Author: Lawbreed Limited

Members of the House of Representatives have finally passed a Bill seeking to restrict foreign vessels on Nigerian waters and allow only the carriers owned by Nigerians. The passage followed the consideration and adoption of a report on the Bill’s clauses laid by the Chairman of the House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education & Administration, Hon. Lynda Ikpeazu. The lawmakers had in March 2021 passed the proposed legislation, which seeks amendment to the existing Cabotage Act to promote the development of indigenous tonnage and also establish a cabotage vessel financing fund, through second reading. Ikpeazu had, in her debate on…

The Hon. President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, His Lordship, Hon. Justice Benedict Kanyip, OFR has declared Monday 19th December 2022 to Friday 6th January 2023 as end of the year and new year vacation. Justice Kanyip made the declaration pursuant to Order 58 Rule 4(1)(c ) of the National Industrial Court Civil Procedure Rules. Hon. President further declared that there will be no normal Court sitting during the period of the vacation. Justice Kanyip stated that normal Court sitting shall resume Monday 9th January 2023.

In his quest to speed up justice delivery in the state, the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, has directed that lawyers and litigants can swear an oath through electronic means when filing their suits by electronic filing processes. This directive is contained in a notice signed by the Chief Registrar of the Court, Tajudeen Elias, and released to the public. The notice also highlighted the mandatory requirements needed by deponents, legal counsel, litigants and citizens that would be participating in the e-swearing. The notice states that it is highly required that all participants connected to the video…

Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi, says he will soon start to sign death warrants. Mohammed spoke on Friday in Bauchi while signing the Violence against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) bill and a bill for the establishment of the Bauchi state penal code, into law. In Nigeria, state governors are legally backed to sign the death warrants. Since 2012, no governor has been reported to have signed death warrants. In July, Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, called on governors to sign death warrants in order to decongest prisons. However, many civil society organisations (CSOs) had disagreed with minister, saying death penalty should…

Lagos State Government, yesterday, directed full compliance with the Supreme Court judgement that students in schools across the state can wear hijab to attend classes. In a circular directed to several public and private agencies and individuals, the Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said there should be compliance with the directive, adding that it was in line with the decision of the apex court. The statement reads: “It is, hereby, notified for general information that the Supreme Court Judgement 8C.910/2016 delivered on the 17 of June 2022, on the use of Hijab as it affects pupils/students in Lagos State…

The Supreme Court has decried what it termed as coordinated attacks on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola and other judicial officers with a view to arm-twisting, blackmailing and ridiculing them to silence for ulterior motives. The apex court, in a statement that was signed by its Director of Press and Information, Dr. Akande Festus, said it read with dismay and shock, a publication alleging that the CJN was grilled by the Department of State Services, DSS, over remarks he made during a state banquet that was recently organised in Port Harcourt by the Rivers State government.…

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has disclosed that the Nigerian Judiciary is “yet to be free or truly independent” as the third arm of government. Justice Ariwoola made the disclosure in a speech he delivered to mark the commencement of the court’s 2022/23 Legal Year and swearing-in of newly conferred Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) Monday. According to the CJN, while the Judiciary “to a very large extent, is independent in conducting its affairs and taking decisions on matters before it without any extraneous influence”, the same cannot be said in the area of its finance.…

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, will on Monday confer the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, on 62 lawyers elevated to the rank by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) . The swearing-in ceremony will kick-start the new legal year of the Supreme Court. Among the successful legal practitioners are three lawyers prosecuting for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). While two of them – Sylvanus Tahir and Rotimi Oyedepo – are employees of the EFCC, the other, Wahab Shittu, is engaged by the anti-graft agency as a private prosecutor for specific cases.…

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has directed passport offices across the country to work on Saturdays to clear the backlog of passport applications. This is contained in a statement by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Tony Akuneme, in Abuja on Saturday. Akuneme said that the Comptroller-General, Mr Isa Jere, who gave the directive, also approved the deployment of the Passport Controller in Ekiti to Jigawa, while the one in Ondo was moved to NIS Zonal Office in Ibadan. The NIS spokesman stated that going forward, the CG will hold passport officers accountable for any acts of indiscipline by officers…

The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Saturday said, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoolaa has never, at any point said he was happy that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was a member of the now christened “Integrity Group” or “G-5 Governors.” during his brief remarks at the State Banquet organized as part of the events lined up for the commissioning of the two Judiciary projects undertaken by the Rivers state government. A statement made available to newsmen by the Director, Press, and Information of the apex court, Dr. Festus Akande at the weekend said Justice Ariwoola,…