Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The High Court of Abia State ordered the Federal Government to pay N1 billion compensation to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, for the violation of his fundamental rights, including the illegal invasion of his country home in September 2017 by the military. Kanu had sought N5 billion compensation and apology from the government and urged the court to declare that the invasion of his home was illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and amounts to infringement of his rights to life, dignity of his person, his personal liberty and fair hearing. However, defendants raised preliminary objections to the jurisdiction of the state high court to entertain matters pertaining to the Federal Government. The court held that it had jurisdiction to hear the matter, condemned the invasion of Kanu's family house by the military and struck out Kanu's prayers to declare his repatriation from Kenya and continued detention as illegal. The Nigerian Army responded to the judgment by saying it would study the decision to know the next line of action. Kanu asked the Federal High Court to discharge and acquit him of the 15-count criminal charges, arguing that they were defective and have no force of law.

A Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, has issued fresh summons for former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, over pending corruption charges. This is the second arrest warrant to be issued against the ex-minister, who is believed to have fled to the United Kingdom since leaving office in 2015. On July 24, 2020, Ijeoma Ojukwu issued a summons for the former minister to appear to answer to the charges, but she allegedly ignored the summons. An Abuja court has also fixed February 7 for the arraignment of the Chairman, HEDA Resource Centre, Olanrewaju Suraju, for alleged forgery. The trial of former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, continued with the continuation of cross-examination of Mercy Titus, a certified ethical hacker and forensic analyst of EFCC.

A Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, has issued fresh summons for former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, over pending corruption charges. This is the second arrest warrant to be issued against the ex-minister, who is believed to have fled to the United Kingdom since leaving office in 2015. On July 24, 2020, Ijeoma Ojukwu issued a summons for the former minister to appear to answer to the charges, but she allegedly ignored the summons. An Abuja court has also fixed February 7 for the arraignment of the Chairman, HEDA Resource Centre, Olanrewaju Suraju, for alleged forgery. The trial of former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, continued with the continuation of cross-examination of Mercy Titus, a certified ethical hacker and forensic analyst of EFCC.

The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has struck out a suit challenging the competence of the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Justice Pheobe Ayua struck out the name of the APC National Chairman, the National Working Committee (NWC) and CECPC National Secretary as non-juristic persons. The court held that the action was non-justiciable and incurably incompetent, noting that the substratum of the matter bordered on the internal affairs of the ruling APC. The APC is in crisis, with leaders divided into power blocs ahead of the 2023 elections, but Commissioner for Information and Communications in Kogi State, Kingsley Fanwo, has dismissed the notion of a crisis. He believes the Buni leadership has done well in stabilising the party and attracting political heavyweights.

The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has struck out a suit challenging the competence of the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Justice Pheobe Ayua struck out the name of the APC National Chairman, the National Working Committee (NWC) and CECPC National Secretary as non-juristic persons. The court held that the action was non-justiciable and incurably incompetent, noting that the substratum of the matter bordered on the internal affairs of the ruling APC. The APC is in crisis, with leaders divided into power blocs ahead of the 2023 elections, but Commissioner for Information and Communications in Kogi State, Kingsley Fanwo, has dismissed the notion of a crisis. He believes the Buni leadership has done well in stabilising the party and attracting political heavyweights.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) has proposed to the National Assembly to confer power of control of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to the National Judicial Council (NJC). The CCT and CCB are creations of the executive, at the federal level, by virtue of Section 153(1)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. Lawyers have reacted positively to the CJN's proposal. The Constitutional provisions for the CCB/CCT make it answerable only to the Presidency, in conjunction with the Senate. This has generated debate among judges, lawyers and other commentators, as the Presidency and the entire federal executive are also supposed to be subject to the control of the CCB. The NJC was established under Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution to appoint, promote and discipline judicial officers, but the chairman and members of the CCT were not listed as those the NJC could exercise disciplinary control on.

The two chambers of the National Assembly have harmonised their positions and inserted the "consensus" mode of nominating candidates by political parties for elections in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2010. The House suspended its rules and dissolved into the committee of the whole, presided over by the Chairman and Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to unanimously adopt and harmonise the proposed law. The new version of the bill will be transmitted to the President in seven days. The Senate President has warned political parties against flouting provisions of the law, threatening that the erring ones stand the chance of not participating in the elections. Senate Leader Abdullahi Yahaya Abubakar sponsored a motion to rescind Clause 84 of the Electoral Act No.6 2010(Amendment) Bill, 2022 and committal to the committee of the whole. The Senate passed the Federal University of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Egbe, Kogi State Establishment Bill for second reading. Senator Smart Adeyemi argued for the citing of the university in Egbe on the availability of the "massive medical facility" at the 70-year-old Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA Hospital). ECWA Hospital was established in 1951 by the Canada-based Sudan Interior Mission (SIM)

The recent Supreme Court decision involving a senior advocate of Nigeria suggests that there is a need for the criminal justice administration to provide remedy for convicts who are vindicated at the apex court, having suffered damages and deprivations of liberty. However, the law is clear that it is dependent upon the discretion of the court of appeal to determine if it will be proper to grant such application. The presumption of innocence is still in favour of the person, but where the person has been convicted, the issue of presumption of innocence no longer exists. Therefore, the convict has a duty to come by way of an application seeking for bail pending the hearing of their appeal. The Supreme Court can also grant such bails. The strength of the party's application is dependent on the strength of their application, but it is not automatic. To go to the Court of Appeal, a notice of appeal must be filed, which can be done the same day the conviction is made or the following day. A good lawyer should be able to foresee possible outcomes of the case and prepare ahead, and can record the judgment and file the notice of appeal as quick as possible, even if it doesn't contain all grounds. There are different dimensions of appeal, such as using one notice of appeal for the purposes of the appeal or filing additional grounds.