Author: Lawbreed Limited

Judge says there was “no interference with security” as case found to be without merit The Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered Sunday Dominic to pay the Department of State Services (DSS) ₦5 million as punitive costs for filing what it described as a frivolous human rights lawsuit against the agency. The court dismissed the suit, ruling that there was no evidence of interference or wrongdoing on the part of the DSS. Dominic had approached the court under suit number FCT/HC/CV/3984/2024, claiming that the DSS invited him for questioning and threatened to arrest him on suspicion of fraudulent activities,…

Australia has witnessed its first disciplinary case involving the use of artificial intelligence in the courtroom. A Victorian lawyer, acting for a client in a family dispute, presented what appeared to be legitimate case precedents—only for the court to later discover they were AI-generated fabrications. The revelation, made during a July 2024 hearing before Justice Amanda Humphreys, underscores the growing tension between emerging AI tools and the ethical obligations of legal practitioners. The lawyer later admitted in court that he had used legal software powered by artificial intelligence to compile the list and had failed to verify the citations before…

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has relieved Hon. Samson Osagie of his duties as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, replacing him with Prof. Roland Otaru, SAN. Osagie, one of the first appointees sworn in after Okpebholo assumed office, was conspicuously missing from the list of newly inaugurated commissioners, effectively confirming his removal. Although no official reason was provided for the decision, sources in Government House said the move had been anticipated following Otaru’s nomination. In addition to the cabinet shake-up, Governor Okpebholo expanded the number of ministries in the state to 28, in what officials described as part of ongoing…

INTRODUCTION In an era of increasing global and cross-border transactions, disputes often arise between parties from different jurisdictions.[1] Consequently, litigants frequently obtain judgments from foreign courts, which they may wish to enforce in Nigeria.[2] The enforceability of such foreign judgments is critical for upholding contractual obligations, enhancing commercial certainty, and promoting investor confidence.[3] As a general principle of law, before a judgment can be enforced in Nigeria, and perhaps in countries of the world operating the dual principle of registration and enforcement of judgment, it must first be registered. However, the converse is not the case, as certain judgments may be registrable yet…

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday rejected an application to send back a suit regarding the Osun State local government funds to the court’s division in Osogbo, the capital of the state. Delivering his ruling on Thursday, the judge Emeka Nwite, ruled out bias in the decision to keep the case in Abuja instead of transferring it back to Osogbo from where it originated. He clarified that the Chief Judge had exercised his judicial and administrative powers to transfer the case to Abuja in accordance with Order 49 Rule 2 of the court. He said “a mere administrative…

The Federal Government has clarified that no inmate has been released under the recent Presidential Prerogative of Mercy exercise, noting that the process is still undergoing final administrative review. PUNCH Online reported that President Bola Tinubu recently granted a pardon to Sir Herbert Macaulay, as well as 174 others, following approval by the Council of State. Among the beneficiaries are notable figures such as Ken Saro-Wiwa, the environmental activist, and Major General Mamman Vatsa, who was executed in 1986 for alleged coup plotting. The pardon list also includes Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her…

A Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Musa Dahuru Muhammad, has sentenced Hayatu Muhammad, a coach of one of Kano’s prominent football clubs, to serve eight years in prison, without option of fine. Hayatu bagged his eight-year jail term, on Wednesday, for committing sodomy against one of his players, a minor. Evidence before the Court showed that Hayatu, a resident of Sanka in Kano Metropolis, was found to have committed the act twice at different locations. The prosecution Counsel, Barr. Ibrahim Arif Garba, provided five witnesses who testified against Hayatu. The offense contravenes Section 284 of the Penal…

The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has dismissed a high-profile misconduct petition against Danladi Umar, former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, ruling that the allegations of professional impropriety did not hold up in court. In a decision handed down on October 15, 2025, the LPDC threw out case number BB/LPDC/489/2021, filed in 2021 by lawyer John Aikpokpo-Martins. The petition accused Umar of conduct unbecoming of a legal practitioner under Rule 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) 2023, stemming from a widely publicized altercation on March 29, 2021, at Banex Plaza in Abuja. The incident, captured in…

The debate on the role of artificial intelligence in judicial decision-making must begin now, the master of the rolls said today. Addressing the annual Legal Geek networking event, Sir Geoffrey Vos said that, despite early scepticism, lawyers and the judiciary are now ‘piling in’ to find uses for the technology – which he stressed was simply a tool. ‘Like a helicopter or a chainsaw, in the right hands can be jolly useful, in the wrong hands jolly dangerous.’ Vos told the audience of lawyers and lawtech entrepreneurs that, while it is clear that AI can be used in judicial decision-making,…

Lateef Fagbemi, the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, says the presidential pardon list is currently at the “final administrative stage,” which involves reviewing the names and recommendations. Last Thursday, President Bola Tinubu granted presidential pardon and other forms of clemency to 175 persons, following the approval of the Council of State. Among the 175 beneficiaries are Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists; Farouk Lawan, a former member of the House of Representatives; and Mamman Vatsa, a major general and poet executed in 1986 over alleged treason. Drug offenders, illegal miners, white-collar convicts, and foreigners are…