*Commends FG on fight against terrorism

Wale Igbintade

The Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), has called on the Supreme Court to fast-track the hearing of the suit filed by 11 state governments challenging President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State.

Ngige has also commended the federal government and security agencies for what he described as a decisive onslaught against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups threatening Nigeria’s security.
Tinubu’s emergency proclamation on March 18, 2025, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the entire members of the state House of Assembly, replacing them with a sole administrator.

However, 11 state governments approached the Supreme Court in suit number SC/CV/329/2025, challenging the constitutionality of the president’s action.
The states argued that the president cannot suspend elected officials and replace them with his appointee under the guise of emergency powers, insisting that such actions contravene Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305 of the 1999 Constitution.

The federal government, however, filed a preliminary objection, contending that the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi and that no genuine dispute exists.
Delivering a paper at the 2025 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Enugu, Ngige called on the Supreme Court to expedite action on the suit.

Ngige noted that the matter, having been fully joined by parties, is ripe for hearing.
“This case touches on the rule of law, democracy, and the rights of the Rivers people to be governed by an elected government. It is of utmost importance that the Supreme Court immediately schedules a hearing, even during vacation, so the matter can be resolved on the merits,” Ngige stressed.

He urged the Supreme Court to fast-track proceedings, given that the six-month emergency rule expires on September 18, 2025.
“It is immaterial whether the state of emergency will be renewed or not. The case touches on the rule of law, democracy, and the rights of Rivers people to be governed by a democratically elected state government,” he argued.
Citing Article 13(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Ngige maintained that citizens have the right to participate in government through freely chosen representatives, not imposed administrators.

He warned that delay could render the case academic, recalling the Supreme Court’s handling of Plateau State of Nigeria & Anor v. Attorney-General of the Federation & Anor (2006), where substantive issues were left unresolved.
“The Supreme Court must immediately schedule a hearing, even during the vacation, to resolve this crisis. The stability of our democracy demands nothing less,” he declared.

Ngige also lauded the federal government’s onslaught on terrorists, saying that the coordinated offensive against insurgents, under the supervision of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has yielded significant results, including the elimination of top terrorist commanders and the capture of leaders of affiliated groups.

“The federal government is currently attacking the menace of Boko Haram headlong. I must commend the security agencies for their efforts in tackling the insurgency in the North. I particularly commend the NSA, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, for the coordinated response that has resulted in the taking out of the ringleaders – Kachalla Boka, Dogo Isah, and Kachalla Shekau, who once controlled the Abuja-Kaduna expressway until they met their nemesis,” Ngige said.

He described as “heartwarming” the arrest of leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group, Nigeria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate, and the dismantling of the Mahmudawa sect, noting that Amir Mahmud Mohammed Usman (aka Abu Baraa) and his deputy, Marmuda, are now in custody.

Ngige reminded delegates that Boko Haram remains one of Nigeria’s greatest security threats, responsible for mass killings, abductions, and the displacement of millions, crippling economic and social life in the North-east.

Ngige also lamented the spread of insecurity to other regions.

The senior lawyer highlighted the Okigwe-Owerri highway massacre in Imo State, where gunmen killed at least 30 travellers and burnt over 20 vehicles, as evidence of worsening insecurity in the South-east.

He also cited the July 2025 abduction of six Nigerian Law School students in Benue State, who were freed after 11 days in captivity and the payment of N10 million ransom each.

According to him, with their harrowing ordeal, some people now suggest students should only be posted to law campuses near their homes.

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