Category: Judiciary

The Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Ekaete Obot, on Friday, announced the release of 123 inmates, including an 18-year-old mentally challenged girl said to have been eating foam and other objects while in custody.

Obot granted freedom to the inmates during the second quarter of 2025 tour of the Medium Security Custodial Centres, which began on Monday and ended on Friday at the Uyo Correctional Centre.

Of the 123 released inmates, four were from the Ikot Abasi custodial centre; 17 from the Eket centre; 29 from the Ikot Ekpene centre; while 73 regained their freedom at the Uyo Custodial Centre.

A total of 62 inmates were released on health grounds, including cases of anaemia, scabies, and tuberculosis.

“I released you on health grounds, go and sin no more and shun all acts that might bring you back here again. The mentally challenged girl should be taken to the psychiatric hospital in Eket for proper examination and treatment,” the CJ said.

Worried about the spread of diseases in the centres, the CJ instructed that the dormitory where all the sick inmates were camped be properly sanitised and that no new inmates should be placed there in the meantime to prevent further spread of infections.

She observed that most of the offenders had committed minor offences and had overstayed in custody beyond the duration they would have served if convicted.

Obot expressed displeasure over the number of inmates awaiting trial, some without any charges filed against them, and noted that several had stayed longer than the maximum sentence they might have received if convicted.

One such case was that of Etieno Okon, who was 15 years old when he was detained. He had been in custody for five years without trial on a cultism charge and was released alongside his father.

She charged prosecutors to ensure that no one is denied justice and urged them to respect the fundamental rights of the accused.

The Chief Judge commended all Judges, Magistrates, court officials, and the Controller of Correctional Centre, Akwa Ibom Command, for their commitment and steadfastness throughout the three-day exercise.

She prayed that God Almighty would grant the released sick inmates speedy recovery and sustain those still in custody.

The CJ also donated the sum of ₦300,000 to the centre to assist in transporting the freed inmates back to their various destinations.

She emphasised the importance of hygiene management in custodial centres and called on correctional officers to ensure sanitary conditions are maintained to reduce the spread of communicable diseases.

Highlighting the significance of jail delivery in safeguarding justice and human rights, the CJ noted that the exercise aligns with the constitutional mandate of the judiciary to ensure no person is unjustly detained without due process.

“This exercise aligns with the constitutional mandate of the judiciary to ensure that no person is unjustly detained without due process.”

In his remarks, the Controller of Correctional Centre, Akwa Ibom Command, Mr. Frank Okonkwo, thanked the Chief Judge for her visit and the goodwill extended to the custodial centres in the state.

Okonkwo highlighted some challenges confronting the centres, including dilapidated facilities and a lack of logistics to convey inmates to court on time.

He appealed to the Chief Judge to facilitate the approval of pending requests to the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, for the provision of operational vehicles, repair of existing ones, and the supply of beddings, especially critical during the current cold season.

Nigerian constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate, Professor Mike Ozekhome, (SAN), has advocated for improved funding and incentives for the nation’s judiciary, warning that continued neglect could undermine justice delivery.

During an interview on Channels Television’s “Hard Copy” program on Saturday, Ozekhome highlighted the deplorable conditions of many Nigerian courts, describing them as “dilapidated infrastructure” where judges often have to write proceedings with longhand.

He linked the judiciary’s struggles to the wider societal challenges, asserting that “garbage in, garbage out” applies to the justice system.

“We saw the visuals of some of the courts I wouldn’t sit there, but is the place where we are calling a hall of justice and these places are dilapidated infrastructure.

“The judiciary has been ignored for too long,” Ozekhome stated.

He emphasised that judges, being human beings, live in the same society where corruption is pervasive. To insulate them from such pressures, he argued, they must be “treated respectfully” and “well funded.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria acknowledged recent efforts by the current government to improve judicial remuneration, noting a new law from last year that saw Supreme Court justices’ salaries increase to approximately N54m per annum, or about N5.3m monthly.

While acknowledging that this might not fully offset the impact of inflation, he deemed it a “leap forward.”

However, Ozekhome stressed that more needs to be done.

He quoted an old adage saying, “A corrupt judge is more dangerous than a man armed with a dagger,” explaining that while a man with a dagger can be physically restrained, a corrupt judge “destroys the moral fiber of the society.”

He underlined the critical role of the judiciary in delivering justice between individuals and between citizens and the government, reiterating the necessity for judges to be sufficiently cared for to resist corruption and uphold the integrity of the justice system.

Ozekhome’s comments came in the wake of the recent suspension of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria strike, which had been prompted by demands for better wages and improved working conditions.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the tax reform bills transmitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu in October 2024.

The bills were passed at a session presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.

The development followed the adoption of the harmonised versions of the reform bills by both the House and the Senate.

At plenary on Wednesday, the House of Representatives considered the report of the conference committee, which harmonised the bills.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Abiodun Faleke (APC, Lagos), who headed the House team to the conference committee, presented the conference report to the House for consideration.

According to him, the Conference Committee met and agreed on all areas of difference in the version passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.

He stated that there were 45 areas of difference in the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, 12 areas of difference in the Nigeria Revenue Service Bill, 9 areas of difference in the Joint Revenue Board Bill and 46 areas of difference in the Nigeria Tax Bill, adding that all grey areas were resolved ahead of the passage.

While the conference committee agreed to retain the Senate version in some of the clauses, they also retained the House version in some others, making amendments in a few others.

The conference committee agreed to the imposition of a 4 per cent development levy on the assessable profit of all companies chargeable to tax under Chapters 2 and 3, except small companies and non-resident companies.

They also agreed that the levy shall be collected by the Nigeria Revenue Service and paid into a special account created for the same purpose.

In the sharing formula, the committee agreed that 50 per cent of the tax would go to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, 15 per cent to the Education Loan Fund (up from 3 per cent agreed by the House), and 8 per cent to the Nigeria Information Technology Development Fund.

Similarly, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure is to get 8 per cent (down from 10 per cent earlier agreed by both chambers), the National Board for Technology Incubation is to get 4 per cent from the fund, defence and security infrastructure is to get 10 per cent while cyber security fund will get 5 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Social Security Fund, Nigeria Police Trust Fund, and National Sports Development Fund were excluded from the list of beneficiaries passed by the House of Representatives.

The committee also adopted a new clause 158, which imposes a 5 per cent surcharge on chargeable fossil fuel products provided or produced in Nigeria and shall be collected at the time a chargeable transaction occurs.

The controversial Value Added Tax sharing formula was not part of the areas of disagreement between the two legislative chambers.

In his remarks, Kalu said the parliament has played its part in ensuring that the country moves forward, even as he urged the executive arm of government to do its part.

In his contribution, a member of the House representing Gwoza/Damboa/Chibok Federal Constituency, Borno State, Ahmed Jaha warned those who will clean up the bill not to tamper with any of the clauses passed, saying “Where the T is not crossed, don’t cross it, where the I is not dotted, don’t do it. We have the original copies of the bills as passed before and after harmonisation.

“We have had cases in the past where those in charge of cleaning up the bills tamper with it and at the end of the day, the President will withhold assent. That must not happen.”

That said, the All Progressives Congress lawmaker singled out Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu for praise, saying, “I want to thank your leadership for the role you played in making these bills a success. I also want to thank the Chairman of the Committee, Abiodun Faleke. He showed that he is truly a good elder. He provided a lot of training for some of us, and I want to say that this is the way to go.”