General News
LCA Convenes Professionals @ ADR Conference
The Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA), in collaboration with the Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF), Chevron Nigeria, Stanbic IBTC, White and Case, and Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has assembled legal experts, entrepreneurs, investors and the government in a West Africa Regional Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) conference to reiterate the need to timely resolve commercial dispute through effective mediation and arbitration to promote economic growth.
In his welcome address at the conference, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), represented by the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Lagos State, Mr. Ade Ipaye urged the business community to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution for quick resolution of contractual disputes.
According to him, the emergence of the LCA is due to non-avoidance of disputes in business dealings and the increasing need for an international arbitration and acceptable alternative dispute resolution center.
Presenting the Keynote Address, Mr. Arnold Ekpe, director, Sovereign Wealth Fund, stated one of the challenges of the Arbitration process in this part of the world as ‘Africans’ themselves. He said, “It is time for Africans to change their mindset by believing in arbitration process, thereby creating the right environment to build confidence in the minds of investors that the available process is reliable in the resolution of cases.”
Also speaking at the conference, Mrs Bimpe Nkontchou, director, Lagos Court of Arbitration and Partner, Addie & Co Solicitor, London, said, “It is known that Arbitrators of African origin are under-utilised in the regional and international arbitration circuit. Time has come for us to appoint skilled African arbitrators and use arbitration institutions on the continent.”
Nkonchou further added, “ADR is far more affordable than litigation. Arbitration is distinct from other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms, which include mediation, conciliation and early neutral evacuation. Though arbitration occupies center stage in the global dispute resolution market, these other mechanisms are equally important and in some cases, equally effective and much less expensive than arbitration.”
Nankunda Katangaza, head of International Policy at the Law Society of England & Wales, who was recently named one of Britain’s most influential black people, said “I am delighted to be part of what I considered the most exciting and progressive institutional developments in Nigeria and Africa. The Law Society is pleased for the collaboration because of the positive effects the LCA will have in speedy resolution of disputes and improvement of business environments. The LCA presents opportunities for members of the Law Society to work closely with Nigerian counterparts in dispute resolution by joining the panel of neutrals.’’
Present at the conference were several distinguished local and international legal and business experts, including Federal High Court Justice, Justice Rita Ajumogobia; former Vice President, External Affairs, Tullow Oil Plc, London, Rosalind Kainyah; Commissioner, Market Competition and Rates, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Eyo Ekpo; General Counsel, Chevron Nigeria, Eyitemi Ned Mojuetan; Registrar, Mauritius International Arbitration Court (MCIA), Duncan Bagshaw; amongst others, who all harped on the many advantages of Alternative Dispute Resolution over litigation.
The LCA West Africa Regional ADR Conference was proudly supported by The Law Society of England & Wales, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Nigeria, and the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP), and is the center’s way of further creating and maintaining awareness of ADR and reaching the primary end users, consisting members of the public, owners of small and medium scale businesses and executives of large corporate and multinationals.
Chinonso Akujobi, former staff of Access Bank in Lagos, has been remanded in Ikoyi prison after she was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N294.5m.
Akujobi who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was arraigned before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
EFCC alleged that Akujobi stole the money between January and December 2025 while under the employment of Access Bank Plc.
As stated in one the charges, the defendant stole the money through unauthorized payments from the general ledger of Access Bank to her account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., thereby committing an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant pleaded “not guilty“ to the charges when they were read to her.
In view of this, S.M.Yabo, prosecution counsel, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre.
Justice Ijelu, thereafter, adjourned the case till October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.
The Judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional Centre.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the flight captain of the VMO Aero aircraft that landed on a roadway near Asaba Airport in Delta State told investigators that the observer pilot mistakenly identified the paved road as the runway before touchdown.
The bureau disclosed this in a preliminary report released on Thursday on the June 10 incident, which prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the private jet.
The aircraft had seven people on board, including the pilot-in-command (PIC), second-in-command (SIC), an observer pilot, a cabin crew member and three passengers.
According to the report, the aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to approach Runway 11 at Asaba Airport after the crew requested a right orbit.
The crew initially discontinued the approach, executed a missed approach and repositioned for a second landing attempt.
NSIB said the crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation systems indicated it was correctly established on the published RNAV Runway 11 approach.
“The PIC and SIC reported that the observer pilot identified the paved surface ahead as the runway,” the report stated.
However, the observer pilot gave investigators a different version of events.
According to NSIB, he said the aircraft remained inside cloud until late in the approach and that the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) repeatedly issued “TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP” alerts.
He also said he observed a telecommunications mast directly ahead and instructed the flight captain to abandon the approach and climb immediately.
The bureau further disclosed that a cabin crew member reported that one of the passengers became concerned after overhearing discussions among the pilots and asked whether one of them was undergoing training. The passenger was reportedly reassured that all three pilots on board were experienced captains.
NSIB said no abnormal events were reported in the cabin before touchdown.
The aircraft eventually landed at about 8:57 a.m. on an under-construction paved roadway near Asaba Airport instead of the designated runway.
The bureau said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, while the preliminary report highlights conflicting accounts among the cockpit crew over the circumstances that led to the erroneous landing.
European Union has warned Meta Platforms Inc. that it could face a significant financial penalty unless it changes what regulators describe as the “addictive design” features of Facebook and Instagram.
The European Commission issued the warning in preliminary findings released on Friday, saying Meta had failed to sufficiently address risks posed by its platforms, particularly to children and vulnerable users.
The Commission said features such as infinite scrolling, personalised content recommendations and automatic video playback were designed in ways that encouraged excessive engagement with the platforms.
EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said protecting the physical and mental well-being of European citizens should be a priority for social media companies.
The Commission said Meta should consider introducing design changes, including disabling autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, providing effective screen-time reminders and adjusting recommendation systems to reduce the focus on maximising user engagement.
The findings were issued under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets obligations for major online platforms to address risks associated with their services.
Meta, however, rejected the Commission’s conclusions, saying it disagreed with the findings but would continue engaging with European regulators.
The company said it had already implemented measures aimed at protecting younger users, including Teen Accounts that allow parents to manage screen time limits and restrict access during night hours.
The EU said its investigation, which began in 2024, found that existing time-management tools on Facebook and Instagram could easily be bypassed, while parental controls required technical knowledge that limited their effectiveness.
Regulators also expressed concerns over children’s nighttime use of the platforms and the possibility that features such as Reels and Stories could encourage compulsive behaviour.
If the Commission’s preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta could face a fine of up to six per cent of its annual global revenue under the DSA.
The warning comes as the EU steps up efforts to strengthen online safety measures for children, with an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to present recommendations on protecting minors online.
Several EU member states, including France, have also supported discussions on restricting social media access for children, following Australia’s decision to ban users under 16 from accessing social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the Commission is continuing a separate investigation into whether Meta’s recommendation algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects by directing users towards increasingly extreme content.
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