Reverend Father Gerald Ohaeri, a Catholic priest from the Nsukka Catholic Diocese, has been released after being abducted along the Ugwuogo Nike-Opi Nsukka expressway in Enugu State, DAILY GAZETTE learned.

Father Ohaeri, who serves at the Isienu Nsukka Parish, was kidnapped on Saturday while returning from an event in Enugu.

His abduction drew attention to the rising insecurity along this route, which has become notorious for criminal activities.

Despite the presence of numerous police and military checkpoints on the road, which spans less than 10 kilometers, the Enugu-Abakpa-Ugwuogo-Nke-Opi-Nsukka road continues to be a hotspot for kidnappings and other crimes.

More details soon….

Corruption within Nigeria’s judiciary, involving both the Bar and the Bench, took center stage at the 2024 Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Enugu branch, held on Tuesday.

Although the theme of the conference was “Good Governance and Socio-Economic Stability: The Imperative of the Rule of Law in Nigeria,” the discussion quickly turned to allegations of corruption among lawyers and judges.

This shift in focus prompted noticeable discomfort among the judicial officers and senior lawyers present at the event, which was held at the Justice Innocent Umezulike Auditorium in the Enugu State High Court Complex.

Attendees included prominent figures such as the Chief Judges of Enugu and Ebonyi States, Justices A.R. Ozoemena and Elvis Anagu Ngene, along with other judges of the Enugu State High Court. Senior legal professionals, including Mrs. Justina Offia (SAN), Prof. Joy Ezeilo (SAN), the state Attorney General, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, and NBA Enugu chairman Chief Venatus Odo, were also in attendance.

The keynote lecture was delivered by Justice Peter Obiorah of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, who spoke on “Law Practice: The Lawyer in the Center of Judicial Corruption – The Urgent Need for Practice Reforms.”

In his address, Justice Obiorah emphasized that lawyers must uphold the highest ethical standards, free from deceit, fraud, and dishonesty, both in their professional duties and personal conduct.

The Judge acknowledged that while many corruption allegations against judicial officers are baseless, there are undeniable instances or perceptions of corruption within the system.

He highlighted that in many cases, lawyers, particularly senior lawyers, are often implicated as intermediaries in corrupt practices, with litigants attempting to bribe judges or magistrates through their counsel.

Justice Obiorah called on the NBA and other judicial stakeholders to introduce and enforce stricter ethical guidelines for lawyers, urging the National Judicial Council (NJC) to address judicial misconduct more seriously.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs. Justina Offia, also contributed to the discussion, providing examples of unethical practices among lawyers.

She highlighted how some lawyers, aware that they have weak cases, resort to unethical tactics like falsely accusing judges of bias or conflicts of interest to disqualify them from hearing the case.

NBA Enugu Chairman, Chief Venatus Odo, remarked that the law week presented an opportunity for lawyers to reflect on their professional conduct and the state of their society.

He stressed that the theme of the conference underscored the dangers of poor regulation in legal practice and questioned whether current governance has fulfilled its fundamental responsibility to ensure the security and welfare of the people.

Prof. Joy Ezeilo (SAN), the chairperson of the Law Week, emphasized that access to justice is crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fostering inclusive growth.

However, she pointed out that many Nigerians remain marginalized and without legal protection, primarily due to poverty and other forms of social exclusion.

Dele Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, has skyrocketed to bestseller status on Amazon, following the author’s recent arrest tied to a defamation complaint filed by Nigerian lawyer and businessman Afe Babalola.

According to a report by Vanguard, the book surged to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list on Thursday evening.

A bestseller is defined as a book or product that sells in exceptionally high volumes.

The surge in popularity on global platforms like Amazon was mirrored by a rush to bookstores across Nigeria, as citizens clamored to explore the controversial content within Farotimi’s book.

The author’s arrest on Tuesday, reportedly influenced by Babalola’s petition, significantly heightened public interest.

Babalola, 93, claims that Farotimi’s book falsely accuses him of corrupting Nigeria’s judiciary.

The book, published in July 2024, critiques widespread corruption in Nigeria’s legal system and highlights alleged unethical actions by legal professionals.

Although initial sales of the book were relatively low, the attention surrounding Farotimi’s arrest sparked a dramatic rise in its popularity, propelling it to bestseller status.

Farotimi was detained by armed police officers in Lagos on Tuesday and subsequently transported to Ado Ekiti, about 300 kilometers northeast of Lagos, where Babalola holds significant influence.

The following day, Farotimi was arraigned in Ekiti, and a judge ordered his remand until a bail hearing set for December 10.

Prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria and founder of Afe Babalola University, Aare Afe Babalola, has finally spoken out regarding the arrest of human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi.

Babalola accuses Farotimi of defaming him in a recently released book.

The controversy originates from a Supreme Court ruling in a long-standing land dispute.

In a formal petition submitted to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, Babalola outlined the circumstances surrounding Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, which he claims contains defamatory statements about him.

According to Babalola, the book questions his personal integrity and accuses his law firm of engaging in unethical practices, including undermining the judiciary.

Furthermore, the book alleges that Babalola had “corrupted the Supreme Court from ages past and had led it to commit the most egregious acts of evil and wanting injustice.”

The petition, dated November 19, reads:
“I write to report the criminal defamation of myself, my law firm Afe Babalola & Co and my lawyers in person of Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro by one Dele Farotimi in his book titled ‘NIGERIA AND ITS CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM’ published by Dele Farotimi publishers in respect of Suit no: SC/146/2005: Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors V. H.R.H Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.”

Babalola explained that on November 2, 2024, one of his lawyers, while passing through Murtala Muhammed Airport, bought Farotimi’s book.

After reading it, the lawyer immediately brought the matter to his attention.

Other lawyers in his firm also purchased the book and confirmed the defamatory nature of its contents.

The petition further details the defamatory statements as follows:
“That Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the Supreme Court to procure a fraudulent judgement in the service of his client.”
“That Aare Afe Babalola, Olu Daramola, Olu Faro and the law offices of Afe Babalola & Co, (Emmanuel Chambers) compromised the Supreme Court and the remaining semblance of integrity it might have had when they went back to the Supreme Court and got the Court to swim in the sewer of corruption and shameful self-Abnegation.”