Matters Arising: The Court of Appeal’s Decision Concerning Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO)

A Legal analysis of the Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1695/2023 – Abubakar Marshal v. Directorate of Road Traffic Services & Ors and its affirmation on appeal Introduction The relationship between Nigerian motorists and traffic enforcement agencies has long been uneasy, often marked by uncertainty about the scope of official powers and the rights of road users. Among…

Matters Arising: Lawyers are not to Act as Solicitors and Property Managers for the Same Property

Introduction The Nigerian legal community was thrown into confusion and disquiet in the recent case of Incorporated Trustees of NBA v. Ezeagu (2024) 4 NWLR (Pt. 1927) 127, where the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) ruled that lawyers cannot act as both property managers and legal counsel for the same property or related matters.  The…

Matters Arising: Fuel Price Hike and Scarcity

Due to the current rise in foreign exchange and the devaluation of Naira, fuel supplying companies are finding it difficult to import fuel and are currently relying on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC Ltd) to supply fuel before distribution to their various stations. This has inevitably led to the disruption in the steady…

Matters Arising: Appointment of the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria

The recent appointment of Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) by President Bola Tinubu, following the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC), has sparked a significant legal debate. The controversy centers on whether this appointment is constitutional, given that it has not yet been ratified by the National…

Matters Arising: #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria, 2024 Protest

Introduction Nigerians have taken up to the streets to protest against the policies of the present administration which has led to bad governance, fuel subsidy, high cost of living, food inflation and hunger, unemployment amongst other things. The protest arose due to the reforms made by Nigeria’s current President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in his…

Federal High Court Declines Jurisdiction Over Criminal Defamation in Case Against Influencer, Ijele

Introduction A Federal High Court in Lagos has ruled that it lacks the jurisdiction to try the offence of criminal defamation, resulting in the dismissal of two out of three cybercrime charges against social media influencer, Chizorom Harrison Ofoegbu, popularly known as Ijele. The charges were brought by the police on behalf of Evangelist Ebuka…

Matters Arising: Supreme Court Rules in Favour of Granting Local Governments Financial Autonomy

On the 11th of July, 2024, the Supreme court in a landmark judgment in suit number: SC/CV/343/2024 gave an order that Local Government allocations be paid directly to them from the Federation Account.    Governors of the states of the Federation were used to dissolving democratically elected Local Government Councils and reinstating caretaker committees in…