News
Supreme Court Justice Chima Centus Nweze dies at 64
Justice Nweze passed away yesterday, at the age of 64, reports said.
According to the information obtained by TheNigeriaLawyer, Justice Nweze had been battling illness for the past few years, and his health had significantly declined during this time.
In fact, his ailing health played a role in the recent unrest among Supreme Court Justices, who expressed their concerns during the tenure of the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
At present, the South East region is facing a notable absence in the Supreme Court, as Justice Odili is currently retired, while Justice Ngwuta sadly passed away two years ago.
He is one of the justices who stood out during the ruling on the application filed by Emeka Ihedioha, a former governor of Imo State. Ihedioha had asked the apex court to review its judgement on his removal from office, but while the majority of the seven-man panel disagreed with him, Chima Nweze, found merit in the application.
In his dissenting judgment, Nweze asked the court to set aside the January 14 judgment that removed Ihedioha from office, describing it as a nullity and in bad faith.
He also nullified the declaration of Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as governor on account of “wrong declaration” and held that Uzodinma misled the court into unjust conclusion with the unverified votes in 388 polling units.
“This decision of the Supreme Court will continue to hunt our electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come,” he said.
“In my intimate reading of the January 14 judgment, the substance of Ihedioha’s matter was lost to time frame. This court once set aside its own earlier judgment and therefore cannot use time frame to extinguish the right of any person.
“This court has powers to over rule itself and can revisit any decision not in accordance with justice. This court has a duty of redeeming its image. I am of the view that this application should succeed. I hereby make an order setting aside the decision of this court made on January 14 and that the certificate of return issued to the appellant be returned to INEC. I also make an order restoring the respondents as winner of the March 9 governorship election.”
Nweke’s position came as a surprise to those who expected the ruling to be unanimous – as it is in most cases. Of the seven judges on the panel, he was the only one who was not on seat when the court sacked Ihedioha.
At that time the verdict was unanimous.
‘ATIKU’S APPEAL IS WITHOUT MERIT’
Nweze was part of the supreme court panel that refused the request of Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate, to inspect servers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
At the time, Atiku was challenging the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as winner of the 2019 presidential election.
“I see no reason for departing from the reasoning of the lower court. I find that this appeal is without merit, and it is accordingly dismissed,” Nweze had held in the ruling that was unanimous.
Atiku finally lost the appeal.
LEGAL CAREER
In 2014, former President Goodluck Jonathan approved the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to appoint Nweze to the supreme court. Thereafter, he went through a screening at the senate and was confirmed as a judge of the apex court.
Before then, Nweze served as a judge of the court of appeal. He had earlier served as judge of the high court of Enugu. Nweze
Nweze was legal adviser to Okwesilieze Nwodo, a former governor of Enugu state. The jurist, who was born on September 25, 1958, bagged all his degrees – from bachelors to Ph.D – from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN).
He attended St John Cross Seminary, Nsukka between 1972 and 1977. Nweze was called to the bar in 1984 and completed his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Bauchi in 1985.
He had served as chairman, Ogun state governorship and legislative houses election petition tribunal in 1999; chairman, robbery and firearms tribunal, Nsukka, 1998 and 1999; and member, Ondo state local government election petition tribunal in 1999. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy of The Nigerian Lawyer)
Tension and grief have enveloped the political community in Enugu State following the suspected murder of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chairman in Udenu Local Government Area, Chisimdiri Emmanuel Ngwu.
Ngwu, said to be one of the longest-serving members of the ADC in the state, was reportedly found dead in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in circumstances suspected to be suspicious.
A family source, who spoke to our correspondent, said Ngwu left the house shortly after waking up on Wednesday morning but never returned alive.
“He woke up early in the morning on Wednesday and walked out and that was the last we heard of him,” the source said.
According to the source, the family became worried after discovering that Ngwu was missing, before his lifeless body was later found outside the compound.
“When we woke up, we didn’t see him only to discover his lifeless body in front of our compound. We saw scratches on his neck which was twisted backwards,” the source added.
The circumstances surrounding his death have continued to generate concern among family members, friends and political associates.
Meanwhile, two persons have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident.
However, their identities and the circumstances surrounding their arrest were not immediately disclosed as of press time.
The development has reportedly sent shock waves through the ADC in Udenu and the wider political community in the state, with calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ngwu’s death.
Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has claimed that President Bola Tinubu will relocate the capital of Nigeria to Lagos if he is declared the winner of the 2027 general elections.
Primate Ayodele made this statement in a video posted on X.
President Tinubu is seeking re-election under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Speaking about Tinubu’s re-election, the cleric said, “Lagos architecture will change. You may not see this one very seriously, but if Tinubu wins the second time, the capital of Nigeria will be relocated to Lagos.
“When this happens, the capital can be in Epe or Lekki or anywhere at all in Lagos.”
The Anambra State Police Command has uncovered the circumstances surrounding the alleged murder of a 56-year-old man, Mr Kelechi Madu, in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area, two days after he was reported missing.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday, August 21, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who said the breakthrough followed a coordinated search and investigation by police operatives, local vigilantes and members of the deceased’s family.
Madu was reported missing by his wife on August 18, after he reportedly left home on the evening of August 17 and failed to return.
According to the Command, the search for the missing man took a grim turn later that day when his wife returned to the police station to report that he had been found dead in a nearby bush at Umuobi, Awkuzu.
Police operatives immediately mobilised to the scene, where they found Madu’s lifeless body with a deep axe wound to his head. His remains were subsequently evacuated and deposited at a hospital mortuary for preservation.
Following the discovery, detectives intensified their investigation and arrested the deceased’s 32-year-old friend, Mr Ifeanyi Nwankwo, who allegedly confessed to being involved in the planning of the killing.
Preliminary findings by the Command indicated that Nwankwo allegedly obtained money from Madu through fraudulent means, claiming he would assist him in acquiring a piece of land.
Police alleged that the suspect subsequently engaged two other persons to eliminate Madu in an attempt to conceal the alleged fraudulent transaction and prevent the victim from recovering the money.
The Command said two other suspects linked to the alleged plot were also arrested, bringing the number of persons apprehended in connection with the case to four.
The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, psc, mnips, has directed investigators to intensify the probe and identify every person involved in the alleged conspiracy and murder.
The CP vowed that all persons found culpable would be brought to justice.
The Command, through Ikenga, assured residents that it would continue to strengthen intelligence-led policing and community partnerships to prevent violent crimes, uncover criminal networks and ensure that perpetrators face the full weight of the law.
-
News2 days agoBREAKING: Gunmen attack Adeleke’s convoy in Osogbo shortly after receiving Certificate of Return
-
International2 days ago
Canada invites 1,000 candidates to apply for permanent residence
-
Uncategorized2 days ago
2027: Obi unfolds agenda as campaigns begin
-
News2 days ago
Lagos shuts churches over noise pollution
-
News2 days ago
Two shot as police attempt to arrest suspects in Anambra
-
News2 days ago
Even if Tinubu appoints Seyi as INEC chairman, he’ll be defeated in 2027 — Dalung
-
News3 days ago
Why I won’t apologise to Okpebholo — Davido
-
News3 days ago
Access Bank asks court to recover N1.3bn stolen by Yahoo Boys
