The committee set up last year by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, to monitor corruption cases recently submitted an interim report, indicting prosecutors majorly for delayed trial. In this reports by OLADIMEJI RAMON, prosecutors and defence counsel react to the verdict November last year, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, […] …
Law Digest
Metuh’s trial: The drama, the legal battle
Ade Adeomoju, Abuja From the beginning, the ongoing trial of a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, before the Federal High Court in Abuja, has been riddled with drama and sensationalism. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Metuh and his Destra Investments Limited on seven counts, including […] …
NBA in search of stronger criminal justice system
Oladimeji Ramon The Nigerian Bar Association, between April 24 and 27, 2018, held its fifth Criminal Justice Reforms Conference in Asaba, the Delta State capital. The conference had the theme “Criminal Justice Reforms in Nigeria – The Journey So Far.” It was a hub for cross fertilisation of ideas among critical stakeholders in the nation’s […] …
How lawyers can earn good fees – Usoro
Oladimeji Ramon A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Paul Usoro, has listed diligent record keeping, a befitting office space, good relationship with clients as well as quality service as part of the areas lawyers must focus on to be able to attract good briefs and make good earnings in their practice. Usoro spoke at the […] …
Supreme Court of living, dying and dead cases (3)
This third and concluding piece of a three-part investigative report reveals that it is not enough to blame underfunding of the Nigerian judiciary for the congestion of appeal cases which deprive many Nigerians access to justice at the Supreme Court, ADE ADESOMOJU reports On September 4, 2017, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, a Nigerian lawyer, who had […] …
Supreme Court of living, dying and dead cases (2)
In this second of a three-part investigative report, ADESOMOJU reveals that efforts being made to address the problem of the congestion of the Supreme Court’s docket are disproportionate to the scale of the problem. Politicians continue to enjoy relatively prompt attention of the court, while regular appeals filed by ordinary Nigerians are relegated to the […] …
Lawyer sues Chief of Defence Intelligence over eviction threat
Oladimeji Ramon An Abuja-based lawyer, Oluchukwu Nnamuah, has filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to restrain the Chief of Defence Intelligence from ejecting him from his law office at Suit 5, Mammy Market, Lungi Barracks Shopping Complex, Maitama, Abuja. Nnamuah, who said he had been occupying the […] …
Supreme Court of living, dying and dead cases (1)
… Burdened with over 5,000 appeals, Supreme Court keeps cases on cause list for 10 years In this first of a three-part investigative report, ADE ADESOMOJU reports how the Supreme Court of Nigeria currently with 16 Justices is perpetually burdened with over 5,000 appeals and renders the quest for justice by many Nigerians hopeless […] …
Lack of convictions doesn’t mean judiciary is corruption-free – Ojukwu
Prof. Ernest Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is the immediate past Deputy Director General and Head of Campus, Nigerian Law School, Enugu. In this interview with OLADIMEJI RAMON, he argues that education is a more potent weapon against corruption than prosecution A recent survey you conducted suggested that bribery of judges or corruption […] …
Lagos CJ unveils sentencing guidelines for judges, magistrates
Oladimeji Ramon The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke, on Wednesday unveiled new sentencing guidelines for judges and magistrates in the state. She said the guidelines were to ensure uniformity of punishments imposed on convicts by all the judges and magistrates handling criminal cases in the state. She explained that the sentencing guidelines […] …