‘HOW I WAS BULLIED BY ICPC OVER CLIENT’S PETITION AGAINST NCC,’ BY LAWYER

A Lagos based lawyer, Mr. James Ononiwu of Whitedove Solicitors has told CITY LAWYER how he was “bullied” by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

An SOS which trended on social media earlier today read: “James Obianuju Ononiwu, Principal partner of Whitedove Solicitors, arrested on the strength of a Complaint by the PA to the DG of NCC over a Petition he wrote for his client COSON.”

Narrating his ordeal to CITY LAWYER, Ononiwu said that “It was tough today with them but they eventually let me go but insisted I go to their headquarters in Abuja.”

He confirmed that his arrest was in connection with a petition he wrote on behalf of his client, the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), adding: “They tried to bully me but I resisted and I also tried to bully them.

“They said I wrote a petition against someone that they investigated and found to be false. I told them I wrote the petition on behalf of my clients and that there was no reason to arrest me, that they should arrest the client if they found out that the information was false. But they refused.

“They didn’t read my rights to me; the next thing they said was that they will not let me go until I meet one stringent bail condition. I then asked them if I was under arrest; they said ‘Yes.’

“I further asked them to show me the petition I wrote that brought me to ICPC but they didn’t have it. They now said I had to be taken to Abuja to answer questions. I refused to write any statement or anything.”

On how he was let off the hook, the lawyer said: “They asked me to go but should report at the headquarters on another day they would send to me.”

Though the commission could not be reached for comment at press time, the incident may be viewed as a dent on the commission, especially since the advent of its Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye SAN who has brought many reforms to the anti-graft agency.

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NIN REGISTRATION: UBANI FLOORS FG, DEADLINE NOW APRIL 6

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the extension of the deadline for enrolment for the National Identity Number by two months with effect from Tuesday, March 23, 2021.

Justice Maureen Onyetenu granted the extension while delivering a ruling in a suit (MONDAY ONYEKACHI UBANI V. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA & ORS) filed by leading human rights lawyer, Mr. Monday Ubani against the Federal Government, Attorney General of the Federation, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy.

Ubani instituted the fundamental rights enforcement suit seeking enforcement of his fundamental rights as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He contended that the initial two weeks ultimatum (now extended to 6th day of April, 2021) given to telecommunication operators to block SIM Cards of Nigerians who have not registered their SIM Card with NIN if allowed, will infringe on his constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression, right to own moveable property and right to life. He therefore prayed the Court for an Order extending the deadline.

In her ruling, Justice Onyetenu granted all the reliefs sought by Ubani and made the following declarations and orders:

1. A DECLARATION that the ultimatum given to telecommunications operators by the 1st, 3rd and 4th Respondents to block all Subscriber Identification Modules (SIM) cards that are not registered with National Identity Number (NIN), is grossly inadequate and will not only work severe hardship, but will likely infringe on the fundamental rights of the Applicant (and millions of other Nigerians) to freedom of expression as guaranteed by section 39(1)(2) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as violate section 44(1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which prohibits the compulsory acquisition of right or interest over moveable property.

2. A DECLARATION that in view of the covid-19 pandemic and the rising cases in Nigeria presently, the deadline given by the 1st, 3rd and 4th Respondents to the Applicant and over 200 million Nigerians to register their SIM Cards with NIN, will lead to a rush, thereby resulting to clustering of the Applicant and other Nigerian citizens in a NIN registration centre, subjecting him to the possibility of easily contracting the covid-19 virus, and such will amount to a violation of his fundamental right to life as protected by section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

3. AN ORDER halting the said ultimatum given by the 1st, 3rd and 4th Respondents to telecommunication operators to block all SIM Cards that are not registered with the National Identity Numbers (NIN).

4. AN ORDER directing the 1st, 3rd and 4th Respondents to extend the deadline for the registration of SIM Cards with NIN for a further two months with effect from the 23rd day of March, 2021.

Copyright 2020 CITY LAWYER. Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Join us on Facebook at https://web.facebook.com/City-Lawyer-Magazine-434937936684320 and on TWITTER at https://twitter.com/CityLawyerMag. To ADVERTISE in CITY LAWYER, please email citylawyermag@gmail.com or call 08138380083. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

Restore COSON’s Licence Now, MPAN Urges NCC

The Music Publishers Association of Nigeria (MPAN) has urged the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to restore the suspended licence of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON). Continue Reading