Daily News & Analysis of Nigeria

11/01/2025

10/01/2025

Court Jails Lawyer Over Facebook Posts Criticising Judge

A court in Vietnam, on Friday, January 10, 2025, sentenced a prominent lawyer to three years in jail over Facebook posts it ruled undermined the state by criticising a leading judge.

Tran Dinh Trien, former deputy head of the Hanoi Bar Association, is the latest high-profile lawyer to be targeted by authorities for what they have written online.



Rights campaigners said authorities in communist, one-party Vietnam have in recent years stepped up a crackdown on civil society and weaponised the law to silence government critics.

The court in Hanoi convicted 65-year-old Trien on charges of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon state interests”, and sentenced him to three years in prison.

The court said the lawyer had written posts on his personal page containing “unauthenticated content” that “affected the reputation of the courts and the chief judge of the supreme court personally”.

Trien, head of the Vi Dan “For the People” legal firm in Hanoi, was arrested in June. His legal licence was suspended last week.

Deputy chairman of the Hanoi Bar Association from 2013-2018, Trien has defended activists and represented clients on sensitive issues such as land confiscation.

The three Facebook posts he was charged over were uploaded in April and May last year.

In them, he criticised the chief justice of the Supreme Court, who he said prevented defendants’ family members from attending trials and journalists and lawyers from recording video during open trials, according to Human Rights Watch.

The state Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said Trien and his lawyers had argued that he was exercising his right to free speech in the posts, and they did not violate the law.

But the court ruled that while free speech was recognised by the Vietnamese constitution, people must not “take advantage” of this to damage state interests, AFP reported.

“The trial panel determined that Tran Dinh Trien’s actions were very serious, negatively affecting security, order, and social safety,” it said.

While Vietnam notionally allows free speech, in practice it is very tightly restricted, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranks the country 74th out of 180 for press freedom, describing it as one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists.

Article 331 of the penal code – the section Trien was charged under – was used to convict and sentence at least 24 people in 2024 alone, according to Human Rights Watch.

Ahead of the verdict in the trial, held over a day and a half under tight security, The 88 Project – which advocates for freedom of expression in Vietnam – said the charges against Trien were a violation of international law.

Last month, new rules came into force in Vietnam requiring Facebook and TikTok to verify user identities and hand over data to authorities.

Under “Decree 147”, all tech giants operating in Vietnam must verify user accounts by phone numbers or Vietnamese identification numbers and store that information alongside their full name and date of birth.

05/01/2025

Before I forget

Nigeria is brimming with ambitious political leaders, but sadly very few matchups to the traits of good leadership. In fact, many political leaders appear to be severely lacking in some of the most essential qualities of a good leader, such as integrity and accountability. It’s no coincidence that the word “politician” has many negative connotations. But experience tells us that there is only a handful that comes near to the principles of leadership and shows strong indicators of a successful political leader.
Now back to more mundane issues , I was never a good fan of president Bola Tinubu but am bringing to support him because of his Policy Achievements and reforms . For the first time since 30 years ago Nigeria oil refineries are back into operation 👍 . President Tinubu is liberalizing Nigerian economy and allowing it to speed up development , so let us support him for this historic economic reforms for stronger economic growth to reduce poverty in Nigeria.

25/12/2024

The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee has rejected the request from Chief Afe Babalola’s (SAN) law firm, Emmanuel Chambers, to revoke the practising licence of lawyer and author Tomilola Farotimi, also known as Dele Farotimi, over allegations of criminal defamation and professional misconduct.

A petition submitted by a lawyer from Emmanuel Chambers, Mr. Ola Faro, was presented to the LPDC, claiming that Farotimi, in his book Nigeria and the Criminal Justice System, made defamatory statements against the Supreme Court and the legal profession, and should therefore be disbarred.

The LPDC Chairman, Justice Isaq Usman Bello, stated on Tuesday in Abuja that the petition could not be granted due to jurisdictional limitations.

According to the petition by Emmanuel Chambers, Farotimi’s book reportedly referenced suit number SC/146/2006 between Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu and HRH Oba Tijani Akinloye and others, alleging corruption, bribery, and other unethical practices involving judicial officers and the legal community.

The petition accused Farotimi of distorting case facts, disrespecting fellow lawyers, and engaging in actions that obstructed justice for personal gain.

Emmanuel Chambers claimed that Farotimi’s book violated several sections of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023 and requested that his name be struck off the Roll of Legal Practitioners.

However, the disciplinary committee, in its report (B8B/LPDC/1571/2024), concluded that the alleged offences occurred in Farotimi’s capacity as an author, not during his practice as a legal professional.

The LPDC determined that it lacked jurisdiction to address complaints about publications and advised aggrieved parties to seek redress in regular courts.

The report noted, “The publication is an intellectual property and not a conduct or action committed while practising as a Legal Practitioner. All aggrieved parties who find the publication ‘defamatory’ should ventilate their grievances through the regular courts.”

25/12/2024

Before I Forget

This is Nigeria.

A man in Kano went to a foodseller. He had not eaten in 3 days. He begged the seller for food on credit.

The foodseller said no because he already gave food to too many people on credit.

The man sat down beside the foodseller’s shop as he had nowhere else to go.

The foodseller told him he’s very sorry and he would like to help but too many people in the neighbourhood have collected food on credit and his business is sinking.

The man sat there and said nothing.

As time went on, other people came into the shop to buy foodstuff and went out- they noticed the man at the door sitting there sleeping. But nobody bothered.

Until one man came later in the day and asked the foodseller: “who is the man sitting at your door?” “Why is he there?”

Then the foodseller said “oh it’s a man who says he has not eaten for 3 days and he wants to collect food on credit but I could not give him because my business is struggling from all the credit I have already given out”.

Then the other man said: “How much is the food he wants?”

The food seller said “It’s a few cups of garri, rice and beans. Everything may be 2,000 naira”.

The other man said “Alright pack everything he wants and more. I would pay for it. Let him go home to his family and eat”.

The foodseller packed all the food and went outside to tell the man with joy that someone has paid for his food.

He saw the man still sleeping.
He tapped him to wake him up, he didn’t respond. Tapped him again, nothing.

The man had died.
He died sitting and waiting for help.

This happened just few days ago in Badawa, Kano. Some people who live in that area know this story.

The man was dead all along while people were coming in and out of the shop thinking he was sleeping.

He died hopeless. He died helpless. He died a man who his country failed.

If you know anyone in this period who is hungry around you and you can afford a little food or money to give him/her, please do.

Many people are walking the streets with an empty stomach.

24/12/2024

BREAKING: Finally, Dele Farotimi Regains Freedom

Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi has been released from Ekiti correctional facility center.

This was contained in a terse message posted by Omoyele sowore on Tuesday, on his verified social media page.

According to him, Farotimi is currently on his way to Lagos.

He wrote; “I am pleased to report that Dele Farotimi is no longer being held at the prison yards in Ekiti state and is now returning home to Lagos. The struggle continues!”

Recall that Dele farotimi was arrested and charged to court for allegedly defaming Chief Afe Babalola in his new book ” Nigeria and its criminal justice system”

24/12/2024

Welcome to Bina cooking gas plant
Wishing All Our Customers merry Christmas and Happy New Year.