The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Legal practitioner

  • Lawyer expresses worry on maltreatment of suspects

    An Ikorodu based legal practitioner, Mrs Christy Elekwachi, has urged security agencies in Nigeria to desist from acts tantamount to maltreatment of suspects.

    Elekwachi told our reporter on Thursday that reforms were still needed to ensure prompt arraignment of suspects in Nigeria.

    She was of the view that unusual detention of a suspect amounted to gross violation of the criminal justice procedure of Nigeria and constitutionalism.

    Elekwachi added that such detention was also against the rule of law and the rights of the affected suspects.

    “It is ultimately anti-society for security agencies to detain a suspect for a long time and bring them before a competent court of jurisdiction over a week after their arrest.

    “But many of our security agencies are actually guilty of this because of not doing a thorough investigation.

    Read Also: Police uncover ‘illegal’ blood bank in Lagos, arrest suspect

    “It is even more annoying in cases that the suspect was caught with the evidence; like in drug peddling cases and yet will languish in detention for weeks before being arraigned in court,’’ she said.

    The lawyer urged judges in criminal cases to frown more at the time suspects were kept in detention so as to further discourage the practice.

    “I also urge the high commands of our security outfits to reprimand their officers that detain a suspect more than the duration allowed in law,’’ she added.

  • Lawyer charged with ‘forgery’

    Lawyer charged with ‘forgery’

    A Legal practitioner, Kole Bello, who allegedly forged a land Certificate of Occupancy (CofO), was Monday charged before a Lagos High Court in Igbosere.

    Bello alongside three others, Chukwu Victor, Friday Palmer and Osumah Terry, were arraigned before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo on three counts of conspiracy, fraud and forgery.

    State Counsel R. O. Aroyewun said the defendants committed the alleged offences sometime in December 2001, at Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1, Lagos.

    According to Aroyewun, the defendants conspired and forged a C of O with reference no. 63/63/1989, dated September 28, 1989, “with the intent that it may be acted upon as genuine.”

    The defendants, he alleged, forged the said C of O to take over a plot of land belonging to the Estate of the late Mrs Francisca Awolaja.

    He said they forged the document and arranged for someone to impersonate the late Awolaja in other to fraudulently convey her land to one Mr Rotimi Olubeko for the sum of N5 million.

    The offences, Aroyewun added, contravened Sections 422, 423 and 467 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2003.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty.

    Their counsel, F. O. Udokporo, asked the court to allow them to continue enjoying the bail initially granted them by the court.

    The defendants were granted administrative bail by the court last July following their arrest on a bench warrant.

    Upholding Udokporo’s application, Justice Taiwo adjourned till November 15 for trial.

  • Lawyer urges Nigerians to stop celebrating corruption

    Lawyer urges Nigerians to stop celebrating corruption

    A Legal Practitioner, Mr Stanley Dien has called on Nigerians to stop celebrating each time the Federal Government loses its case against alleged corrupt individuals in court.

    Dien made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja against the backdrop of corruption cases the Federal Government has been losing in courts.

    According to him, “I shudder at the rate at which some Nigerians celebrate people that were alleged to have made away with the country’s money.”

    He called on the citizenry to have a sober reflection on the way they celebrate allegedly corrupt people whenever they won their cases in court.

    He said that such could send the wrong signal to the international community.

    The legal practitioner said that though the decision of the court had been very worrisome, especially in the fight against corruption by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the law must however be allowed to take its course.

    Dien said that there was no point to celebrate such losses, adding that since Nigeria operates a democratic government, the rule of law must be allowed to prevail.

    He said that a situation where the court would keep relying on technicalities to rule on a case would not augur well in the fight against corruption.

    He said that the judge handling the case involving Justice Adeniyi Ademola should have gone into a full trial, adding that the justice should have been allowed to state how he came about the money

    The legal practitioner said that the judge should have allowed the case to go on its merit and people should not be allowed to celebrate it.

    The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) recalls that an FCT High Court in Abuja had on April 5, dismissed the 18-count criminal charges brought by the Federal Government against Ademola of the Federal High Court and his wife.

    Also, the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on April 3 ordered the unfreezing of the account of Lagos lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), with a sum of N75million professional fee paid to him by Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had alleged that the money was proceeds of corruption.

    The initial forfeiture of the sum of 900,000 dollars found in an account of former First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan was similarly reversed on the order of another court.

    Former Minister of Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe was also discharged and acquitted on offence bothering on corruption after the Attorney General for the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami told ICPC that the case filed against Orubebe did not exist.

  • Lawyer to FG:Take action against underage involvement in betting

    An Ilorin based legal practitioner, Mr Juwon Gbadebo, has called on the Federal Government to urgently address the issue of underage people that were fast getting hooked to betting.

    Gbadebo, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin, decried the influx of the underage people into the various betting centres across the country.

    He said that nowadays betting centres like Bet9ja, NairaBet, Bet360 and Baba Ijebu were being filled daily with teenagers, especially during the school period.

    “It is bad for our society to condone such act. Imagine a young boy of less than eighteen years patronising bet house.

    “It spells doom for the future of this country.

    “It is disheartening seeing these underage at bet houses; instead of stay in their classes studying, they are now playing gambling games during the school hours.

    “Something urgent must be done to curb the menace in order to rescue the future of this upcoming generations,’’ he said.

    He called on the security agents to ensure proper monitoring of the bet centres and arrest any underage caught engaging in betting.

    The legal practitioner also advised the government to show a great commitment to discourage such act by the underage in order to clean the society of bad practices.

    The lawyer said it was worrisome that managers of bet centres only care for the money they would make and never mind to question the children and send them out.

    He further suggested that any bet centre that harbour the underage should be closed down.

    Gbadebo also advised parents and guardians to closely monitor the movement of their children and wards and discourage them from going near the bet houses.

  • ‘Girl-child education; a security for Nigeria’s economic prosperity’

    A legal practitioner, Mrs Bukola Okuboyejo, has advised government at all levels to invest more in the education of the girl-child to secure Nigeria’s future economic prosperity.

     

    Okuboyejo gave the advice in an interview with the newsmen in Lagos on Friday.

     

    Okuboyejo said that past advocacies for education of the girl-child had paid off with more women holding top government jobs.

     

    She said that any decline in the girl child school enrolment at this period would be counter-productive for the economy.

     

    “Before now, girl child education used to be the topic in every national, state and local government discourse on development.

     

    “But today, there seems to be less talk about the girl-child education whereas we are not there yet in terms of the ideal treatment of the girl-child in our society.

     

    “It is my submission that any success story in any sector of our economy will have the substantial contribution of women as input to such outcome,’’ she said.

     

    The lawyer told NAN that women were still suffering marginalisation from the men folk, especially in rural communities in Nigeria.

     

    “There are still communities that will not allow women emerge as leaders of social and political groups even if these women have the potential to change the fortunes of such associations.

     

    “Women are still suffering marginalisation in the workplace even if they possess the qualification, skill and ability to hold the top positions of authority.

     

    “The possibility is there that Nigeria will be able to have a woman president in the nearest future if more investment and attention is given to the education of the girl-child,’’ she said.

     

    Okuboyejo urged educators at the higher school levels to do more researches and proffer suggestions on possible ways to improve education of women in the Nigerian society.

     

    She said that Nigeria needed to adopt more home-grown theories on the education of women for their proficiency, especially in male dominated sectors.

     

    “Women are now a factor in the judiciary and some other important sectors, but are yet to be a force to reckon with in the military and paramilitary sectors of the economy,’’ she concluded.

  • Lawyer recommends adoption as viable alternative to abortion

    Lawyer recommends adoption as viable alternative to abortion

    Mrs Maureen Ajogo, an Abuja-based legal practitioner, says giving up an “unwanted” child for adoption is a better option than having an abortion.

    Ajogo gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bwari.

    According to her, abortion is a deviation from the moral norm of the sanctity of human life.

    The legal practitioner said no civilised society should permit a human to intentionally take the life of another human.

    “It must be punishable. However, adoption is a viable alternative to abortion.

    “There is no such thing as an unwanted child. Look around you today; you hear of families travelling to remote places just to either conceive or get a child they can adopt,’’ she said.

    Ajogo explained that abortion could result in complications later in life with the person terminating the pregnancy at risk of experiencing ectopic pregnancy, miscarriages, and pelvic inflammatory disease.

    She identified rape victims as persons at risk of becoming pregnant with an “unwanted’’ baby.

    According to her, if a situation like that should arise, the victim should be given proper medical care to ensure that she does not get pregnant.

    “This is how the excuse for the act of terminating the pregnancy begins because we say it is unwanted.

    “Abortion punishes the unborn child, who has committed no crime.

    “It is the perpetrator who should be punished. Abortion should not be used as another form of contraception,” Ajogo said.