NNAMDI KANU SUES DSS, MALAMI OVER CHANGE OF CLOTHES

Embattled Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has dragged the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN, the State Security Service (SSS) and its Director General to the Federal High Court over alleged refusal to allow him change his clothes.

In an application filed yesterday by his lawyer, Mr. Maxwell Opara, the detained IPOB leader sought “AN ORDER directing the Respondents, jointly and severally, to immediately allow the Applicant to have a change of clothes in their detention facility or at any time he appears in public for his trial.”

In the court documents made available to CITY LAWYER, Kanu is also seeking “AN ORDER of this court directing the Respondents, jointly or severally, to allow the Applicant to start wearing any clothes of his choice, more so, to allow him to wear his traditional Igbo Attires (Isi-Agu) and/or other Igbo traditional attires of his choice.”

Kanu has also urged the court for “AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Respondents, their authorized agents by whatever name so called, from further disturbing or interfering with the rights of the Applicant to dignity of human person and freedom from discrimination or in any way infringing on the constitutional rights of the Applicant as guaranteed by law or from making any attempt capable of violating the Applicant’s rights as guaranteed under the Constitution.”

In the application brought pursuant to Order II Rules 1, 2, 3, & 5 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, Sections 34(1)(a), 42(1) and 46(1) – (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), Articles 5 African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Vol. 1 LFN 2004 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court, the pro-Biafra activist is also seeking the following reliefs

1) A DECLARATION OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT that the Respondents, whilst carrying out their lawful duties, are bound to adhere to and/or respect the fundamental rights of all citizens of Nigeria as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and the Africa Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.

2) A DECLARATION OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT that the Applicant, even though currently a detainee, is entitled to the enjoyment of his fundamental right to dignity of human person as guaranteed under Sections 34(1)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Articles 5 African Charter on Human and Peoples rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act CAP A9 Vol. 1 LFN 2004.

3) A DECLARATION OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT that the Applicant, even though currently a detainee, is entitled to the enjoyment of his fundamental right to freedom from discrimination as guaranteed under Sections 42(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended)

4) A DECLARATION OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT that, notwithstanding that the Applicant is detained in the Respondents‟ detention facility, the actions of the Respondents, jointly and severally, in constantly refusing and/or preventing the Applicant from having a change of clothes or subjugating the Applicant to wearing one particular cloth against his will, both while within their detention facility or on days when he is to appear before the Federal High Court or other designated place/s for his trial, constitute a subjection of the Applicant to in human and degrading treatment, thus a gross violation of the Applicant‟s right to dignity of human person as guaranteed under Sections 34(1)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Articles 5 African Charter on Human and Peoples rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act CAP A9 Vol. 1 LFN 2004.

5) A DECLARATION OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT that, notwithstanding that the Applicant is detained in the Respondents‟ detention facility, the actions of the Respondents in constantly preventing and/or commanding the Applicant to desist from wearing the traditional Igbo attire(Isi-Agu) or other attires identical to the Igbo Ethnic group of Nigeria; even when no law in Nigeria forbids the Applicant from wearing same and more so when it is a notorious fact that other inmates from other ethnic groups wear their traditional clothes, constitute a subjection of the Applicant to full-fledged discrimination by reason of his ethnic group or place of origin, thus a gross violation of the Applicant’s right to freedom from discrimination as guaranteed under Section 42(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

The application is accompanied by a 10-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Opara. No date has been fixed for hearing of the lawsuit.

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BREAKING: BUHARI REAPPOINTS CHIROMA AS LAW SCHOOL DG

President Muhammadu Buhari has reappointed Prof. Isa Chiroma SAN as the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School for another term of four years effective January 10, 2022.

CITY LAWYER gathered that news of Chiroma’s reappointment was broken to members of the Council of Legal Education (CLE) by its Chairman, Chief Emeka Ngige SAN at the council’s extraordinary quarterly virtual meeting last Tuesday.

A source at the meeting told CITY LAWYER that Ngige congratulated the renowned scholar on his reappointment, urging him to use his second tenure to consolidate on his achievements and take the Nigerian Law School to the next level of development. Members of the council then took turns to congratulate Chiroma while praying for his success.

It is recalled that Chiroma was in 2017 appointed by Buhari for an initial four-year term, replacing former Director-General, Mr. Olanrewaju Onadeko SAN following his retirement. He is a Professor of Law and was until his initial appointment the Deputy Director in-charge of the Yola Campus of the Nigerian Law School.

The respected jurist was born on 13th April, 1963 in Mubi, Mubi North Local Government of Adamawa State. He attended Mubi I Primary School from 1970-1976, Government Secondary School/Government Technical School, Mubi from 1976-1981. He holds LL.B. (Hons.) Degree, Second Class (Upper) from University of Maiduguri (1986), LL.M. (1991) and Ph.D. in Law (2005) from University of Jos.

Chiroma was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in March 1988 and joined the Faculty of Law, University of Maiduguri same year as Assistant Lecturer. He rose through the ranks to the rank of a Professor of Law in 2005. He was at various times Head of the Department of Shari’ah, Public Law, Deputy Dean, Dean of Law and Director, Consultancy Services Centre, University of Maiduguri. He was the Founder and Coordinator, Clinical Legal Education Programme as well as member of the University Senate and various standing and ad hoc committees at various times.

While in the university, he taught Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Islamic Jurisprudence, and Islamic Family Law at the undergraduate level. He also taught Human Rights, Environmental Law and Policy and Humanitarian Law at the postgraduate level. He has supervised a substantial number of Masters and PhD candidates. His research interest includes Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, Environmental Law and Policy, Access to Justice, Ethics in the teaching and practice of Law and Law and Development.

Chiroma is a member of many professional bodies including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), International Bar Association (IBA), African Law Association of Germany, Society for Corporate Governance, Global Alliance for Justice Education (GAJE), and Nigerian Institute of Mediators and Conciliators. He is a Fellow of the Institute Management Consultants and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is also a Notary Public.
Chiroma has attended several trainings and conferences including Intensive Training Course on Environmental Law and Policy organized by Centre for Environmental Management and Planning held at Aberdeen, Scotland (1997); The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Training Programme in Environmental Law and Policy held at the United Nations Environment Programme Headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya (1997); the University of IOWA WiderNet Project (Technician Training Workshop) for National Universities Commission, organized by the University of IOWA WiderNet Project, Abuja (2001); First African Clinical Law Teachers Training Workshop organized by University of Kwazulu-Natal, Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) and Open Society Institute (2004); Workshop on Management and Leadership Development for Good Governance of Nigerian Universities (2006); Third African Clinical Legal Education Teacher Training Workshop organized by University of Kwazulu-Natal and Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), held at Durban South Africa from 20th -24th November 2006.

Others are the 1st All African Clinician Round Table held in Cape Town, South Africa (2007); Conference on Human Rights organized by the Danish Institute of Human Rights in Rwanda; Commonwealth Legal Education Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, (2007); World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Regional Workshop on Intellectual Property and Technology Management for Universities, organized by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in collaboration with National Office of Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and Federal Ministry of Science and Technology of Nigeria, held at (2008); All African Course on International Humanitarian Law (IHL), organized by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Pretoria, and Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (2009); Certificate Course in Basic MS Office 2010 Application and Internet Productivity Tool organized by the African Centre for ICT Innovation and Training, American University of Nigeria (AUN), 2013 and Certificate Course in Research Paper Writing, organized by the African Centre for ICT Innovation and Training, American University of Nigeria (AUN), 2014.

He also attended a Certificate Course in IPad Basics organized by the African Centre for ICT Innovation and Training, American University of Nigeria (AUN), December 2014; Legal Writing Course (Learned Writing) organized by the Write House (Legal Writing Consultants & Trainers), 2015; Executive Certificate in Information Management (Information Project Management, Computer Application for Managers and Executives, System Dynamics, Internet and E-Commerce organized by the African Centre for ICT Innovation and Training, American University of Nigeria (AUN), 2015; Global Alliance for Justice Education (GAJE) Conferences and Trainings in India, Philippines and Turkey.

Chiroma is a member of Editorial Boards of many peer review academic journals and has served on accreditation teams of both National Universities Commission (NUC) and Council of Legal Education (CLE) to many universities. He has also served as External Examiner and Professorial Assessor to many Universities within and outside Nigeria. He has published widely; he is a co-author of Handbook on Prison Pre-Trial Detainee Law Clinic; a contributor of “Islam, Islamic Law and Human Rights in the Nigerian Context” in Islam and Human Rights, published by Peter Lang, Frankfurt, Germany, and “Making Justice Available to the Poor through Development Cooperation: A Case Study of University of Maiduguri Law Clinic,” published in Administration of Justice in Africa: Effectiveness, Acceptance and Assistance by Rudger Koppe Verlag Koln, Deutschland; Human Rights under the Military Rule in Nigeria, published in the Review of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights by the African Society of International and Comparative Law among others.

In addition to his teaching and scholarly activities, he served as a Legal Consultant to the Federal Ministry of Environment on Integrated Ecosystems Management Project in the Trans-boundary Area between Nigeria and Niger Republic (Legislation); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Environmental Law and Policy; Legal Research and Resource Development Centre (LRRDC) on Reproductive Health and Rights; National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Review of NAFDAC Laws on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Products Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2010, and Consultant to the Nigerian Law School on Legal Education Capacity Building Projects (IT Infrastructure Standards Assessment of the Campuses). He was a member of Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy from 2005-2009; Member, Council of Legal Education; Member, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), and Member, Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee for the Selection of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) from academics. He was a member of Committee for the review of Legal Education in Nigeria, Commonwealth Legal Education Representative in Nigeria, and member of Vision 20: 2020. He is currently a Member of the Governing Council, Federal Polytechnic, Mubi.

Chiroma was the founding Deputy Director-General and Head of Yola Campus of the Nigerian Law School from 2011-2016. He is happily married with children.

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VOX POPULI FOUNDATION APPOINTS LAWYER AS D-G

Vox Populi Foundation for Leadership, a non-governmental organization has appointed Prince Chukwudi Oli as its Director-General. The Foundation has also appointed Mr. Olasunkanmi Emmanuel Oluwabiyi, a young lawyer, as its Administrative Officer.

According to a statement made available to CITY LAWYER, the appointments are designed to position the foundation to attain excellence by influencing and advocating for good governance as well as contributing positively to the society. 

The full statement is below.

Vox Populi Foundation for Leadership, a non-governmental organization duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commision recently appointed Prince Chukwudi Oli, Esq as its Director-General. The Foundation is poised with attaining excellence in the society through influencing and advocating for good governance as well as contributing positively to the society. The group is comprised of legal practitioners both young and old as well as distinguished men and women with the common goal of nurturing leaders.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Foundation, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, SAN in a statement emphasized the need for the younger generation to be actively involved in the affairs of governance and administration; and also fielding them in leadership roles. He also stated that the younger generation has a lot of untapped potentials as they have innovations and ideas which if brought to the table can grow a promising future for any society.

Oli, who is the Principal Partner of Oli & Partners was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2005. Oli studied at the University of Nigeria. He has worked in the firm of Nwanko Ikneto & Co, he also once worked in the firm of J-K Gadzama LLP before setting up his law firm Oli and Partners which has branches in the Federal Capital Territory and Enugu State. Oli is a member of the International Bar Association (IBA).

Also, the Foundation recently appointed Olasunkanmi Emmanuel Oluwabiyi, Esq who is a young legal practitioner as its Administrative Officer. Olasunkanmi graduated from Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State in 2018 and was called to the Nigerian Bar the following year. While at the university, he was Governor of Acquitters Chambers. Olasunkanmi has worked in the firms of Sam Ologunorisa SAN & Co and Afe Babalola & Co where he served as a Corp member in 2020 before joining the firm of J-K Gadzama LLP.

The appointment of the DG and the Administrative Officer of the Foundation is said to take effect from 1st October 2021 which coincides with the Independence Day of Nigeria.

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