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Eastern Lawyers Laud Justice Ekwo Over Ruling on Mba, Advise Attorneys Against Steps Capable of Denting the Legal Profession

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A non-governmental organisation (NGO) comprising only attorneys from Enugu State, Oriental Lawyers for Justice, has lauded Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court for refusing today to grant a request by one of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANS) working for Peter Mbah, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 general election, to stop the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from testifying in any forum on the integrity of the NYSC discharge certificate paraded by Mbah.

The Enugu State Governorship and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal is resuming sittings on Thursday, July 7, and the NYSC is scheduled to testify on NYSC discharge certificate A808297 which Mbah, whom the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) controversially declared the winner of the March 18 gubernatorial election, claims to have been issued by the NYSC on January 6, 2003.

“The whole nation is delighted that not only did Justice Ekwo bluntly refuse to grant the request for an interlocutory injunction by Mbah’s attorney, Emeka Ozoani (SAN), but did not allow him to finish the request before he (the learned judge) cut in and stopped Ozoani in his inelegant tracks, thus showing a high level of displeasure with the conduct of the learned Silk”, the Oriental Lawyers for Justice stated in a statement in Enugu this afternoon signed by its chairman, John Bosco Aninwede, and the publicity secretary, Mrs. Ifeoma Ejike.

The CSO said that with this ruling, Justice Ekwo has begun the process of repositioning himself in the public imagination after the controversial order on May 15 acceding to the request by the same lawyer for an interlocutory injunction prohibiting the NYSC from commenting on the genuiness or otherwise of the NYSC certificate even before the courts.

Top NYSC officials, including the Director General, the Director of Certification, and the Assistant Director of Certification had on various occasions between February and June declared Mbah’s discharge certificate presented to INEC as fake.

The lawyers faulted Justice Ekwo for even granting on May 15 the original request for the same order which led to a strong petition against him before the National Judicial Council (NJC).

“It is good that the honorable judge, who has another petition against him before the NJC written by Seplat Energy plc, has begun to take steps to show that he is different from controversial judges who frequently leave the Bench in unpleasant circumstances”, remarked the Eastern lawyers.

The CSO advised lawyers, especially seniors, against making controversial requests or even handling certain cases, however attractive the pay may be.

Lawyers, they noted, are “first and foremost ministers in the Temple of Justice, and an acute consciousness of this fact should guide their conduct always, in and out of court.

“It is infra dig for a lawyer, let alone a learned Silk, to ask the judiciary to gag the very institution which gives out certificates from testifying on the authenticity of a certificate it purportedly issued.

“Acts like this tend to diminish the status of the legal profession in the opinion of reasonable members of society”.

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VIDEO: Tears As Students’s Hostel Collapses

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A building collapse occurred at Pentagon Lodge near the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State on Friday.

Students witnessed the incident, with one student captured on video expressing concern over the lodge’s collapse, saying, “See my lodge is falling, all my properties are inside.

”A video clip of the incident, seen by Naija News House , showed the moment the three-storey building collapsed.

As of the time of filing this report, it was not clear whether there were causalities as details of the collapse are still emerging.

A student, also said that students in that particular lodge had earlier noticed the cracks on the walls and some had already moved out of the facility before the collapse.

“Only properties inside the building are likely those of students that traveled out of the town,” the source said.

Recently there were reports of building collapses in Ebonyi State, including a three-storey building under construction near the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital.

In the construction building collapse, two persons were trapped and later rescued, with one labourer escaping due to stepping out to wash his hands before the collapse.

Sequel to the building collapses, the Ebonyi State government had established a special investigative committee to determine the causes of such incidents and prevent future occurrences.

The committee’s findings and recommendations aim to improve building standards and enforcement in the state.

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FG denies 12 Years Minimum Entry Age Into JSS1

Boriowo urged the public and education stakeholders to disregard any contrary claims.

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The Federal Government has debunked a report claiming that the minimum age for admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1) has been raised to 12 years.

The Ministry of Education Director of Press, Folasade Boriowo, made this known via a statement issued on Friday, July 25, 2025.

Boriowo said the report was inaccurate, noting that it did not come from any official source and did not reflect government policy.Boriowo stated: “For the avoidance of doubt, the minimum age for admission into JSS1 remains 10 years.

“No child should complete primary education below the age of 10.”

Boriowo urged the public and education stakeholders to disregard any contrary claims.

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NGE Mandates Media Organizations to set up fact-check desks in the newsroom to Fight Fake News

During the workshop, the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Gautier Mignot and the NGE President, Mr. Eze Anaba, said that newsroom managers should acquire the skills and tools for fact-checking as a way to arrest fake news, misinformation and disinformation.

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Editors under the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have resolved today to henceforth set up a fact-check desk in their various newsrooms as a measure to tackle fake news, misinformation and disinformation.

The decision was reached on the occasion of a one-day workshop organised by the European Union (EU) NGE in Lagos on Thursday.

The editors said that having a Fact-Check Desk would help media organisations verify news hints, with the view to publishing only accurate information.

Other key decisions taken at the end of the workshop include:

Media organizations should organise trainings for their newsroom managers and line editors on fact-checking.

The Guild should set up disinformation counter groups across its zonal structures, ahead of the 2027 general election.

Media organizations should collaborate and reach out to each other to verify information.

Media organisations should look at the quality of their Online Editors to ensure that experienced and well-grounded journalists man the position.

The Guild should use other of its bigger platforms to address issues bordering on fake news, misinformation and disinformation.

During the workshop, the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Gautier Mignot and the NGE President, Mr. Eze Anaba, said that newsroom managers should acquire the skills and tools for fact-checking as a way to arrest fake news, misinformation and disinformation.

Mignot said that the EU was taking a multi-pronged approach to address the threats posed by misleading information, which he described as a “danger to democracy and public trust.

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