Category: Judiciary

The National Judicial Council (NJC), during an unexpected closed-door meeting on August 15, 2024, has proposed Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the next Chief Justice of Nigeria. Additionally, the NJC recommended 27 others for appointment as judges to the state high court, in the ongoing session Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, the current Chief Justice, is set to retire on August 22, 2024, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.   More details to follow…

Barring any last-minute change, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun of the Supreme Court is set to emerge as the next chief justice of Nigeria (CJN).   If she assumes the office, Kekere-Ekun would become the second female justice in Nigeria to hold the exalted position after Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, who was CJN between July 2012 and November 2014, spending 28 months in office.     The current occupant of the office, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who assumed office on June 27, 2022, will formally bow out on Thursday, August 22, 2024, after attaining…

The Supreme Court has granted autonomy to all the 774 local governments across the 36 states in Nigeria.   The court also ruled that the federal government should henceforth pay allocations directly to local government councils from the federation account.   Delivering judgment in the suit on Thursday, a seven-member panel of justices held that state governments have continued to abuse their powers by retaining and using the funds meant for LGAs.   In May, the federal government filed a suit at the Supreme Court against governors of the 36…

Justice John Tsoho, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, has rejected a request by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to transfer his N80.2 billion fraud case from Abuja to the Kogi division of the court.   The Chief Judge sided with Dr. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who argued that Bello’s application was flawed on three grounds.   The ruling means the case will continue to be heard in Abuja.   Yahaya Bello is facing a 19-count charge of alleged money…

All arrangements have been concluded for the Second Extraordinary Session of the Sixth Legislature of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be held in Kano, Nigeria.   The Second Extraordinary Session, according to the ECOWAS Parliament, will be held at the Bristol Hotel in Kano, the Commercial Centre of the country, between the 20th and 25th May, 2024.   President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, attended the inaugural session…

A professional group under the aegis of Progressive Lawyers of Rivers State has raised an alarm over the gradual desecration of the legal profession in Rivers State. The group disturbed by the high level of illegalities being deliberately carried out by the Rivers State Government in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman and Secretary, D.CAMADI, Esq. 0.k OWHORNDAR declared that: “We are alarmed as lawyers to see that despite the general and well publicized knowledge of the Judgement of the Federal High Court in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023; River State…

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has urged the Nigerian Judiciary to evolve a blueprint for the transformative changes needed to enhance judicial efficiency and ensure the fair administration of justice across the nation.   Senator Akpabio made the call at the opening ceremony of a two-day Summit on “Enhancing Justice Delivery in Nigeria” organized by the Federal Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other international development partners in Abuja. A statement by the Special Assistant on Media/Communication to the Senate President, Anietie…