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Rivers Crisis: Judicial Panel Faults Supreme Court Judgement

Published

6 months ago

March 14, 2025

An 11-man Independent Judicial Accountability Panel, whose membership included three retired justices, on Friday, March 14, 2025, faulted the Supreme Court over its judgement on the protracted political crisis in Rivers State.

The panel, headed by retired Justice Mojeed Owoade of the Court of Appeal, said in a statement following its inaugural meeting in Abuja that it was worried that the apex court’s judgement on appeals emanating from legal disputes in Rivers state descended into live issues.

According to the panel, which said it carried out an exhaustive analysis of some recent cases of public interest, “the judgement of the Supreme Court in the consolidated appeals leaves a gap as to whether the issue of the alleged defection of 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly is still alive or has been settled.

“This is because the court made comments on the issue of defection without actually addressing it.”

Highlighting that though the apex court had nothing before it, as at the time of the judgement, to establish that the 27 lawmakers were no longer bonafide members of the Rivers Assembly, the panel maintained that the apex court should not have commented on the issue at all since there were pending litigations on the matter.

However, it ruled out the possibility of any of the parties filing an application for judicial review of the judgement, saying, “As far as the case is concerned, the Supreme Court has become functus-officio in the matter.”

“Complex and lengthy judgements of courts defy easy comprehension and therefore undermine public trust,” the Justice Owoade-led panel noted, even as it urged judicial officers “to be mindful of their oath of office at all times.”

As part of its recommendations, the panel held that “politicians should generally avoid undue influence on the judiciary and be more accommodating of each other in the interest of their people.”

It also urged the government at all levels to obey court orders and respect the fundamental rights of citizens in a democracy, decrying that over nine months after the ECOWAS Court awarded damages to victims of the October 2020 End SARS protest, the Federal Government had yet to comply with the judgment.

“IJAP recommends that the Federal Government of Nigeria obey orders not only of our domestic courts but also those of International Courts, in line with its obligations under various treaties. The panel recognises that concerted citizen action will be necessary for achieving this.

“Citizens should show more interest and get involved in activities that hold the judiciary and other government agencies accountable.

“The media should be more courageous, factual and non-partisan in investigating and reporting the role of the judiciary in our democracy,” the panel added.

Other members of the panel are two retired Justices of the Court of Appeal, Justices Chinwe Iyizoba and Oloduton Adefope-Okojie, as well as Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu, Prof. Jummai Audi, Mr. Mac Imoni Amarere, Barr. Sechap A. Tsokwa, Andrew Mamedu, Judith Gbagidi, Barr. Funmi Olukeye and Celestine Okwudil.

The panel is a fallout of an expanded project that the ActionAid Nigeria and Citizens’ Led Engagement on Judicial Accountability in Post-Election Justice Delivery in Nigeria (CLEAP-Justice) has been implementing since July 2023.

The Country Director of ActionAid, Andrew Mamedu, said the project had evolved into one that supports citizens’ actions towards judicial accountability, which is not limited to electoral matters.

Related Topics:Fubara Rivers Supreme Court

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JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

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September 21, 2025

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The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

6 hours ago

September 21, 2025

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The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.