Author: Lawbreed Limited

A Federal High Court in northern Nigeria has restrained Kano State authorities and the Kano State Hisbah from arresting or pursuing a 22-year-old woman over her conversion from Islam to Christianity and her refusal to enter a marriage allegedly being forced on her by members of her family. The court, in its judgment delivered on May 26, 2026, also ordered that financial compensation be paid to the woman for violations of her fundamental rights to human dignity and freedom of religion. The amount awarded was not disclosed in the reports announcing the judgment. The woman, whose identity has been withheld…

A barrister has been disbarred after a disciplinary tribunal found that she secretly recorded family court proceedings, breached client confidentiality, sent an unqualified person to an advocates’ meeting in her place and harassed a former employee over confidential mental health issues. Mariam Adel El-Sobky, who was called to the Bar in 2001, appeared before a disciplinary tribunal for the second time in five years over a series of allegations relating to her professional conduct. Although the full tribunal decision has not yet been published, the Bar Standards Board said El-Sobky faced multiple allegations, with the tribunal imposing a combination of…

The Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG), on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, rolled out the drums to celebrate thirty-four (34) of its alumni who graduated with First Class honours in the 2025 Nigerian Law School Bar Final Examination. The Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG), on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, rolled out the drums to celebrate thirty-four (34) of its alumni who graduated with First Class honours in the 2025 Nigerian Law School Bar Final Examination. The ceremony, which was held at the Faculty Boardroom, marked the graduates’ first official homecoming following their success at the Nigerian Law…

Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking to overturn the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to restore the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to Olympic participation. The IOC had suspended the ROC in 2023 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, on 7 July 2026, the Olympic body lifted the suspension, stating that the sanction was no longer applicable. The decision marks another step towards Russia’s return to international sporting events and could pave the way for Russian athletes to compete under their national flag at the 2028 Olympic Games in…

A senior judge has accused the Home Office of relying on “AI hallucinated” information to refuse an asylum claim. The case relates to a Moroccan woman and her child who fled her country after experiencing forced underage marriage and extreme violence, including rape. The woman claimed asylum on the basis of fears that she would be killed by her husband: a powerful, previously convicted criminal. The Home Office refused her case, citing evidence from a supposedly independent and authoritative document known as a country policy information note (CPIN), which they said confirmed that Morocco would be safe for her. But…

Olumuyiwa Akinboro, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and candidate in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, has petitioned the association’s leadership, alleging widespread irregularities in the conduct of the July 18 national officers’ election. In a 19-page petition dated July 27 and addressed to the chairman of the Body of Benchers, the attorney-general of the federation (AGF), the General Council of the Bar, the NBA president, the electoral committee of the NBA (ECNBA), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), Akinboro called for “urgent intervention and redress”. The senior lawyer alleged…

Former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission and legal practitioner, Festus Okoye, has raised concerns over the emergence of a new class of well-funded and well-connected professional “charge-and-bail” experts who earn a living by meeting increasingly difficult bail conditions imposed by security agencies and courts. Okoye said the development should worry members of the legal profession, human rights advocates and all Nigerians committed to the protection of personal liberty, warning that the modern operators are often not lawyers but possess the connections, documents and financial resources required to secure the release of high-profile suspects. According to him, there…

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday received the President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, during a courtesy visit at the State House, Abuja. Badejo-Okusanya was accompanied by the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Caleb University, Prof. Foluke Dada-Lawanson; the President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Mrs Ezinwa Okoroafor; the FCT Lead of the NBA Women Forum, Princess Hadiza Afegbua; and the BBold Campaign Team Publicity Lead, Mrs Ramlat Ridhwan. The visit came ahead of Badejo-Okusanya’s assumption of office as the next president of the NBA. Badejo-Okusanya was recently elected as the 33rd President of…

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday overturned a lower court’s judgement deregistering five opposition political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections and other off-cycle polls coming up within the year. The five political parties affected by the earlier 15 June judgement of the Federal High Court include the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Accord Party. The remaining parties are the Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal led by Abba Mohammed unanimously declared the Federal High Court’s deregistration order null and void on Tuesday.…

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended two judicial officers for one year without pay over misconduct, while issuing queries to 256 Judges over performance-related concerns, as part of measures aimed at strengthening accountability and efficiency within the Nigerian Judiciary. The decisions were reached at the Council’s 111th meeting chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, GCON. The Council also recommended the appointment of 12 new Justices of the Court of Appeal, to fill vacancies created by retirements and elevations across the appellate court. It further recommended one candidate for appointment as a Judge of the…