Author: Lawbreed Limited

The five-year ban imposed on the Attorney General of Imo State, C. O. C. Akaolisa, by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC, has been lifted. The ban was overturned by the Supreme Court of Nigeria following a series of suits against the committee. It will be recalled that in July 2021, a six-member LPDC panel banned Akaolisa from legal practice for five years over his conduct. He was accused of using his position as the Attorney General of Imo State to secure the release of a suspected murderer who was standing trial. However, in a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court…

KEYNOTE SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MR. BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA SAN ON THE THEME, “HALF-A-CENTURY OF THE BODY OF BENCHERS: THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE OF MAINTAINING THE ETHICS OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION IN NIGERIA” DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION OF THE BODY OF BENCHERS ANNUAL LECTURE (BOBAL 2025) WEDNESDAY, 26TH MARCH, 2025AT THE MAIN AUDITORIUM, BODY OF BENCHERS COMPLEX, IDU, ABUJA, FCT Distinguished ladies and Gentlemen, I know not what qualifies me to be your choice of speaker at this maiden event but believe me I am here with delight because my recollections of, and my interactions with the…

The legal and human rights community in Nigeria has been thrown into sadness with the demise of Joseph Otteh a famous lawyer, civil rights campaigner, and justice system reform champion. Otteh, the founder of Access to Justice, became ill in the night of Thursday, 27th March, 2025 and passed away in the early hours of Friday 28th March, 2025 in a Lagos hospital. With decades of experience fighting for judicial reforms, the rule of law, and human rights protections, Otteh was a well-known voice in legal advocacy. He was a Global Public Service Scholar at NYU and received Master’s degrees…

Professor Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a prominent human rights lawyer, has fiercely rebuked Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike’s demand to the Body of Benchers to punish him for “degrading the legal profession,” alleging that Wike, while under the influence of “dangerous beverages,” seeks to silence his criticism of judicial interference and promising to unveil the minister’s full story “when the time comes.” In a blistering social media post on platform X, Chidi Odinkalu, a former National Human Rights Commission Chairman, reacted sharply to Wike’s comments, in which the minister urged the Body of Benchers to discipline him for publicly criticizing…

Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, has called for the punishment of Professor Chidi Odinkalu, accusing him of contributing to the degradation of the legal profession through unfounded criticisms. He made this statement when he received the Body of Benchers, led by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), during a visit to him at Life Camp, Abuja. Wike emphasized the need for discipline within the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to protect judicial integrity. “For the first time in my life as a lawyer, I have seen an unfortunate situation where the NBA, as a body, without a court judgment, will declare…

The National Judicial Council has raised concerns about a proposal by the House of Representatives to empower the Nigerian Bar Association to sanction and remove corrupt judges. On March 25, 2025, the House of Representatives passed a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution by introducing provisions for the removal of corrupt judges from the judiciary. The bill proposes that the NBA should receive petitions against such judicial officers, consider the defense of the petitioned officer, and take further steps on the matter. Reacting to the bill, the Deputy Director of Information of the NJC, Kemi Ogedengbe, questioned the feasibility…

The government of the United Kingdom has released a list of unclaimed estates and the names of people believed to be the owners, which include 58 Nigerians who passed away in the UK, leaving behind their estates. These estates, termed “Bona Vacantia”, remain unclaimed and have become the property of the Crown The list includes the names, dates of birth and death, places of death, and marital status of the deceased individuals.​ The UK government, via its website, stated that the list is updated every working day, noting that newly advertised estates appear at the top of the list. “If…

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said that the Federal Government was working on a review of the Land Use Act to make it conform with current global realities. He spoke at a three-day National Land Conference with the theme: ‘Reforming Land Governance for Sustainable Development in Nigeria’, organised by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and Johnbull Amayaevbo Foundation. The Vice President said the government was also working to establish a sustainable land administration system. Represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, the Vice President said the Land Use Act…

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, has condemned the shooting of an immigration officer allegedly on the orders of a Chinese company operating in Nigeria. Tunji-Ojo spoke at a stakeholders’ sensitisation workshop on implementing the Nigeria visa policy 2025 on Thursday in Abuja. The minister condemned the incident, which happened in Niger state, describing it as an “attack on Nigeria”. “I will not go to any country, open a company, and say the immigration service cannot come out. I will not do that,” Tunji-Ojo said. “I don’t want to mention the company here, but they shot one of our immigration officers.…

Hon. Justice Olufunke Anuwe of the Abuja Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court has nullified the guideline issued by the Head of Service of the Federation, Hon. Minister of Education and Ministry of Defence on the implementation of Teacher Retirement age for being inconsistent with the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act 2022. Justice Anuwe held that the provisions of the purported Guidelines are inconsistent with the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers Act and that the Act did not vest any powers on anybody, authority or office to make any regulation or guidelines or set out criteria…