Author: bibncollar

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday barred United Nations Special Rapporteurs and Columbia University from participating in the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project’s suit against the Department of State Services. A three-member panel led by Justice Danlami Senchi also reserved judgment in SERAP’s appeal against a N100 million defamation award delivered against the organisation by the Federal Capital Territory High Court. The appeal challenges the May 5, 2026 judgment of Justice Yusuf Halilu. SERAP’s counsel, Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to award damages to Sarah John over a publication that allegedly referred to…

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday called on the judiciary to dismantle procedural loopholes and outdated practices that enable offenders, including politically exposed persons and organised crime networks, to evade justice through technicalities. Speaking at the eighth EFCC/NJI Capacity Building Workshop for Judges and Justices in Abuja, Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the courts must prioritise the public good over narrow interests shielded by legal manoeuvres. “Probe prosecution strategies, dismantle outdated precedents, and seal procedural gaps that politically exposed persons and organised crime actors exploit to delay or frustrate trial,” he said. He added that no well-connected individual…

An Abuja High Court on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, adjourned the N2 billion assault and battery suit against Nigerian rapper Tochukwu Gbubemi Ojogwu, popularly known as Odumodublvck, until Wednesday, October 14, after the defendant and his counsel failed to appear. The case, filed in November 2025 by Levi Ogbogiri, also known as Kraziecent, stems from an alleged incident at a public event on December 16, 2024. Ogbogiri claims the rapper attacked him without provocation while he was taking photographs and recording videos. He further alleges the confrontation caused a wrist injury, emotional distress and damage to his iPhone 15 Pro…

The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday advanced a bill that seeks to remove criminal penalties for attempted suicide and put greater emphasis on prevention, treatment and support for people in psychological distress. Sponsored by Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South), the bill passed second reading during plenary and was referred to the Senate Committee on Health and the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further work. Ekpenyong told colleagues that Nigeria’s current legal framework sends mixed signals. The National Mental Health Act treats attempted suicide as a psychiatric emergency requiring immediate care, while Section 327 of the Criminal…

President Bola Tinubu has sent five executive bills to the Senate for consideration, covering reforms to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, expansion of transport safety investigations, creation of a national training school for public servants, and the domestication of key international humanitarian and criminal law treaties. Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the communications on Tuesday and referred the bills to the Committee on Rules and Business. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill 2026 seeks to repeal both the existing NDLEA Act and the Indian Hemp Act. It would create a single legal framework to tackle the cultivation, processing,…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out an eight-count forgery charge filed against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who described himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC). The ruling, delivered on Monday, brings to an end the criminal proceedings that accused Adeyemi of forging documents linked to the purported council. The court found that the charge could not be sustained and accordingly discharged the defendant. Adeyemi had presented himself publicly as the head of the PFIPC, an entity he claimed was established to promote foreign investment into Nigeria under the presidency. The Federal Government and…

Detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu has accused the Nigerian government of infiltrating the group’s former Directorate of State leadership, saying the move created internal confusion and led to the expulsion of those he described as betrayers. Kanu made the claim in a written address dated 30 September 2026 that was presented to the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) during its annual convention held in Duluth, Georgia, United States, from 9 to 11 October 2026. In the address, Kanu stated that the government succeeded in penetrating the Third Administration of the Directorate of State. “When the…

An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Wuse Zone 2 has struck out a criminal complaint of alleged misappropriation of party funds filed against the disputed National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam. Magistrate Amauche Onyedum ruled that the court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the matter. The magistrate held that the allegations concern the internal affairs and financial dealings of a political party and should therefore be taken before a High Court. The case, marked DCC/10/2026, was initiated by SDP chieftain Dr. Sodiq Umar Abubakar. Also listed as a defendant was another party member,…

Former Anambra State governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi has told Nigerians not to support his 2027 presidential ambition because he is Igbo. He said votes should be based on competence, capacity, compassion and character rather than ethnicity or rotational claims. Obi made the remarks on Sunday during a TikTok livestream with Nigerian content creators. He stated that the country needs a political culture in which voters can openly examine candidates and reject those who lack the required qualifications. “I don’t want people to follow me, vote for me because it’s my turn because I’m an Igbo…

Lawyers representing the claimants in a $2.1 million land dispute involving Jordan Ezenwo Nyesom-Wike, son of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, have formally asked the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court to transfer the case from the court of Justice Sylvanus Chinedu Oriji. In a letter dated 7 October 2026 and received at the Chief Judge’s chambers on 8 October, the firm I.G. Waru & Co. requested the reassignment of suit CV/008/2026. The suit was filed by Safwan Garba GY and GY Global Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited against Jordan Wike. The lawyers based the request on what…