The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen, has said that the appellate court has 39,526 pending cases. Justice Dongben-Mensen made this known during a ceremony to usher in the 2023/2024 new legal year. She said the appeal court received a total of 7,295 appeals and 3,665 motions in the 2022/2023 legal year.   “During the 2022/2023 legal year, a total of 7,295 appeals and 3,665 motions were filed in the 20 Divisions of the Court. ” The court determined 3,765 cases and disposed of 5,617 motions. 1,030 of these appeals were dismissed and 10,381 were allowed. “The court still has a total of 39,526 Appeals pending as at 31st of August, 2023. This is an increase from 34,037 pending in the Court in the 2021/2022 Legal Year” she said. She said that a total of 98 panels were constituted to hear election petitions across the country to handle a total of 1,209 petitions that were filed. Among the petitions, she said, five were filed at the presidential election petition court and have been concluded, while some of 147 filed at the Senatorial election tribunal have been delivered and 417 petitions from the House of Representatives election are also being attended to. She also said at a total of 557 petitions associated with the State houses of Assembly, and 83 Gubernatorial Elections petitions are being disposed of, added that twenty-eight States participated in the Governorship elections, and petitions were filed in 24 states. According to her, the Abuja division is currently overwhelmed by voluminous documents and suffers from a lack of adequate storage facilities and office space. She therefore appealed to the Minister of the FCT to provide a large piece of land for the construction of the Abuja Division. Speaking at the event, a former Minister of Justice, Mr Kanu Agabi, SAN, said that Nigeria’s continued survival greatly depends on the transparency of judicial officers in the discharge of their judicial functions. Agabi therefore, pleaded with Judges and Justices not to lose confidence and principles in themselves no matter the challenges. He spoke on behalf of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) on the occasion of the 2023/2024 legal year of the Court of Appeal . He added that the contributions of judicial officers in the past years which he said,have kept the country intact and from chaos and anarchy. According to him, inspite of the contributions and sacrifices of judicial officers to the survival of the country, they are still been unwarrantedly attacked and criticised” he said. He warned that the country would be doomed unless the unjust attacks against judicial officers are stopped. “It is only here that judicial officers work harder than slaves and yet, they are not appreciated. But the consolation is that the Judges in Nigeria are match to the devil they are contending with. “Whether we like it or not, we have to be proud of our Justices. They are brilliant and bold and some of them appointed as Justices in other countries. “A mistake by one Justice should be not be generalised to warrant general condemnation from any quarter. They surpass Judges from other countries. They deserve commendation for resisting the evils. “Majority of judicial officers are standing in the face of challenges and unless we are careful with the way we attack Judges, we will loose our minds and conscience”, he said. He said, those who criticise judicial officers are at liberty to do so, but they have to be cautious in the way they go about it adding that, while criticising the judiciary, they must not abuse it. Agabi spoke against granting of outlandish bail conditions to suspected criminals. He noted that the law presumes them innocent until guilt is established adding that, granting of outlandish bail that will keep them in custody is unconstitutional According to him, “We need not to slam bail conditions that are unattainable as the principles which govern bail conditions are the same as fine governed by the constitution”. He challenged the current AGF to use his office to improve the welfare and work conditions of judicial officers. In his speech, the Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, said that President Bola Tinubu’s administration will address the issue of shortage of Justices at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

  North Korea will allow foreign nationals to enter the country from Monday, Chinese state media reported, after over three years of Covid-induced isolation. North Korea has been largely closed off from the outside world since early 2020, when it shut its borders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with even its own nationals prevented from entering. But it is this month showing signs of re-opening, with leader Kim Jong Un travelling to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin and sending athletes to compete in the Asian Games in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou.   Citing a reporter, Beijing’s state broadcaster CCTV said Monday that North Korea had announced it would allow foreigners to enter its territory. They will be subject to a two-day quarantine upon arrival, the report added. It did not give further information about the source of the announcement. North Korean state media did not carry any news of a border reopening. One Chinese operator of tours to North Korea, Dandong Strait National Tours, told followers on social media site WeChat: “At the moment tours haven’t resumed. Wait patiently.”

  Russia said Monday it had placed Piotr Hofmanski, the president of the International Criminal Court, which is seeking the arrest of President Vladimir Putin, on its wanted list. “Hofmanski Piotr Jozef, Polish. Wanted under an article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation,” said a notice in the Russian interior ministry database. The ministry did not provide details of the allegations against Hofmanski. In March the Hague-based court announced an arrest warrant for Putin on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children. The ICC also issued a warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, on similar charges. Russia has earlier issued arrest warrants for ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and several judges. Russia, which is not a member of the ICC, insists the warrant against Putin is “void”. In September, the ICC opened a field office in Ukraine, as part of efforts to hold Russian forces accountable for Moscow’s offensive in the Western-backed country.

  The suspended Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, UNICAL, Prof. Cyril Ndifon yesterday raised the alarm over alleged threat to life. Speaking with newsmen after Church Service yesterday at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Akim Barracks in Calabar, Prof Ndifon said some unidentified “security personnel” came looking for him in the church in a bid to arrest him. The embattled professor of Law accused those behind his ordeal to be responsible for sending the men who disguised as security officials who came to “arrest” him during church service in Calabar. Ndifon who explained that he was in Church at about 8: 18 a.m. doing his duty as a church warden when some men who claimed to be security officers came to arrest him but disappeared into thin air before the Rev. Father and some parishioners could question them. His words:” Today, I went to church by 8:15 am, where I serve as a churchwarden and while in church much later towards the end, we got wind that some individuals had come into the church and went to see the catechist and informed him that they came to arrest somebody, “From what I understand, the catechist asked for identification, they didn’t have any, he asked for arrest warrant they didn’t have any then the catechist asked them to wait for him to go inform the Reverend Father but before he could get the Priest they all vanished. “Here is my concern, if you are a legal security agent why don’t you have any form of identification especially in this era where you have cases of kidnapping in calabar? “This could be explained at this background in the fact that I know last week Thursday or thereabout somebody sent a video to me, showing my office was sealed by the management of the University of Calabar so to me there is more to this that meets the eyes. ‘I think this is huge security concern and I thought it wise that this is time to shout and talk about the threat to my life because that is what it looks like. If they are investigating, it should be done without threatening me. I haven’t threatened anybody and I don’t think threat should be issued to me. The Suspended Dean who gave reasons for his refusal to attend to panel set up by the University explained that the panel was unknown to his status as a lecturer in the University. “That panel is unknown to my status as a lecturer in the university of calabar, I am a professor of law and I think the right thing should be done , I’m not scared of appearing in any panel “I have gone to court, I have given my reasons, I have challenged the status of the panel, why should I appear before a panel , it is a bit laughable” “They have already joined issues with me in court so let’s go to court and address it, but they haven’t invited me that is what I can say for sure,” he explained. Speaking further, he appealed to government both state abd Federal including well-meaning Nigerians to wade into the issue as it concerns threat to his life

  Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State has revealed that he inherited empty treasury from his predecessor, Darius Ishaku. Kefas stated this on Monday while declaring open a five-day workshop on professional development for secretaries in ministry, departments and agencies (MDAs) in Jalingo, the state capital. Kefas, who was represented by the state head of civil service, Mrs. Suzie Nathan, said despite the challenge, his administration had been paying workers their monthly salaries as at when due. “l inherited an empty treasury from my predecessor Darius Ishaku, l met nothing in the treasury for my administration to start governance of the state.” Despite the challenging financial situation I met on ground, I made sure that employees are paid their salaries as when due, We also prioritize o payment of pension, and we have also enrolled retiree who were not receiving their pension,” the governor said. Kefas announced that the state government would soon conduct a thorough biometric data capture to know the actual work force of the state civil service. He assured that talented young men and women would soon be employed in a transparent manner. while all workers due for promotion would be promoted to their next grade levels.

  Army headquarters on Monday dismissed reports of corruption and diversion of troops’ Ration Cash Allowance (RCA), allegedly made by troops providing security for Chinese nationals working on the Zungeru Hydroelectricity Dam project in Niger. Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, stated in Abuja that the allegation was published in some online platforms. He stated that the publication claimed that the troops alleged that their erstwhile General Officers Commanding, Maj.-Gen. Bamidele Alabi and Brig.-Gen. Jamiu Jimoh did not pay their RCAs for three months. “Contrary to insinuations made in the online report, troops deployed at the Chinese company in Niger have always been paid in tranches upon receipt of funds from the relevant institution. “The last tranche payment of RCA to the troops by the affected institution elapsed on Feb. 28. “The next tranche of payment is being processed. “Army Headquarters has paid the troops for March to June to ameliorate their operating conditions and to keep them at par with deployments elsewhere. “Additionally, to cushion the effect of the tranche mode of payment, provision was made to feed the troops daily and this has been a routine. “The troops’ RCA was, therefore, not diverted by any of the senior officers named in the publication or by anyone else, as wrongly portrayed,’’ Nwachukwu stated. He added that while the Nigerian Army understood concerns raised in the allegations, the army under Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja had remained committed to troops’ welfare. “Welfare of troops takes a premium place amongst other important schemes and considerations as it is one of the pillars of Lagbaja’s Command Philosophy, which is to provide `sound administration’ of personnel. “The Nigerian Army, therefore, has zero tolerance for any form of financial misappropriation and is strongly averse to any action inimical to the morale of troops,’’ Nwachukwu stressed. He added that the Nigerian army had remained committed to upholding integrity, transparency and accountability in the administration of the welfare of troops in all its operations and in other endeavours. This, according to him, is as contained in the Command Philosophy of the Chief of Army Staff. The philosophy is: “to transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving our Constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment.’’ Nwachukwu stressed also that the Nigerian army does not only recognise the importance of welfare and well-being of its personnel, it also appreciates the positive impact of morale on their wellbeing.

  Operatives of the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters,(NAPTIP) Ekiti State chapter, on Monday paraded a middle- aged man, Ojo Abefe over alleged child trafficking. The suspect, a native of Ada in Osun State, was alleged to have trafficked two ladies, a minor and a graduate of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, to Mali for prostitution.   Parading the suspect, the Ekiti State Head of Operations of NAPTIP, Mr Samson Oladimeji, said that the suspect was handed over to the agency by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Ekiti State. Samson lamented that the act of human trafficking has become rampant in the State which must be curtailed by all means. He disclosed that about eighteen suspects have been arrested between January and September, while 23 victims were rescued from Libia, Mall, Togo as well as Bokinafaso. He said the suspect who is currently undergoing investigations at the office of the agency in Ado-Ekiti, would be arraigned in court as soon as investigation is completed on the matter. Narrating her ordeal, one of the rescued victims, Oluwatosin Apata said she was sold to an agent by Abefe who attempted to lure her into prostitution, stating that she spent 4-month in Mali, before she was rescued out of the country and later returned to Nigeria.