The Body of Benchers (BOB) has cautioned that National Assembly against giving effect to its proposal to regulate the establishment of Law Schools in the country.
BOB Chairman, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) issued the caution while admitting 4691 new lawyers at the Call to Barceremony held in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said: “May we plead with the National Assembly to stop toying with the idea of promulgating laws or amending the Legal Practitioners Act, to pave way for the proliferation of Law School campuses, particularly, around the neighbourhoods of some lawmakers.
“It is within the exclusive prerogative of the Council of Legal Education, in consultation with the Body of Benchers to establish new Law School campuses.
“While I do not question the jurisdiction of the National Assembly to make laws as appropriate, Law School campuses cannot be established without clearance from the Council of Legal Education.
“What we need now is the improvement and upgrading of the existing Law School campuses, using the newly commissioned Graham Douglas Law School Campus, Port Harcourt, built and equipped by the Rivers State Government as a model. I dare say that it is the best in the country for now,” Olanipekun said.
He advised the new lawyers to always uphold the ethics of the profession and desist from act that could portray the profession in bad light.
“It behoves me at this point to forthrightly prepare your minds for the inevitability of bumpy rides, aspersions, tirades, general vicissitudes, and such other contingencies to which all humans are susceptible.
“Do not engage in strife, blackmail, mudslinging, campaign of calumny, treachery or any attempt to run or pull anyone down,“Olanipekun added.
He urged senior lawyers to improve on the welfare of junior lawyers, and spoke of plans to mentor new lawyers nationwide through a mentoring committee of the BOB headed by J. K. Gadzama (SAN).
Olanipekun urged judges to be lenient with young lawyers, saying: “To our noble judges, before whom these young ones will start appearing, please be patient with them and exercise your awesome owners to commit for sparingly.”
Dwelling on the activities of the BOB, Olanipekun noted that the body is not an appendage of the Federal Government, or any government, institution or agency, howsoever.
He added: “It is an independent and autonomous body, and its meetings, affairs and decisions are not influenced by any power or authority whatsoever.”
Olanipekun noted that although the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), the body responsible for the discipline of lawyers, is a committee of the BoB, the LPDC is a juristic personality on its own, independent of the BOB and is not controlled in any way or manner by either the body or itsChairman.
He cautioned that, “ proceedings before the LPDC should not be politicized, sensationalized, publicized and advertised in advance or while the proceedings are ongoing by complainants for whatever reason howsoever, as so doing, negates the principle of fair hearing, which all lawyers subscribe to.”
Earlier, Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Professor Isa Chiroma (SAN) disclosed that the new lawyers successfully completed the vocational training at the Nigerian Law School as prescribed by the Legal Education Act of 1962.
Chiroma disclosed that the new lawyers are those who emerged successful at the August/September 2022 Bar Final Examination. He said out of a total of 5,802 students who participated in the exams, 4691 emerged successful representing 80.81%.
A break-down of the results showed that 119 students came out with 1st Class; 789 with 2nd Class Upper; 2, 460, 2nd Class Lower; and 1, 323 came out with Pass; while students were from the last exam.
Meanwhile, the President of the Nigeria Bar Association ((NBA), Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), who has recently been critical of the BOB Chairman, was absent at the event.
Iwaetan was tried on a seven-count charge bordering on rape, unlawful firearm possession, and secret cult membership, among other offences.
According to the charge, “Segun Iwaetan and Atila Iwaetan(now at large) on January 16th, 2021 at Federal Polytechnic Road, conspired to commit burglary and stealing, break into the shop of one Olayemi Oyerinde, received stolen properties such as 15 polo shirts, 50 jean trousers, 30 pairs of leather slippers among others, worth over N1.8million.
“On February 5th 2021, Iwaetan raped a 20-year-old student at Odo Ado Street, Ado Ekiti, while unlawfully possessing two guns. He was, on 10th of February 2021 found to be a member of the Eiye confraternity secret cult,” it stated.
The rape victim in her testimony, stated, “On that day, the defendant gained access to my room around 3am, and pointed a gun at me as he ordered me not to shout or else he would shoot me. He instructed me to undress and forcibly had sex with me. As at the time he raped me, I was still a virgin. Thereafter, he begged for forgiveness and asked me not to tell anyone about it.”
The prosecutor, Albert Adeyemi, called five witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statement, search warrant, two locally made guns as exhibits and medical report.
Justice Adeniyi Familoni, delivering the judgment, sentenced the defendant on four of the charges.
Court sentences Man, 24 to death by hanging over secret cult membership
An Ekiti State High Court, sitting in Ado Ekiti, has sentenced one Segun Iwaetan, to death by hanging for being a cultist and raping a 20-year-old virgin.
The court sentenced the 24-year-old man to death by hanging for being a cultist and to life imprisonment for raping his neighbour, who is a student of Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, at gunpoint.
Iwaetan was tried on a seven-count charge bordering on rape, unlawful firearm possession, and secret cult membership, among other offences.
According to the charge, “Segun Iwaetan and Atila Iwaetan(now at large) on January 16th, 2021 at Federal Polytechnic Road, conspired to commit burglary and stealing, break into the shop of one Olayemi Oyerinde, received stolen properties such as 15 polo shirts, 50 jean trousers, 30 pairs of leather slippers among others, worth over N1.8million.
“On February 5th 2021, Iwaetan raped a 20-year-old student at Odo Ado Street, Ado Ekiti, while unlawfully possessing two guns. He was, on 10th of February 2021 found to be a member of the Eiye confraternity secret cult,” it stated.
The rape victim in her testimony, stated, “On that day, the defendant gained access to my room around 3am, and pointed a gun at me as he ordered me not to shout or else he would shoot me. He instructed me to undress and forcibly had sex with me. As at the time he raped me, I was still a virgin. Thereafter, he begged for forgiveness and asked me not to tell anyone about it.”
The prosecutor, Albert Adeyemi, called five witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statement, search warrant, two locally made guns as exhibits and medical report.
Justice Adeniyi Familoni, delivering the judgment, sentenced the defendant on four of the charges.
The judge said, “The defendant is convicted as follows: Conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms, he is sentenced to 12 years imprisonment each without any option of fine, sentences are to run concurrently from the date of his arrest and detention of the defendant.
“On rape, the court sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment,” while for membership of Eiye confraternity secret cult, the judge told the defendant, “The sentence of this court upon you is that you be hanged by the neck until you bedead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul.”
“On rape, the court sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment,” while for membership of Eiye confraternity secret cult, the judge told the defendant, “The sentence of this court upon you is that you be hanged by the neck until you bedead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul.”
The Supreme Court has decried what it termed as coordinated attacks on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice OlukayodeAriwoola and other judicial officers with a view to arm-twisting, blackmailing and ridiculing them to silence for ulterior motives.
The apex court, in a statement that was signed by its Director of Press and Information, Dr. Akande Festus, said it read with dismay and shock, a publication alleging that the CJN was grilled by the Department of State Services, DSS, over remarks he made during a state banquet that was recently organised in Port Harcourt by the Rivers State government.
It bemoaned that it was further alleged in the report that five Justices of the Supreme Court are calling for the CJN’s resignation.
“Just like our earlier press statement debunking this barefaced falsehood and mischievous antics aimed at scoring very cheap and unpopular political gains in this era of aggressive and mudslinging politicking, we wish to state in very clear and unmistaken terms, that this is yet another round of the avalanche of lies that have been disingenuously packaged by individuals with unenviable pedigree to malign the character and personality of not just the CJN but several other Judicial Officers that they considered to be too unpliable and principled to be approached for any form of underhand dealings, especially as election cases (petitions) will soon be streaming to the tribunals (courts) for adjudication.
“It has become very obvious that those with sinister motives have perfected plans to unleash all manner of coordinated attacks on Judicial Officers, starting from the CJN with a view to arm-twisting and blackmailing and ridiculing them to silence, ultimately for their ulterior motives.
“For sure, it will only take an undiscerning mind to believe this string of falsehood, misinformation and blackmail.
“Nigerians are much wiser to fall for this armchair criticism and disingenuous sponsorships of paid crowds who masquerade as ‘civil society organizations’ to help them further their inordinate ambition of gagging and fettering the Nigerian Judiciary so that they could cowardly do their biddings.
“The publication, which was laced with tissues of lies, non-existent sources of information and unsubstantiated claims, clearly showed the unwholesome intentions of the authors.
“For the records, no single Justice of the Supreme has asked the CJN to resign, and no Justice of Supreme Court has or is writing any letter of protest whatsoever.
“This stream of falsehood, as usual, is flowing from the same discredited source that is hell-bent on destroying the Judiciary for some selfish interest.
“The Supreme Court Justices are united and firmly behind the CJN; and are, as usual, all working assiduously to dispense justice without fear or favour.
“Neither the CJN nor the Honourable Justices of the Supreme Court or other Courts for that matter, are politicians, so, none of them should be dragged into politics in any form whatsoever.
“Our advice to this set of rabble-rousers whose stock in trade is character assassination via dissemination of false information to create tension and disaffection, is to have a rethink and engage in meaningful productive activities that will move the nation forward. A word is enough for the wise”, the statement further read.
