News

SOOB Law Unveils a new brand identity Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe & Belgore is proud to unveil its new brand identity, SOOB Law (Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe & Belgore LP), marking a significant milestone in the firm’s evolution and reaffirming its enduring commitment to excellence. For nearly four decades, the firm has grown from its founding heritage into one of Nigeria’s leading commercial law firms. The adoption of SOOB Law as the firm’s primary identity unifies its presence under a distinctive, memorable name while honouring the legacy of its founders. The new brand introduces a refined logo inspired by our heritage, modern typography, and a cohesive design system. We have also launched a redesigned website, crafted to provide a seamless digital experience and reflect our modern, forward-thinking approach to legal practice. “Beyond design, this rebrand is a reflection of where we come from and our ambition to continue leading in an increasingly dynamic legal environment,” said Lateef O. Akangbe, SAN, Managing Partner, SOOB Law. “We have built a legacy on trust and excellence, and this new identity reflects who we are today – an innovative, contemporary, and client-focused firm.” What remains constant is the firm’s people, its values, and its dedication to delivering exceptional legal solutions. SOOB Law continues to advise Nigerian and international clients with the integrity, sharpened focus, and expertise that define its reputation. Explore the website to learn more about us.

Babajide Ogundipe on TL4Disputes: Commercial Disputes and Antisuit Relief in Anglophone Africa – A Panel Discussion Babajide Ogundipe will be speaking on a panel with Anthony Kennedy, Kweku Aggrey-Orleans, chaired by Andew Moran KC. You can register here: https://share.hsforms.com/1XqqatDFHTbmkQ3GF16H7Lgbnuop?

Creeping acts of Restructuring Mr Belgore on 2023 Constitutional Amendment Dele Belgore offers a discourse on the bright side of the recent legislative acts signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, including railway system liberalization, state power generation, and financial autonomy for the judiciary in Nigeria Creeping Acts of Restructuring Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon on 20th July 1969, and was reputed to have said these famous words, "That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." A Giant Step for Nigeria It is hyperbolic to describe an event that occurred recently as a giant step for mankind. It clearly was not that, but it was nevertheless a giant step. It is not the crippling currency crisis and the enormous hardship that it has caused to the generality of Nigerians. It is also not the just concluded general elections and its reverberating effects. This giant step arguably has more far-reaching consequences than either the currency crisis or the elections or even the two combined. And it has gone largely unnoticed. The event is the signing into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, on 3rd March 2023, of 3 pieces of legislation. Continued https://www.premiumtimesng.com/promoted/589775-buharis-2023-constitution-amendments-creeping-acts-of-restructuring-dele-belgore.html

Who will watch the watchdogs? Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies and the fight against white collar crime Nigeria has a robust legal, regulatory and institutional framework to combat white collar crime. However, following the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s report of the recovery of 152 billion naira ($366 million), $386 million, £1.1 million,and digital currencies valued in excess of $750 million in recent times, it appears that these crimes continue to increase in Nigeria, with convictions taking several years to secure (for further details please see “A long road to convictions for white collar crimes in Nigeria” and “The struggle to investigate and prosecute crimes continues“). Transparency International’s 2021 corruption perception index ranked Nigeria as the second most corrupt country in West Africa, with a score of 24 out of 100 points – one point less than in 2020. The pertinent question, therefore, is “why is the system not effective in tackling white collar crime?”. There are several reasons, which range from political interference and a weak judicial system to lack of accountability and poor remuneration. One major reason, however, is the corruption of law enforcement agents, as portrayed in the following two cases. Continue at https://www.lexology.com/Commentary/white-collar-crime/656c8caf-a1a6-4583-84ac-14d792662f83

A long road to conviction for white collar crimes in Nigeria In 2013 a member of Nigeria’s lower legislative house was prosecuted for soliciting and receiving a bribe from an oil executive (for further details please see “Anti-corruption developments during 2013“). The bribery incident occurred in February 2013 and a video of the incident, filmed by Nigeria’s State Security Service, was released to the public almost immediately. The charges were brought some 10 months later. As is often the case in Nigeria, the defendant sought to terminate the charges on technical grounds and evoke appeals, an anticipated strategy employed as part of his defence so as to ensure that there was no quick resolution to the case. This is sometimes described as the “an adjournment is as good as an acquittal” strategy. Read more here: https://www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters/Detail.aspx?g=d2eeac4a-a885-4d91-af98-b6b36368a7bf

Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal rules that ex parte disclosure orders are constitutional The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal recently confirmed the constitutionality and validity of the Lagos High Court’s granting of a proprietary injunction along with orders directing the defendants to swear to and file affidavits stating the location, nature and value of all assets that represented or were derived from the proceeds or fruits of certain transactions. Such orders, granted on an ex parte basis, have been commonplace in many common law jurisdictions for nearly 50 years and are a valuable tool for claimants seeking to recover losses suffered as a result of the fraudulent conduct of defendants. Since 1992, such ex parte freezing injunctions have been recognised as constitutional in Nigeria. For what is believed to be the first time, disclosure orders, ancillary to freezing orders, have been considered by the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal. The appeal, which contended that the making of such orders was a violation of the Constitution (which guarantees the right to a fair hearing and privacy), was dismissed and the court affirmed the constitutional validity of such orders. The defendants contended that the granting, on an ex parte basis, of a proprietary injunction and freezing orders, along with a disclosure order, violated their constitutional rights to a fair hearing and privacy. The defendants’ complaints seem to have centred on the ancillary order directing that they make detailed disclosures of their assets, without having been given an opportunity to be heard before the orders were made. Continue at https://www.internationallawoffice.com/Newsletters/White-Collar-Crime/Nigeria/Sofunde-Osakwe-Ogundipe-Belgore/Lagos-Division-of-the-Court-of-Appeal-rules-that-ex-parte-disclosure-orders-are-constitutional?utm_source=ILO+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Newsletter+2020-12-14&utm_campaign=White+Collar+Crime+Newsletter

Babajide Ogundipe named as Global Thought Leader Our very own Babajide Ogundipe has been recognised once more as a Global leader by Who’s Who Legal. This year he was recognised as a thought leader in Asset Recovery, Investigations and Litigation. In addition he was recognised as a Global Leader in Asset Recovery and Investigations. Finally he was recognised as a National Leader in Arbitration and Litigation read more about it at https://whoswholegal.com/babajide-o-ogundipe

NBA must fight for public cause, say Falana, Belgore, Odinkalu Top human rights activists and senior lawyers have called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to renew its interest in taking up cases that deepen people’s access to justice and protection of their socioeconomic economic rights as spelt out in the Nigerian constitution and other statutes. The lawyers spoke at a webinar conference organised by the Lagos State Chapter of the NBA with the theme “COVID-19, Access to Justice and Human Rights Violations”. Speaking on the topic, leading human rights activist Femi Falana (SAN) urged the NBA to return to its old tradition of taking up litigation on matters of public interest, recalling how he and others had used the Freedom of Information Act, among other states, to challenge governments’ positions on issues of public interest. Falana lamented that the NBA was gradually losing its role as the frontline defender of the legal rights of the masses, urging the body to urgently restore the optimism with which it fought against social injustice in the past. Muhammad Dele Belgore (SAN), another panellist at the webinar, urged the NBA to place much premium on protecting and enforcing “economic and social rights of the people as that is a way of bringing about societal change”. Continue reading here: https://thenationonlineng.net/nba-must-fight-for-public-cause-say-falana-belgore-odinkalu/

Possible fallout from Obinwanne Okeke’s guilty plea to US charges On 18 June 2020 the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced that Nigerian entrepreneur Obinwanne Okeke, who operated a group of companies known as the ‘Invictus Group’, has pleaded guilty to a computer-based intrusion fraud scheme that resulted in $11 million in losses for his victims. Okeke, a self-proclaimed young billionaire, was arrested in August 2019 and has been in custody since then, initially pleading not guilty to the charges against him. At the time of his arrest, it was reported that Unatrac Limited, a subsidiary of heavy equipment company Caterpillar, was among the companies targeted by Okeke and his co-conspirators in a business email compromise scheme. More than $11 million was said to have been traced to the ring, and it has been claimed that Okeke used proceeds from these activities to establish legitimate business enterprises in Nigeria… Read more at https://www.internationallawoffice.com/Newsletters/White-Collar-Crime/Nigeria/Sofunde-Osakwe-Ogundipe-Belgore/Possible-fallout-from-Obinwanne-Okekes-guilty-plea-to-US-charges

Belgore: “The written law does not mention the word ‘revolution’” Our managing partner, Muhammad Dele Belgore, was recently interviewed by TVC News regarding his views on recent actions taken by the Nigerian Government against the Revolution Now protests, Sowore’s arrest and more. https://youtu.be/Ic51hKPJBnI