legal diary News

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference 2026 is set to bring together lawyers, judicial officers, public institutions, academics, business leaders and other stakeholders in the legal profession in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from 21 to 28 August 2026 . With the theme “Beyond Limits,” the eight-day conference is designed to provide a platform for meaningful professional discourse, institutional engagement, community development, networking and reflection on the future of the Nigerian legal profession. The conference will be held at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt , with a wide range of activities scheduled across the week. A Week of Professional and Social Engagement The conference will commence on Friday, 21 August , with the Jumaat Service at the Rivers State Muslim Central Mosque, 208 Niger Street, Port Harcourt. On Saturday, 22 August , delegates will participate in a Health Walk , followed by Tree Planting and Community Clean-Up , r...

As the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference (NBA AGC) 2026, themed “Beyond Limits,” approaches, the spotlight is on Hon. Justice Daketima Gabriel Kio, Ph.D , a distinguished Judge of the High Court of Justice, Rivers State, and one of the notable speakers at this year’s conference. Born on 7 December 1974 , Justice Kio has built an impressive career spanning judicial service, legal practice and academia. He obtained his LL.B degree with Second Class Honours, Upper Division , from Rivers State University in 2003 and was called to the Nigerian Bar on 12 October 2004 . He proceeded to obtain an LL.M from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in 2008 , and earned a Ph.D in Public Law, with a bias in Comparative Criminal Law, from the University of Nigeria in 2019 . His academic background reflects a strong commitment to scholarship, particularly in the fields of Criminal Law, Public Law and legal theory. Before his appointment to the High Court of Rivers State ...

Sir Oluwatosin Babatunde Olufon, Esq is an International Trade and Business Lawyer, Senior Diplomatic Consultant, Commercial Strategist and Legal Practitioner.  He is the Head of Legal Practice at OBA OLUFON & CO., Abuja, and serves as Director of Notarial Services for the Legal Office serving the Embassy of France in Nigeria. His practice spans civil and commercial litigation, corporate restructuring, international business transactions, intellectual property, employment and industrial law, regulatory compliance, contract enforcement and business recovery. He has advised and represented blue-chip corporations, financial institutions, multinational enterprises, diplomatic missions, sovereign interests, private investors, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals. His experience covers commercial transactions, corporate financing, mergers and acquisitions, international trade, banking and financial transactions, regulatory compliance, debt recovery, judgment enfor...

As the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference (NBA AGC) 2026, themed “Beyond Limits,” approaches, attention is drawn to one of the distinguished speakers at this year’s conference, Prof. Paul Obo Idornigie, SAN, PhD, FCIS, FCIArb (UK), FNIALS, CIArb, Notary Public for Nigeria . Prof. Idornigie is a distinguished Professor of Commercial Law at Veritas University, Abuja , with an impressive career spanning legal practice, academia, public service and alternative dispute resolution. He previously served as General Counsel at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Abuja , and has held several academic positions, including Lecturer at the University of Jos, Senior Lecturer at the Nigerian Law School, Abuja, and Professor of Commercial Law at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Abuja. His wealth of experience extends to university governance, having served as a member of the Governing Council of Veritas University, Abuja and Edo State Univ...

As the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference 2026, themed “Beyond Limits,” draws closer, attention is drawn to one of the distinguished speakers set to enrich the conference with his wealth of knowledge and experience — Dr. Emmanuel Oluwafemi Olowononi (PhD, LL.M, BL). Called to the Nigerian Bar in 2006 with Second Class Upper Division, Dr. Olowononi has distinguished himself as a legal practitioner, academic, author and specialist in Sports Law, Intellectual Property, Entertainment Law, Commercial Transactions and Legal Education. In 2016, he was appointed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria as a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria . He currently serves as Head of Corporate Law Practice at the Nigerian Law School, Abuja Headquarters , and has previously served as Deputy Director, Team Lead of the Commercial Transactions Law Course and Coordinator of the Bar Part One Programme. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Olowononi is the founder of the Institute of Ca...

Sometimes in early July, 2026, a client, Mr. Jubril Muhammad Zayyan engaged my services with respect to his Bank accounts at Opay and First Bank which he discovered was restricted as he could not effect any withdrawal nor carry out e-channels services.  Upon perfecting the brief by paying my legal fees, I promptly wrote letter dated 13th July, 2026 to Opay requesting them to furnish our Law Firm with a copy of the Court Order (if any) which empowered them to place restrictions on our client's account. By the same letter, we also drew their attention to recent judgements of the Federal High Court to the effect that lower courts (Magistrates, Area and Customary Courts) have no jurisdiction to grant orders freezing or placing restrictions on Bank accounts. A copy of my letter is herewith attached. No response was received from any of the Banks, thus prompting me to visit Opay office in Jabi, Abuja personally with the acknowledged copy of our letter and requesting for a fol...

NBA NYANYA-KARU BRANCH CONDEMNS HARASSMENT AND ARREST OF BRANCH TREASURER, MONDAY ISAH ADAH, ESQ., IN THE COURSE OF PROFESSIONAL DUTY The Nigerian Bar Association, Nyanya-Karu Branch, Abuja, unequivocally condemns the harassment, intimidation and arrest of the Branch Treasurer, Monday Isah Adah, Esq ., by officers of the Nigerian Police Force attached to the Police State Headquarters, Lafia, Nasarawa State, while he was carrying out his professional duties at Magistrate Court No. 3, Lafia. The Branch is reliably informed that Mr. Adah was performing his professional duty as counsel when he questioned the authority of police officers who sought to re-arrest his client within the court premises. Rather than address the issue through lawful and appropriate means, the officers allegedly subjected the lawyer to harassment and subsequently arrested him.                Monday Isah Adah, Esq .,          ...