, noting that there had always been an informal linkage between judicial salaries and that of senior civil servants and public officers.

“There is the need to de-link judicial remuneration from that of the civil/public service. De-linking judicial remuneration from that of the civil/public service would not only strengthen the perception of judicial independence, but would also provide the necessary safeguard and reassurance to judicial officers,” it added.

The recommendations were contained in proposals the NBA submitted at the just concluded national summit on justice sector reforms.

Meanwhile, reading the communique to newsmen on Friday, Chairman of the Joint Planning Committee of the summit, Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, said proposals for reform that were made by the NBA were considered and approved in modified form. 

He said: “The general consensus reached by this panel was that the role of the NJC in discharging its responsibility for judicial appointments into the Superior Court of record required significant review.

“There was a concern expressed about the fact that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who is the chairman of the NJC is also the chairman of the Federal Judicial Service Commission, which is the body that initially reviews proposals or lists of candidates by appointment into judicial office.

“The members pointed out the seeming inconsistency between the chief justice of Nigeria playing both those roles, as it would appear that he was then recommending candidates to himself being chairman of both bodies, and being the person who appoints a significant number of the members of both bodies other than those who are statutory members. 

“There was a general consensus that there was a need to reconstitute or proposed the reconstitution of these bodies, both the National Judicial Council and the Federal Judicial Service Commission,” Ajibade, SAN, added.

Ever wondered if your work environment is as safe as it should be? What are the rights and legal protection the law afford you as a worker?

Join us this Worker’s Day to learn what you might be missing and how it affects you. Click here https://bit.ly/wdays24 to join us or use the QR code

Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON) – Directorate of Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law and Good Governance (DARG) will on Monday 29 April, 2024 host a symposium titled: The Role of Lawyers in the Anti Corruption War.

The event details are as follows:

CLASFON DARG is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: DARG Symposium on The Role of Lawyers in the Anti Corruption War
Time: Apr 29, 2024 04:00 PM Africa/Lagos

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78259488400?pwd=Bobpi6yVMwyNt78Ht5RkKZpOzLPQt3.1

Meeting ID: 782 5948 8400
Passcode: 50ZNxX

By Sylvester Udemezue

Where a lawyer (or litigant) has good grounds for complaints against a judicial officer, in my opinion, below are the only options available in law and legal ethics, depending on the circumstances:

1️⃣. Counsel can respectfully and politely call the court’s attention to such where it’s a minor default or slip — an example is default in following proper procedure. I was in Court in Lagos in 2022, when a judge tried to rebuke/punish a man for some perceived misbehaviour in court in respect of the proceedings, (perhaps inadvertently) without first affording the affected person an opportunity of being heard. Mr Femi FALANA, SAN stood up in court and very respectfully and politely drew the court attention of the slip. The Court was grateful for learned silk’s kindness, and immediately proceeded to do the right thing by allowing the man to give his own side, at the end of which the controversy got peacefully resolved and no punishment was handed to the man, as the judge now understood the real issues. Please, note that in drawing the attention of the judge to perceived slips, care must be taken to ensure ABSOLUTE POLITENESS and UNDILUTED CANDOUR on the part of Counsel. In this regard, anything that could cause the presiding judge unnecessary embarrassment must be avoided.

2️⃣ Where the judge has displayed clear acts of bias, prejudice, or other form of prejudicial interference with the proceedings or descending into the arena of conflict in a manner that could reasonably be interpreted to constitute the judge a Hippy Harlet (see Sunday Okoduwa v. State), etc, counsel could file an application to have the judge to disqualify himself from continuing to hear the case; or

3️⃣. In more serious cases, it’s an option for counsel to apply to the CJ (or other head of the court) to have the case file withdrawn from the misbehaving trial judge and then reassigned to another judge; or

4️⃣. Counsel could make that a ground of appeal after judgment. Exactly this is what happened in Sunday Okoduwa v State (1986) 2 NWLR (pt 76) 333

5️⃣. In more extreme cases, especially where the alleged misconduct amounts to professional misconduct or a breach of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, counsel or his client could file a petition before the NJC for professional discipline.

6️⃣. Counsel may choose to take no steps at all, especially where the alleged misbehaviour on the part of the judge is negligible. Counsel appearing before a judge should know that sometimes, complex on the part of a presiding judge could cause the judge to engage in some petty, irritating conducts, during proceedings, just to express his complex, or to try to annoy the lawyer. Sometimes, some Judges do these unconsciously, without any deliberate intention to obstruct justice or prejudice any party, but merely as a result of complex or other petty and myopic prejudices or thought. Counsel should be mature enough to know when to ignore the shenanigans of a petty presiding judge. Finally, counsel must know that demeanor varies from judge to judge. Hence, the fact that a particular judge behaved in a particular admirable manner doesn’t mean that another judge must act in a similar manner. Judges are human being; the rule that requires you to show respect to the presiding judge doesn’t say that the Judges are infallible, perfect or otherwise all-knowing. Hence, Counsel should leave minimum room for some differences or variation in the manner judges conduct themselves in court. “Know Your Judge” is a cardinal guiding principle in Courtroom Advocacy. Lawyers appearing in courts as advocates must learn to understand the nuances of judges. Approaches differ from judge to judge.

WARNING:
🅰.Under NO circumstances should a lawyer walk out on a judge/court or disrespect or otherwise engage in any form of altercation with, or verbal abuse against, or exchange with, the judge! Doing any of those is a serious form of disrespect to a court of law.

🅱 Generally, regarding LAWYER’S RELATIONS WITH THE COURT, Rule 30 of the RPC provides
“A lawyer is an officer of the court and accordingly, he shall not do any act or conduct himself in any manner that may obstruct, delay or adversely affect the administration of justice”. Rule 31 provides
“31.(1) A lawyer shall always treat the court with respect, dignity and honour. (2) Where the lawyer has a proper ground for complaint against a judicial officer, he shall make his complaint to the appropriate authorities”.
Respectfully,
Sylvester Udemezue (udems)
Proctor,
Reality Ministry of Justice (RMJ)
08039136749.
[email protected].

Using their son’s skateboard, Daily Mail reports, a Nigerian man, Olubunmi Abodunde who relocated to the United Kingdom in 2022 beat his wife, Taiwo, to death.

According to reports, the couple, who has three children always clashed over alleged affairs and arguments about bills.

Daily Mail further reports that 48-year-old Abodunde had been repeatedly investigated by Suffolk Police about domestic violence and was due to go on trial for murder but changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday after a jury had been sworn in.

During the abuse, officers heard ‘a number of bangs’ inside the house, which Abodunde had gone into, despite bail conditions imposed the day before that banned him from the property following another violent episode.

When they finally entered 25 minutes later, they found his wife, 41-year-old Taiwo, with her ‘skull smashed in’.

However, Judge Martyn Levett, sitting at Ipswich Crown Court, informed him that the only possible sentence was life imprisonment.

Suffolk Constabulary has referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct, which confirmed three officers were under investigation.

An IOPC spokesman said, “We advised two Suffolk officers that they are under investigation for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour at the level of gross misconduct.

“We advised another officer that they are under investigation at the level of misconduct.”

Abodunde had a history of jealousy and suspicion and accused his wife of having affairs. He had been investigated by police a number of times over alleged domestic violence incidents before his wife’s death.

He was arrested on April 27 last year when police arrived at the couple’s home in Newmarket, Suffolk, and found Mrs Abodunde with a split lip.

Later that day, he was freed on police bail with the condition that he stayed away from the marital home and didn’t approach his wife.

But after working a night shift at Tesco, he went home just after 9 am to allegedly pick up his mobile phone.

Two officers arrived at 9.20 am to take a statement from Mrs Abodunde about the previous night’s incident and heard repeated banging noises inside.

But it wasn’t until 9.55 am that they forced their way in after getting approval from senior officers and found Mrs Abodunde ‘obviously dead’ near the front door.

A post-mortem examination later showed she had been throttled until she fell unconscious, then stamped on until her ribs were broken before her husband used the skateboard to finish her off. The blows were so violent that the skateboard was damaged.

Prosecutor Simon Spence KC told the court the banging officers heard was likely to have been Abodunde continuing to attack his wife after she was unconscious or dead.

Mrs Abodunde had a job as a care home assistant in Cambridge, but her husband, who had trained as a civil engineer, was unable to find work in his profession and took shifts at Tesco and Wickes.

After his arrest for the murder, Abodunde was taken to hospital “because he appeared to have some sort of mental episode”.

He later claimed in a police statement he had acted in self-defence, saying, “My wife has subjected me to physical abuse for a number of years.

“On November 28, we got into an argument. She ran at me with a knife, I grabbed the knife and cut my hand. I was defending myself.”

A male goat identified as Akmed, was forcefully removed from a home in Mt View – Verulam in KZN, South Africa after it attacked a dog and a group of pupils. 

Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) in a statement on Friday, April 26, 2024, said its officers were called out to the suburb after a caller requested assistance. 

She informed the Operations Center that a goat was attacking her dog. 

When Reaction Officers got to the location, they were informed that the goat had earlier attacked several students en route to a primary school. 

Reaction Officers removed the animal after several unsuccessful attempts to locate the owner. 

The goat was transported to the RUSA Headquarters.

In an update, RUSA said the goat has been handed over to its owner.

Culled from Linda Ikeji

Following its findings that Adekunbi Ogunde a partner with the law firm of Wole Olanipekun & Co. has violated the Rules of Professional Conduct For Legal Practitioners, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has struck off her name from the roll of Legal Practitioners in Nigeria.

The LPDC reportedly handed down its decision on Thursday after investigating the allegations against Ms. Ogunde.

The controversy surrounding Ogunde began when it was reported that she had written an email to Saipem Oil Ltd, an international oil company, soliciting the company’s brief in a matter against the Rivers State Government.

The brief had already been settled by the law firm of Okeke & Ajumogobia. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) swiftly instituted disciplinary proceedings against Ogunde for violation of the sacred rules of professional conduct, particularly Rule 1.

In a petition dated July 19, 2022, the NBA prayed the LPDC to immediately commence the disciplinary process and prosecute Ogunde. The petition also sought the LPDC’s opinion on whether the partners of Wole Olanipekun & Co. should also be disciplined, considering Ogunde’s ostensible authority to act as a partner and her actions on behalf of the firm.

The petition, numbered BB/LPDC/901/2022, was filed by NBA 1st Vice President, Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins, who stated that Ogunde was expected to exhibit and maintain a very high standard of conduct, professionalism, and respect for the integrity of the court and the judicial process when discharging her professional duties.

The NBA noted that members of the Association were taken aback by the contents of the letter, which allegedly originated from the esteemed office of Wole Olanipekun & Co. The letter was seen as an unprofessional and surreptitious attempt to solicit a brief from Saipem SPA, knowing that another firm was already handling the case. The letter also touted the supposed overriding influence of the firm’s principal partner, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, who was the chairman of the Body of Benchers and a respected past President of the NBA.

The legal profession and the general public were disturbed by this infamous letter, and the NBA had hoped that the allegations were false. However, letters from Wole Olanipekun & Co. apologizing for Ogunde’s actions and disclaiming her confirmed the authenticity of the allegations.

Credits: The Nigeria Lawyer

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