Author: Lawbreed Limited

A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has dismissed a suit seeking the release of the forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The case was filed by Paul Arochukwu Ogbonna and another applicant, representing Social Action, against the Attorney General of the Federation. The plaintiffs had approached the court in 2022 after the then Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs failed to make the audit report public, urging the court to compel its disclosure. Following the dissolution of the ministry by President Bola Tinubu, the claimants amended their suit to reflect the development, naming the Attorney General…

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission has issued a regulatory advisory to all Data Controllers and Data Processors across the country in response to rising threats to data security infrastructure. According to the Commission, its technical assessment reveals that certain threat actors are carrying out coordinated attacks targeting financial systems and critical digital infrastructure in Nigeria. In a statement signed by Babatunde Bamigboye, Esq., Head of Legal, Enforcement & Regulations, public institutions were reminded of a presidential directive by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which emphasizes that “data is the new oil,” with its value increasing when properly refined and responsibly shared. The…

The High Court of Lagos State, sitting in the Yaba/Surulere Judicial Division, has awarded N100 million in general damages against The Peoples Gazette Limited over a defamatory online publication alleging that a serving Lagos High Court judge owned a multi-million-dollar apartment in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. The judgment was delivered by Justice E. O. Ashade in suit LD/ADR/3649/2021 between Justice Adedayo A. Akintoye (retd.) as claimant and The Peoples Gazette Limited as defendant. The claimant, a former judge of the Lagos State High Court, approached the court seeking damages and injunctive reliefs over a publication dated February 22, 2021, on the…

In this week’s edition of Case Law Friday, we examine a significant decision of the Supreme Court that reinforces a long-standing judicial principle: courts are more concerned with substantial justice than technical errors. Case Reference: FRN v. Odeh (2025) 4–5 S.C. (Pt. I) 1 @ 35–38 The Issue: Practice and Procedure – Notice of Appeal The central question before the Supreme Court was: Does an incorrect description of the case number or particulars of the suit in a Notice of Appeal render the appeal invalid, or is it merely an irregularity?* The Decision The Supreme Court held that: A wrong…

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday nullified the January 2024 dissolution of the board and management of Union Bank of Nigeria by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, declaring the action ultra vires. Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, in his ruling, quashed all decisions taken by the CBN-appointed board and directed the immediate restoration of the bank’s former board and management. The court further restrained the CBN, its appointees and agents from taking any further steps, including actions relating to the proposed recapitalisation of the bank or any related measures. The apex bank had, in January 2024, announced the…

The Nigerian Bar Association has condemned the conduct of former presidential candidate and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, describing it as a disruption of courtroom decorum. According to reports from Daily Post, drama unfolded at the Federal High Court in Abuja when Sowore clashed with a Senior Advocate of Nigeria while attempting to address journalists inside the courtroom. A video circulating online showed the lawyer confronting Sowore, insisting that the courtroom was not an appropriate venue for a press briefing. Sowore, however, disagreed, saying, “You’re intimidating me and insulting my intelligence because…

The United States District Court for the District of Columbia has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Nigerian businessman Ted Iseghohi Edwards and his assignee, Boston Legal Partners Inc., seeking to enforce payment on promissory notes totaling $159 million issued by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, ruling that the court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction over the claims. Presiding Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly granted Nigeria’s motion to dismiss, holding that the West African nation enjoys presumptive immunity from suits in American courts under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and that the plaintiffs failed to establish any applicable exception to that immunity. The ruling marks…

The Presidency has addressed claims surrounding a recently signed migration agreement with the United Kingdom, stressing that the deal applies strictly to Nigerians residing illegally in the UK. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said the clarification became necessary following reports suggesting Nigeria had agreed to accept foreign deportees. In a statement posted on X on Friday, Ajayi explained that the agreement only concerns Nigerians who lack legal status to live and remain in the UK. He said: “For clarity, it is important to state that the agreement signed by the Minister of Interior,…

The Nigerian Bar Association is concerned about reports of an incident that occurred on Monday, 16 March 2026, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, involving Honourable Justice Mohammed Umar and a legal practitioner, Mr. Marshall Abubakar, who appeared as lead defence counsel to Mr. Omoyele Sowore. According to reports, the learned trial judge, in response to counsel raising his voice while addressing the court on the suitability of a hearing date, directed the lawyer to step out of the Bar and kneel down, alongside issuing threats of committal for contempt. The NBA views this development with utmost seriousness, given its…

The court of appeal sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital, has sentenced Shittu Isiaka, a lecturer at the College of Health Technology, Ijero-Ekiti, to death by hanging for armed robbery. Omolara Adejumo, the presiding justice, delivered the judgement after finding Isiaka guilty of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery. John Joshua, the prosecution counsel, told the court that the incident occurred on July 5, 2017, along Ibuji on the Akure-Ilesha expressway. Joshua said Isiaka and other accomplices – who are still at large – robbed Olatunji Olowoyeye, a commercial driver, of his Nissan Cabstar vehicle with registration…