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

Published

4 years ago

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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.

 

 
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Crime

PAYING THE PRICE: EFCC Cracks Down Hard, Nails Middleman In ₦16 Million Laundering Storm!

Published

1 week ago

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July 31, 2026

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A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced Sunmonu Olasunkanmi Thaoban to four years in prison for laundering ₦16 million by disguising its illegal origins and converting it into a 2018 black G-Wagon Jeep.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Court Sentences Man to Four Years for ₦16 Million Money Laundering, Forfeits G-Wagon

A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced Sunmonu Olasunkanmi Thaoban to four years in prison for laundering ₦16 million by disguising its illegal origins and converting it into a 2018 black G-Wagon Jeep.

Key Details of the Case

  • Guilty Plea & Sentencing: Justice Akintayo Aluko handed down the sentence on Thursday after Thaoban pleaded guilty to a two-count EFCC charge, alongside an alternative fine option of ₦1.8 million.

  • The Offense: Prosecutors stated that Thaoban acted as a middleman in 2023, funneling illicit funds to purchase the luxury vehicle, violating the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

  • Asset Forfeiture: In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered the permanent forfeiture of both the convict’s G-Wagon and mobile phone to the Federal Government.

Related BDC Convictions

In a separate proceeding, Justice Aluko also convicted four Bureau de Change (BDC) operators—Umar Muhammad Lamido, Yusuf Musa Yusuf, Abdulmuhimin Mahmud, and Muhammed Musa—for conducting unauthorized foreign exchange transactions outside the official market. Following their guilty pleas, each received a 12-month prison sentence with an option of a ₦100,000 fine.

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THE END OF THE ROAD: Death Penalty Handed Down To Killers Of DELSU Student!.

Published

2 weeks ago

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July 29, 2026

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A Delta State High Court has handed down death sentences to two individuals for their involvement in the 2018 killing of Delta State University (DELSU) undergraduate Elozino Ogege, following a ruling that found them guilty. Meanwhile, a third co-defendant facing charges related to the same incident was discharged and acquitted. The 2018 murder of Ogege had previously sparked significant public outrage and widespread demands for justice. Further details on the ruling are expected soon.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

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High-Stakes Arrest: Mastermind Boko Haram Spy Caught Red-Handed By Security Operatives!.

Published

2 weeks ago

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July 29, 2026

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Security forces have arrested a suspected Boko Haram informant, Abulfatahi, in Monguno, Borno State, in connection with the recent terrorist attack on Cross Kauwa.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

  • Operation & Timing: Apprehended on July 27 during an intelligence-led sweep targeting a local terrorist information network. Two other suspects were previously arrested and moved to the Joint Intelligence Fusion Centre.

  • Confession: During preliminary interrogations, Abulfatahi admitted to working for a Boko Haram commander named Akilu, who directs terrorist operations in Dabar Masara and Garin Mace.

  • Criminal Activities: The suspect allegedly collected illegal taxes for the terrorist commander and helped select targets for abduction around Monguno.

  • Evidence Recovered: Investigators found two phone numbers linked to Commander Akilu on Abulfatahi’s mobile device, which are aiding security forces in dismantling the broader network.

  • Next Steps: Authorities are expanding their investigations to uncover other collaborators and strengthen ongoing counter-terrorism efforts across the Lake Chad region.

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