Author: Lawbreed Limited

The Special Investigator probing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Jim Obazee, has discovered 593 bank accounts located in the United States, United Kingdom and China in which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), under Godwin Emefiele, kept Nigerian funds without authorisation by the Board and Investment Committee of the bank. The investigator also discovered how billions of naira were allegedly stolen by Mr Emefiele and other officials from the CBN’s accounts including a “fraudulent cash withdrawal of $6.23 million” – about N2.9 billion at the then official exchange rate of N461 to a dollar. Mr Obazee disclosed these in…

In an interesting announcement, Charles Ajiboye, Esq., the National Assistant Publicity Secretary, has revealed that the Annual General Conference (AGC) 2024 is poised to make legal history by convening in the vibrant city of Lagos. Following a meticulous decision-making process during the National Executive Committee Meeting, the Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, OON, SAN-led executive declared that the AGC, renowned as the largest gathering of lawyers globally, is scheduled to take place from Friday, August 23rd, to Friday, August 30th, 2024. With the 2023 AGC setting an exceptional standard, the legal community eagerly anticipates a more remarkable event in the coming year,…

Nigeria on Wednesday got a hard-won relief from a thorny lawsuit against it by Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID), a company registered in the British Virgin Islands. The case had dragged on for more than a decade and would have wiped out about one-third of Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves if victory had gone the way of the company. An earlier decision of the London Court of International Arbitration six years ago had awarded $6.6 billion against Nigeria for the profits that would have gone to P&ID from a contract to construct and run a gas plant in southern Nigeria if…

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi has explained why the federal government is encouraging the utilisation of plea bargaining in resolving criminal cases. Fagbemi said the plea bargaining option, provided for in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, and similar laws enacted by the various states is intended to curb delay, reduce the cost of production, and address congestion in prisons. The AGF spoke in Abuja on Tuesday, December 19, at the unveiling of the “Plea Bargaining Guidelines for Federal Prosecutors 2023” and a sensitization workshop on the guidelines for judges,…

President Bola Tinubu has asked the senate to confirm 11 judges of the court of appeal as justices of the supreme court. Tinubu’s request was read on Wednesday, in the upper legislative chamber, by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The president’s request came after the National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended the justices for elevation to the supreme court. The apex court is currently left with 10 justices after the death of Centus Nweze, and the retirements of Amina Augie and Dattijo Muhammad. The constitution allows the supreme court to have a maximum of 21 justices. The justices recommended for the apex…

Dr Olusimbo Ige, a Nigerian, has been appointed as the Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health, thus becoming the first black female to occupy such a position. Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), disclosed this in a congratulatory message to her. In the congratulatory statement, Dabiri-Erewa described Ige’s milestone as “extraordinary”, saying: “History made! Congrats to the first black woman in the History of Chicago Dept. of Public Health to be appointed as Commissioner.” According to a statement by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, a spokesman of NiDCOM, Dabiri-Erewa said Ige’s appointment has once again confirmed that Nigerians in the…

The Enugu State Government yesterday inaugurated 10 small claims courts to address delays in settling financial disputes, particularly debt recovery and others. The chief judge of the state, Justice Afojulu Ozoemena, who inaugurated the courts, said they would be presided over by magistrates and handle financial disputes ranging from N5m to N10m. The CJ, represented by Justice Reuben Odugu, lauded Governor Peter Mbah for his commitment to the effective dispensation of justice in the state. He said, “In human interactions and communications, particularly in the conduct of business, it’s almost inevitable that disagreements will occur which usually will require the…

The Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has said regulators of the aviation sector will begin to compel airlines to compensate passengers for delayed or cancelled flights by January 2024. The minister disclosed this on Tuesday when he appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation to defend his ministry’s budget for the 2024 fiscal year. Over half of the domestic flights in Nigeria between January and March were delayed, according to data from the regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Of the total 18,288 domestic flights within the period, 10,128 were delayed, representing 55 per cent. On Tuesday,…

The traditional ruler of Akpabuyo local government area of Cross River, Etiyin Maurice Edet, was on Sunday night abducted by gunmen at his residence in the council area. An aide to the traditional ruler was shot dead in the process of the kidnapping. The spokesperson of the state Police Command, SP Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident but said details were unknown to her as at press time. A source, however, said the traditional ruler’s aide was killed as he tried to prevent his principal from being abducted. Akpabuyo, notorious for criminal activities, is less than 15 kilometres from Calabar, the…

The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, on Wednesday, remanded a political party chieftain, Wahab Hammed, who allegedly bribed voters during the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Justice Ismail Ijelu remanded the defendant in EFCC’s custody pending the review of the facts of the case. Hammed was arraigned by the anti-graft agency on two counts bordering on conspiracy and bribery. The charges were read and translated into Yoruba language to the defendant as he understood neither English nor Pidgin English. He pleaded guilty to the two counts preferred against…