A Federal High Court in Abuja has threatened to send Dr. Betta Edu, the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to Kuje Correctional Centre in the Federal Capital (FCT)l for disobedience to an order of the court.

The minister had failed to provide information on the school feeding programme of her minister in line with the order of court made since June this year.

When an Upper Customary Court of Kaduna State, Kafanchan Division in an unparalleled verdict held that bride price could only be returned if a husband could return a woman’s body to the pre-marriage condition, little did people know that there is an existing supreme court judgment which said the refund of bride-price under customary law unconstitutional.

Apparently, a Ugandan Supreme Court had since August 2015 held that the refund of bride-price contravened the constitution.

On 6 August 2015 the news ── Uganda Bride Price Refund Outlawed by Top Judges hit the headlines.

DW reports that in a 6-1 decision, the apex court of Uganda held that demanding a refund of a “bride price” – the traditional custom of exchanging money, cows or goods for a wife was unconstitutional.

The justices ruled that a man doesn’t have the right to claim repayment from his spouse’s family if the marriage ends. Husbands often expect the dowry to be returned in cases of dissolution of the marriage.

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It all began with the unfortunate incident of a young lawyer who allegedly escaped lynching by an irate mob that accused her of kidnapping a child.

On 14 September, 2023, Uduak Adams a lawyer based in Lagos State went to inspect a house she wanted to rent on Aborisade Street in the Surulere area of Lagos State. But things took a different turn when she was accused of having kidnapped the boy she asked for directions.

Several publications reported that an irate mob allegedly supported by the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) mercilessly flogged her with a horsewhip, struck her with planks, and subjected her to numerous punches and kicks. Her accuser Adenike Adefila is a widow and mother of two children.

Uduak was quoted to have said: “I feel extremely traumatized; it’s scary. I feel unsafe in Lagos and in Nigeria. The psychological trauma is too much, including the physical damage. The fact that videos of what I didn’t do is circulating on social media, is shameful. The accusations, having to be bashed for nothing, my dignity as a lady, as a professional and as human and an innocent citizen of Nigeria has been soiled and torn apart.”

Undoubtedly, Uduak suffered untold shame and embarrassment over the issue. The trauma of transforming from someone seeking to rent a house to being branded a kidnapper by an angry crowd must be unimaginable. But was she actually beaten up, flogged with a horsewhip, and tortured? Was her skull fractured? Did she actually suffer physical injuries such that at some point she was fighting for her life? A skull radiograph obtained by Law & Society Magazine, and conducted by Foremost Radiology Consultants Ltd. Lagos, on the day of the incident, 14 September 2023, indicated that everything was within normal ranges.

Also, a video of the incident obtained by Law & Society only showed a sitting but distraught Uduak with her handbag slung over her shoulder, struggling to answer a barrage of questions. Although her clothes were intact, she sat with tears in her eyes and voice struggling to answer all the questions.

While mob actions and frustrated Nigerians taking out their anger on one another over the slightest provocation and accusation is highly condemnable, the case of Adenike Adefila whose two young children are now at the mercy of neighbours while she is in custody awaiting the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP’s advice must be urgently attended to.

Adefila’s journey to Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre since Tuesday 17 October 2023 after the matter came up at Magistrate Court 2, Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, Lagos, was precipitated by the fear that her little boy had been kidnapped.

Now that this widow is locked up and unable to attend to her 11 and 13-year-old, are they not being exposed to untold dangers? Certainly, her case is a bailable one and she can be made to report to the police as often as the law enforcement officers direct, pending her arraignment and hearing.

While justice is being sought for Uduak, creating another injustice must be avoided.

Another sad story emerging from of all these is that some persons claiming to be close to Uduak are allegedly demanding the sum of N5 million from the widow so the matter could be terminated.

The Nigerian Law School (NLS) has been thrown into mourning as one of its top teachers and criminal litigation lecturer at the Abuja Campus, Dr. Abraham Afolayan, collapsed and died during an official event he was attending.

The Nigeria Lawyer reports that the body of Afolayan, who suddenly collapsed and passed while representing the NLS Director General at an event in the city centre was brought back to the Law School clinic on Tuesday afternoon.

The Nigeria Lawyer further reports that Dr. Afolayan who is highly regarded as a father figure and mentor to many students, is equally known for his exceptional teaching skills in criminal litigation and for imparting wisdom and kindness. He was admired for his wisdom, kindness, and dedication to nurturing the next generation of legal professionals.

“Former students fondly remember Dr. Afolayan as the guiding light of their legal careers. Many credit him with instilling in them the values of ethics and professionalism that are essential in the legal field.

“The Nigerian Law School mourns the loss of one of its brightest stars, a man who left an indelible mark on legal education in Nigeria. Dr. Abraham Afolayan’s passing is a significant loss, and his memory will be cherished by all whose lives he touched.”

Credit: The Nigeria Lawyer

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked…” Holy Bible, Jeremiah 17:9

Three Islamic clerics have been nabbed by the Oyo State Police Command over allegations of being in possession of human body parts .

The trio — Taofeeq Kabelohun and Rahmon Muibi, also known as Alubarika, in concert with an unnamed third person who has also been arrested, reportedly murdered of a man in Ibadan last Thursday.

The three men were said to have lured the victim to accompany them to a location in the Moniya area of Akinyele local government where they allegedly killed him.

But for the blood dropping from the trunk of their vehicle, they might have escaped being apprehended by the police.

Since Friday, a video showing suspects at the state’s Criminal Investigation Department in Iyaganku, Ibadan, displaying the victim’s head and other body parts has been circulating on cyber space.

It was disclosed that one of the suspects, Taofeeq Kabelohun is the Mufasir (Deputy Imam) at Orisun Awotan Central Mosque in Awotan, Ido local government area, Ibadan.

In March this year, the Oyo State Police Command arrested a self-acclaimed Islamic Cleric named Amuludun and 10 other suspected ritualists found with ten human skulls and body parts.

Emotional self-control is the result of hard work, not an inherent skill. – Travis Bradberry

For failing to put a hold on his libido and for violating the the trust reposed in him by his family when he sexually molested and defiled his wife’s 15-year-old niece, a very brilliant and successful medical doctor, Olufemi Olaleye will spend the rest of his life in jail.

In the judgment delivered by Hon. Justice Rahmon Oshodi of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja on Tuesday, the court held that the 57-year-old medical director and founder of Optical Cancer Care Foundation will serve double life imprisonment for the crime.

Dr. Olaleye had been arraigned over allegations of having unlawful sexual intercourse and sexually assaulting the 15-year-old-minor by penetrating her mouth with his penis.

He reportedly committed the offences between February 2020 and November 2021 on Layi Ogunbambi Close, Maryland, Lagos and the offences contravened Sections 137 and 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

Justice Rahmon Oshodi had earlier dismissed a “No-Case-Submission application” by the convict for lacking merit and asked him to enter his defence.

Handing down his verdict, Justice Oshodi held that the evidence adduced before the court against the the convict was compelling and proven beyond reasonable doubt.

He stated that the confessional statement of the defendant, which he made before his lawyer, Olalekan Buruji, and the DPO of Anthony Police Station, that he regretted his act, proved that he committed the offences.

The court further held: “You are a dangerous offender and must be ashamed,” he held.

During trial, the convict’s wife, Aderemi Olaleye, told the court that her husband had been sexually abusing her niece during her stay in their house.

Mrs Olaleye, who testified from March 2020 to July 2021, claimed that the convict first introduced pornography and oral sex to the victim and he released sperm into her mouth.

The witness also stated that the girl confessed to a relative and their driver that the doctor had been sleeping with her and threatened to kill her and the witness if she told anyone.

The mother of two, who is the complainant said on oath, “My lord, on November 27, 2021, my second cousin told my aunty who is my mother’s sister that since March 2020 Femi has been sexually abusing her and introduced her to pornography, from there he graduated to oral sex with her, that he does this in different places in the house where there are no cameras.”

Justice Oshodi who held that the prosecution team was able to prove counts one and two of the charge filed against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt added:

“I, therefore, feel satisfied that the prosecutor has established that (a) the prosecutory was a child by section 261 of the Child Rights Law of Lagos state 2015, the defendant had sexual intercourse with her by putting his penis in her vagina, the defendant also forced his penis into her mouth and ejaculated.

“I must conclude that the prosecution has established counts one and two against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt. I, therefore, find the defendant guilty as charged.

“Femi Olaleye, I have convicted you of defilement and sexual assault by penetration. This charge has a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Accordingly, I sentenced you to life imprisonment on count one and two. On each count, the sentencing will run concurrently,”

[Download Full Judgment]

After six years of a long drawn battle, Nigeria’s Federal Government has triumphed in the the legal tussle with Process & Industrial Developments (P&ID) Limited in a London court on Monday.

With the court quashing the $11 billion arbitration award previously in favour of P&ID, Nigeria can now heave a sigh of relief.

In a judgment that was “handed down physically in open court, and electronically by email to the parties, and by publication in the National Archives,” Robin Knowles, the Justice of the Commercial Courts of England and Wales, upheld Nigeria’s prayer on the ground that the ill-fated gas processing contract was obtained by fraud.

The Business and Property Court in London delivered the judgment in a case between the Federal Government of Nigeria and Process & Industrial Developments (P&ID) Limited.

This ruling came after the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, urged the bid winners for the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP), to hasten site development.

Meanwhile, the federal government, alongside its partners has begun the deployment of tiny tankers for the transportation of crude oil through the creeks of the Niger Delta, following a protracted inability to fix the often-vandalised pipelines in the region.

P&ID had agreed with Nigeria in 2010 to build a gas processing plant in Calabar, Cross River State, but the company said the contract failed because the Nigerian government did not fulfill its end of the bargain.

Claiming Nigeria breached the terms of the contract, P&ID took a legal recourse and secured an arbitral award against the country.

On January 31, 2017, a tribunal ruled that Nigeria should pay P&ID $6.6 billion as damages, as well as pre-and post-judgment interest at seven per cent.

Following the judgment, Nigeria applied for an extension of time and relief from sanctions.

The application was granted by Ross Cranston, a judge of the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales, in September 2020, thereby returning the case to arbitration.

Nigeria had alleged that the gas deal was a scam conceived to defraud the country.

Lawyers representing the federal government told the court that P&ID officials paid bribes to secure the contract.

But P&ID denied the allegation and accused the Nigerian government of “false allegations and wild conspiracy theories”.

In a March trial at the court, Nigeria alleged that the contract was secured through dishonest means that included bribery and perjury and that the arbitration award, which has now risen to $11 billion because of interests, should be quashed.

Click here to read more and download the judgment.

The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, against the tribunal’s judgment affirming President Bola Tinubu’s election.

The seven-man panel led by John Inyang Okoro after listening to the submissions of the parties involved in the matter said the judgment date would be communicated to them.

Other members of the panel are Uwani Aji, Mohammed Garba, Ibrahim Saulawa, Adamu Jauro, Abubakar Tijjani, and Emmanuel Agim.

Adopting his addresses, Obi’s lead counsel, Livy Uzoukwu urged the court to hear the appeal.

INEC lawyer, Mahmoud, while making his submissions urged the court to dismiss the appeal, adding that it lacked merit.

Adopting their addresses, Tinubu’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, and his APC counterpart, Akin Olujinmi urged the court to dismiss Obi’s appeal.

The panel led by Okoro said, “This appeal is reserved for judgment until a date to be communicated to the parties.”

Earlier, the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, urged the Supreme Court to admit fresh documents against President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking at the court on Monday, his lead counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, described the matter as a grave and constitutional matter, The PUNCH reports.

He urged the court to adopt the application and grant their request.

Presenting his argument, he said, “The issue involving Mr Tinubu’s certificate is a weighty, grave, and constitutional one, which the Supreme Court should admit. I urge the court to admit the fresh evidence of President Tinubu’s academic records from CSU presented by Atiku.

The Supreme Court must take a look at Mr Tinubu’s records and reach a decision devoid of technicality.

INEC lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, urged the Supreme Court to dismiss Atiku’s application seeking to present Tinubu’s academic records.

Tinubu’s lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun, SAN argued that INEC should have been a party at the deposition proceedings in the US, noting that the CSU depositions are dormant until the deponent comes to court and testify.

PUNCH

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, the Department of State Service (DSS) and all human rights defenders have been invited to wade into the matter of a vicious attack carried out on a driver attached to GUO Transport Company by political thugs alleged to have acted on the orders of Ossy Onuko, an aide to Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State for overtaking his convoy.

A couple of viral videos showed the driver being dragged and beaten with dangerous weapons by the political thugs. Onuko is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Awka Capital Territory Development Agency, 

A statement signed by one Paschal Candle revealed that in the afternoon of 20 October, 23 at UNIZIK junction Awka, the political thugs brandishing matchets brutally dealt with the GUO driver because he overtook them on a Federal Expressway.

Part of the statement reads: “Assuming without conceding that this Driver committed any traffic offence, why should be butchered like this?

“The GUO driver was coming from Lagos to Enugu and on getting to Awka, he overtook a convoy belonging to Ossy Onuko, the ACTDA boss.

“Not knowing that the convoy was carrying some thugs, they chased him and on getting to the UNIZIK junction, the GUO bus stopped to drop some passengers.

“Hon Onuko ordered his thugs to descend on him. You can see him in Red in the video standing and watching while they beat and butchered the innocent Driver…

“They bundled the driver to their vehicle and took him away leaving the passengers he brought from Lagos stranded at Unizik. I am calling on all human rights defenders in the state, the Commissioner of Police, Inspector General of Police and State Director of DSS to arrest this overzealous individual who moves around with thugs and beats innocent civilians.”

GUO on its part has vowed to sue the government official allegedly involved in the dreadful act.

The company said its driver was beaten with cutlass by political thugs on the order of Onuko adding that the passengers were traumatised as they watched the helpless driver being pummelled.

Countering the allegation, however, Onuko in a statement also signed on 20 October 2023 denied instructing his aides to carry out the shameful act.

“I wish to state clearly the facts as they are, as I owe this to the public we graciously serve. Certainly, I cannot take their sensibility for granted.

“This afternoon, I had finished my exams from the Igbariam campus of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University and was on the way to my office in Awka, driving in the company of two civil defence officers seated in the back seat of my Toyota Hilux vehicle (there was no convoy).

“Suddenly, at Ukpo axis of the Enugu/Onitsha expressway, I sighted a white coloured GUO vehicle speedily approaching and trying to overtake me, given that the express road is still being used as a two-way drive, he could not meet up with his moves to overtake me and series of other vehicles in the line, as two heavy-duty trucks were approaching; he suddenly veered into my lane, it would have been a serious disaster and a lot of losses would have been counted if not for divine grace and my swift effort to steer my wheel rightly. 

“The said driver sped off without any sign of remorse, this infuriated me and the officers I had in my car. However, we continued with our journey, getting to Amawbia flyover we hoped to stop the driver at the police checkpoint there to ensure he was okay and know the reasons behind his reckless driving because I thought I owed that as a duty to other road users.

“Unfortunately. in the same vein, he sped off. We knew we could still get him at their office in Awka because they have a park at UNIZIK junction. However, he stopped not at their park, but at the opposite Enugu Motor Park.

“The two civil defence officers fully kitted in their uniforms, approached him and asked him to alight from his bus, he locked up himself and his passengers in the bus and even attempted to overrun the officers with his vehicle. At this point the atmosphere was very heated, I had to call the police and Community-based vigilante within the environment.

“While this was going on the young man eventually came down and started insulting everyone including the officers with me.

“When I sighted the vigilante group vehicle, I narrated what happened to them, and told them the police were also coming and that the man should be taken to the police station for proper check as I did not think he was in the right frame of mind to be driving.  Then I drove off from the scene as they made moves to take him with them. At this time, about 100 youths that heard I was having altercations at UNIZIK junction had already assembled.  I enjoined them to go about their duties and let the security operatives do their job.

“A few minutes later in the office, the driver called me and apologised. By then about 5 other drivers/staff of GUO who are my friends were in my office to also apologise on his behalf. I immediately told them I needed no apologies and that if not for the actions of the young man, this matter wouldn’t have escalated to the police station. I called the DPO and asked him to bail the young man if they were convinced that he was fit to drive. The DPO released him immediately.

“I also learnt later on that the young man resisted arrest which led to a lot of violent conduct in his arrest, I take full responsibility for all that, and I also apologise to the young man, his company GUO, and my friends and well-wishers who have been embarrassed by my association with such act.”