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Why Counsel Should Read Law Reports

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                                                                                  Justice  Ogunwumiju One unique feature of our law is that it is dynamic, always evolving to meet the present needs of the society. It is therefore expected that a good lawyer must be abreast with the latest position of the law especially as it relates to areas of his/her specialty. It is common knowledge that case-law is one of the veritable sources of law in our legal jurisprudence. Lawyers and law student are often counselled to avail themselves of the benefits of reading law reports. In fact, there are several benefit a young lawyer or law student derives from reading law reports. This requirement, is by no means exclusive to this class of persons. However, it is most beneficial to them. For one, it gives the reader first-hand knowledge of the law as opposed a secondary source. It exposes the reader to superior arguments and previous authorities decided on a particular point of law. Also, it helps to

The-Electronic-Money-Transfer-Levy-Regulations-2022.pdf

The Wikimedia Foundation Petition on the NSA Surveillance Program Denied

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The U.S. Supreme Court has denied the Wikimedia Foundation’s petition  for review of its legal challenge to the National Security Agency’s (NSA) “Upstream” surveillance program. Under this program, the NSA systematically searches the contents of internet traffic entering and leaving the United States, including Americans’ private emails, messages, and web communications. The Supreme Court’s denial leaves in place a divided ruling  from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which dismissed Wikimedia’s case based on the government’s assertion of the “state secrets privilege.” According to Wikimedia's legal director, James Buatti, “The Supreme Court’s refusal to grant our petition strikes a blow against an individual’s right to privacy and freedom of expression — two cornerstones of our society and the building blocks of Wikipedia,” He added that the foundation will continue to champion everyone's right to free knowledge “ In its petition, the Wikimedia Foundation, the

Debit Alerts: The Legality of Electronic Money Transfer Levy by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

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    More than ever before, Nigerians are getting frustrated with the incessant bank debit alerts, being sent by their banks on account of one charge or levy. While these arbitrary deductions may sometimes go unnoticed by wealth customers, majority of Nigerians are not only aware, but irritated by it. However, considering the stress of going to the Bank to lodge complaints and the petite sum involved, they are forced to bear this pathetic situation. Essentially, Commercial banks are not charitable organizations. They are established to make profits. As a business organization, they make profits from charges levied on product and service rendered to their customers. This may include a flat fee of  N 6.98 for the use of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), a platform that enables customer to carry out internet banking transactions. Similarly, commercial banks equally charge customers with ATM card, a quarterly card maintenance fee of N 50, and a host other charges as prescr

Quick Facts About Nigerian Naira

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1.     Naira and kobo are Nigeria’s official currency and legal tender. 2.     The currency was introduced in Nigeria on 1 st January 1973 to replace the British Pounds and Shillings to reflect the country independent status. 3.   The currency structure comprises of three coin denominations (50k, N 1 and N 2), eight banknote denominations ( N 5, N 10, N 20, N 50, N 100, N 200, N 500 and N 1000). 4.     The N 20, N 50, N 100, N 200, N 500 and N 1000 banknotes were introduced in 1977, 1991,1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005 respectively. 5.   ‘Naira’ was derived from the word ‘Nigeria’ by the late nationalist, Obafemi Awolowo. 6. The currency is often abbreviated as ‘NGN’ and depicted with letter ‘N’ having double strikethrough ‘ N’ 7. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), pursuant to the CBN Act is the sole issuer of legal tender currency in Nigeria. Consequently, it is unlawful for any individual or establishment to print or counterfeit Nigeria currency. The CBN also regulates the vol

WATCH VIDEO: IS THIS SELF DEFENSE OR MURDER

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The video below shows a black man being gunned down by a White man in a situation that appeared to a robbery. What do you think? is this a case of self-defense, murder or manslaughter? was the shooter justify in law?  Share your thoughts with us at the comment section below.  

SEXUAL IDENTITIES: WHY YOU CAN NOT HAVE YOUR OWN PRONOUN

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Sexual identity is a contemporary issue shaping various political, social and religious discuss around the world, particularly the global south. Since recorded human history, mankind had been known and identified by two major genders. That is, male and female (in the singular, he or she and him or her) which is often determined by the individual biological makeup at birth. Today, this definition has changed tremendously and a lot of people are now of the view that there are multiple or unidentifiable number of genders. Proponents of this view believe that, beside the two traditional genders, individuals can be identified with many other genders depending on how they feel about themselves. As a result, some identify as transgender, gender neutral, non-binary, agender, pangender, genderqueer, two-spirits, third gender, etc. Most people are familiar with the popular acronym LGBTQ+ which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus anyone who does not fit into the traditiona

THE LEGALITY OF BURYING CORPSES IN RESIDENTIAL PREMISES

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Growing up in the ancient city of Benin, it was a common sight to behold graveyards around residential apartments. While some families placed it conspicuously at the front yard of their houses, others kept it from the glare of the public, behind the family house. The indiscriminate use of dwelling-houses as burial sites is a common practice all over Nigeria. Not too many Nigerians are aware that to bury any corpse in a house, building, premises, yard, garden, compound, or within a hundred yards of any dwelling-house, or in open space within a town is an offence unless the approval of the President or the Governor is first sought. One must know that in our legal jurisprudence, ignorance of the law is never a shield to an accused person facing criminal charge. I am unaware of anyone who has been prosecuted for this offence. However, the fact that no offender has been prosecuted on account of this offence, does not invalidate the provision.   The relevant provision of the law that pro

THE BEST WAY TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY AS HUSBAND AND WIFE

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    THE BEST WAY TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY AS HUSBAND AND WIFE During marriage, it is not uncommon for husband and wife to agree to jointly acquire property for use or to reside in as their matrimonial home throughout their lifetime. In recent times, the concept of marriage has assumed different meaning in different societies. But for the purpose of this essay, marriage is a legal contract by which a man and woman become husband and wife, and in obedience to divine injunction, agree to co-exist as one forever. In reality, many unions do not actually last forever because they crumble even for the flimsiest of excuses. The high esteem in which people viewed marriage institution is gradually fading away, although, nobody goes into marriage with intention to fall apart, yet they actually do fall apart. The Cause(s)   The learned sir Emeka Chianu traced this unfortunate situation to the persistence of westernization through modern communication and information technology.   This post is n

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Will

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Death is an inevitable fact of life. It is a debt everyone must pay in respective of age, religion or social status. The enlightened are known by the way and manner they prepare for it. Without mincing words, making a Will is one of the most pragmatic ways a person can prepare for this unavoidable fate of mankind. More importantly, when a Will is in place, family members of the deceased are saved from unnecessary tussle, conflict and chaos that accompany the estate of man who dies without specific instructions concerning his estate. Generally speaking, the surest way to rest in peace even in death, is for a person to make proper arrangements for his family while his faculties are still intact. What is a Will? A Will is a legal document voluntarily executed according to the prevailing law by a person of a sound mind by which he/she prescribes the manner his/her assets (including real and personal properties) will be distributed after death. The person making the will is called testator