Crime

The Plight Of Nigeria’s Judges And Lawyers Risking Their Lives Daily.

Published

2 years ago

December 18, 2022

To thrive in Nigeria’s legal profession these days, practitioners and judges must be skilled in the martial arts, have Olympian-level foot speed, be proficient with weapons, and have extensive training in subterfuge.

Regrettably, these are not included in the Nigerian Law School curriculum or in judicial orientation.

....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Even with these talents bolstered by a wing and a prayer, becoming involved in the legal process in Nigeria today is often perilous.

In August 2015, Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) announced that they had apprehended members of a kidnapping syndicate who were planning to kidnap judges sitting on election petitions in Owerri, Imo state’s capital. They identified the syndicate’s boss as Chibueze Henry, who operated under the pseudonym Vampire.

Charges were filed against Vampire and his crew, and their trial commenced the following year in Owerri.

The High Court in Owerri now occupies a prominent piece of real estate, within shouting distance of the State Governor’s office and the headquarters of the Imo State Police Command.

Gates control access to the premises, which are managed by security personnel who are public officials.

The trial of Vampire and his gang was set to resume in one of these facilities’ courtrooms on the morning of January 27, 2017.

As officials from the Nigeria Prison Service (as it was then known) drove into the court grounds, a black Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) at the back of the convoy rushed past them before coming to a complete halt.

A swarm of men armed with assault rifles descended from the SUV and began shooting indiscriminately.

As judges, court employees, lawyers, and court users fled , the attackers freed Vampire and up to 29 other captives.

The incident killed at least two people and injured many more.

For more than a decade, Imo State, where this incident occurred, has been a hotbed of targeted violence against judges and lawyers.

In March 2011, the state’s high court justices went on strike to protest the kidnapping of one of their colleagues, Theophilus Nzekwe.

Ambrose Egu, the president of the state’s Customary Court of Appeal, and senior Magistrate Pauline Njemanze were abducted on official business near the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport near Owerri a year ago.

Magistrate and court inspector, Oderachukwu Onumajulu, was not so lucky. As a child, Odera always desired to be a judge. In 2016, she climbed the first rung in her ambition when she was admitted to the Nigerian Bar. Three years later, she became a Magistrate in Imo State. On 22 May, 2021, unidentified men shot and abducted Odera at the Customary Court of Appeal in Owerri, where she worked as courts inspector. One month later, in June 2022, she died from her injuries.

Odera was the second judicial figure to be killed in line of duty in the state in as many years. On 23 November, 2018, a body found dumped along Amucha Road in Njaba Local Government Area (LGA) in Orlu Zone, Imo State, was identified as the remains of Remi Ogu, a Chief Magistrate in the neighbouring Oru LGA.
Remi and his court registrar, Uju Nwanne, were abducted the previous day from their duty post. In March 2019, the police in the state paraded one Friday Nnaekezie, who claimed that he masterminded the abduction and killing of the Chief Magistrate.

Orlu zone, where Remi was killed, has become the epicentre of mass atrocities committed in the name of agitation.

Three months before Remi’s murder, in August 2018, unidentified men incinerated the High Court and Magistrate’s court buildings in the city with all their records and archives.They returned four years later, on December 17, 2022, to complete their evil act.

Darlington Odume, who became a lawyer in 2016, was one of the more outspoken voices at the Orlu Bar.

The people revered him for his fighting skills, comparing him to a lion.

They dubbed him “Omekagu” as a result.

Unidentified gunmen assassinated Omekagu in mid-September 2021, while he was out shopping for food for his family in Orlu. He was married to a policewoman in a city where being linked with one had become perilous.

The year 2021 was exceptionally disastrous for lawyers across the country.

A month after Omekagu’s murder in Orlu, Ajah Ogbonna Ajah and another of his colleagues, both lawyers, were assassinated on the road on their way to court in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State in south-east Nigeria, by unidentified gunmen.

They were far from the only victims in the region or during the year.

Stanley Nnaji, a former High Court judge, was slain on the streets of Enugu State in May by unknown Gunmen.

In November 2021, seven unidentified guys macheted Kenechukwu Okeke to death in Nkpor, Anambra State.

They murdered him in front of his wife and young daughter.

Okeke, a lawyer, had been vocal in his support for Nigeria’s government ban on Twitter.

These killings of lawyers, magistrates, and judges were not limited to South-East Nigeria. On 17 February, 2021, gunmen shot and killed Nkiru Agbasu, a pregnant lawyer, along the Warri-Sapele Road in Delta State.

As in Imo State, Nkiru died in a state with a record of no consequences for the killing of lawyers. In March 2014, unidentified gunmen reportedly dressed in police uniforms assassinated two lawyers, Eguno Dafiaghor and Samuel Ekuwangi on the Azoro-Asaba motorway in Delta State. It was widely suspected that they “were murdered as a result of the high profile case they were handling at the High Court, Ozoro.”

A little more than a year later, in April 2015, unidentified men assassinated the chair of the Nigerian Bar Association in Ughelli, Austin Icheghe, at his home in front of his family, with no repercussions.

Insecurity among lawyers in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital, is also explained by impunity.

Police discovered the mangled remains of Ijeoma Micah in her law office in affluent Maitama, Abuja, in October 2013.

She’d been gone for three days.

Seven years later, another lawyer, Ben Okpe, was assassinated outside his house in Karu, near Abuja.

Terrorists hijacking the Abuja-Kaduna train killed Farida Sule Mohammed, a young Abuja lawyer, in March 2022. She was 29 years old.

Suleiman Zailani was assassinated in August, and Sadiq Gaya in September. At the end of November, unidentified gunmen in the Federal Capital assassinated senior lawyer, Steven Eke, in the presence of his wife and son.

Feyitayo Obot was assassinated in her hotel room at the end of January 2019 while on professional business in Lagos; about two months after the shooting of Adeshina Adeola on the outskirts of Abuja in the week of his admission to the Nigerian Bar in November 2018.

The murders and kidnappings of lawyers and judges described here are only a small part of the story.

They are distinct in three ways.

For starters, the criminals almost always get away with it.

Second, any society that tolerates such attacks on its courts, judges, and lawyers is a lawless society.

Third, the NBA does not currently have a dedicated program in place to ensure accountability for these attacks on lawyers and judges.

Crime

EFCC Arrests 19 Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Edo State

Published

1 week ago

April 15, 2025

NivoNews

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has apprehended 19 individuals in Benin City, Edo State, for their alleged involvement in internet fraud activities.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

According to a statement issued on Monday via the EFCC’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, the arrests were carried out by the Benin Zonal Command on Saturday, April 12, 2025. The operation was based on actionable intelligence that linked the suspects to a series of fraudulent cyber activities.

The EFCC disclosed that several high-value items were recovered from the suspects during the operation, including five luxury vehicles and multiple smartphones believed to have been used in perpetrating the crimes.

“Operatives of the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Saturday, April 12, 2025, arrested 19 suspected internet fraudsters at different locations within Benin City, Edo State. The arrests were made based on credible intelligence connecting them to cybercrime activities,” the agency’s statement read.

Although further specifics regarding the alleged schemes have yet to be made public, the EFCC has assured that investigations are ongoing, and the suspects will be prosecuted once inquiries are concluded.

This operation is part of the Commission’s broader strategy to combat the rise in cybercrime across Nigeria, a crime trend colloquially referred to as “yahoo-yahoo.”

Crime

Fresh Tragedy in Plateau: 40 Killed as Gunmen Storm Bassa Community

Published

1 week ago

April 14, 2025

NivoNews

At least 40 individuals have lost their lives in a renewed wave of violence that struck Zike, a community in Kimakpa within the Kwall district of Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The assault, which unfolded in the early hours of Monday, left residents in terror as unidentified gunmen invaded the village, indiscriminately opening fire on civilians. Many who tried to escape were tragically caught in the barrage of bullets.

Community leader Wakili Tongwe, speaking to Channels Television, disclosed that he and security agents were patrolling a nearby area when the attack erupted.

“Despite engaging the attackers and pushing them back, the toll was already severe,” Tongwe said. “Thirty-six people died on the spot, and four others later succumbed to their injuries. Several victims are still receiving medical attention.”

This latest incident follows a disturbing trend of violence in Plateau State, coming just two weeks after a similar attack in Bokkos LGA claimed 52 lives.

Plateau’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap, expressed strong condemnation of the act, describing it as “one attack too many” and a threat to the state’s fragile peace.

“It’s devastating to face another tragedy in Bassa, barely weeks after the Bokkos killings,” she lamented. “This appears to be a deliberate attempt to disrupt the peace we’ve been working hard to restore.”

Ramnap urged residents to stay calm and vigilant, affirming that Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s administration remains committed to bringing those responsible to justice.

“The state will deal firmly with any individual or group involved in such barbaric acts,” she assured, warning against retaliatory violence.

As of press time, security agencies had not released an official statement on the latest attack.

Crime

Bauchi Accountant General Jaja Freed on Bail Over Alleged ₦70 Billion Scam

Published

2 weeks ago

April 7, 2025

NivoNews

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to Alhaji Sirajo Jaja, the Accountant General of Bauchi State, following his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations tied to a ₦70 billion fraud.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Jaja was released under the condition that he returns for upcoming court hearings. His arrest and prosecution have sparked speculations of political motivation, especially due to his previous criticisms of federal government policies.

Alongside Jaja, two others were also detained in relation to the case: Aliyu Abubakar, an unregistered bureau de change operator, and Sunusi Ibrahim Sambo, a PoS operator. All are being investigated for their roles in what’s being described as a massive financial scandal.

The case has generated national attention and added to ongoing scrutiny of public officials’ handling of state funds.