Author: Lawbreed Limited

Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ruled that Nigerian banks must no longer recognise or enforce freezing and Post-No-Debit (PND) orders issued by Magistrates’ or other inferior courts. The landmark judgment, delivered in the case of Aiman Mahfouz v. Fidelity Bank Plc (FHC/L/CS/07/2025), is expected to have wide-ranging implications for law enforcement agencies, banks, and customers across the country. In his ruling, Justice Kala held that Magistrate Courts, Area Courts, and Customary Courts lack jurisdiction to issue ex-parte orders freezing or restricting funds in bank accounts, describing such actions as “malfeasance” and “a violation of…

The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) of the Body of Benchers, Nigeria, will decide the high-profile case against Mr. Danladi Umar, former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. The case, filed under Suit No. BB/LPDC/489/2021, was instituted by John Aikpokpo-Martins, Esq., over allegations of conduct unbecoming of a legal practitioner. The petition relates to an incident that occurred on March 29, 2021, at Banex Plaza, Abuja, where the Respondent allegedly assaulted a security officer following a dispute over parking. The decision, to be delivered at the Body of Benchers Conference Centre, Abuja, is…

Britain’s government Thursday will announce plans to end a scheme which allowed family members to join refugees already in the country, as it tries to curb immigration levels under pressure from the far-right. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to outline plans to scrap the family reunion scheme as well as automatic settlement rights for refugees at a EU leaders’ summit in Copenhagen. Applications for family reunions had already been paused last month. “The fundamental reforms will be the basis of a fairer system where… the route to settlement should be longer, and be earned via contribution to the country,”…

Dear Colleagues, as we usher in the new legal year, it is important to reflect on the perspectives and insights shared by the nation’s foremost legal practitioners and leaders. Below are links to the official addresses delivered by the Attorney General of the Federation, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, and the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) during the 2025/2026 Legal Year Opening Ceremony. These speeches set the tone for the year ahead and provide direction for the legal profession in Nigeria. 1. Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN – NBA President In his address, the NBA President emphasized…

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has officially announced the commencement of online applications for the appointment of Notaries Public across the country. In a notification signed by Kabir E. Akanbi, Esq., Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, the approval was granted by the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice K.M.O. Kekere-Ekun, GCON, on the 29th of September, 2025. This new process marks a significant shift towards digitalization within the Nigerian legal system, making the application process more accessible and efficient for legal practitioners. How to Apply Interested lawyers are invited to submit their applications online via the official portal:…

YouTube has agreed to pay $22 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump after the company suspended his account over the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, according to a court filing Monday. The online video platform, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, is the latest Big Tech firm to settle with Trump after he lodged legal cases challenging his broad deplatforming after January 6. The $22 million will go toward Trump’s latest construction project at the White House, through a nonprofit called Trust for the National Mall, which is “dedicated to restoring, preserving, and elevating…

The Federal Government has said that all income earned in Nigeria, including money made by ‘runs girls,’ is taxable under the law. Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, stated this in a now-viral video from a tax education session by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David, Lagos. Oyedele explained that upkeep money sent to dependants or relatives is not taxable, describing such transfers as “non-exchange transactions.” He said, “You earn a certain amount of money and you have to send upkeep to your cousin, your brother, even a stranger, it…

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said Monday that he has launched a probe into a messy property controversy in the United Kingdom involving senior Nigerian lawyer Mike Ozekhome and other Nigerians. Speaking to a group of various representatives of the Nigerian legal profession, including Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, at the Supreme Court complex in Abuja, Mr Fagbemi referred to the London case as a development that has had an impact on the legal sector. “It is for this reason that my office has now taken the unusual step of verifying…

A 22-year-old graduate, Femi Ayoade has been sentenced to life imprisonment for defiling a four-year-old girl inside a tricycle at Eti-Osa area of Lagos State. Ayoade was jailed by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court presided over by Justice Abiola Soladoye on Tuesday. The court ruled that the prosecution had proven the one-count charge of defilement against Ayoade beyond reasonable doubt. Soladoye described Ayoade as a “criminally audacious man who turned a child’s vagina into a playground.” “It is indeed a shameless act. “The prosecution has successfully presented compelling evidence against the defendant. “Consequently, the defendant is hereby…

Justice Emmanuel Sublim of the National Industrial Court in Abuja has provisionally prohibited the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) from proceeding with their intended industrial action against Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE. In a ruling issued on an ex parte application on Monday, Justice Sublim specifically enjoined the defendants, which included Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL), Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), from halting crude oil and gas supplies to Dangote Refinery. In approving the application, the court concurred with the applicant’s counsel,…