The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has criticised Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja for ordering a lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, to kneel in court.
Abubakar, the lead defence lawyer to human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, drew the ire of the judge when he raised his voice while making submissions in court.
The lawyer spoke while insisting that the date chosen by the court for the defence to open its case was not convenient for him. Umar then ordered the lawyer to “come out” of the bar area of the courtroom and kneel down.
However, NBA President Afam Osigwe said no judge has the power to order a lawyer to kneel in court.
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“A judge directing a legal practitioner or indeed any person whatsoever to kneel in court is not a recognised judicial sanction under our laws and does not align with the standards of judicial conduct expected on the Bench,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The dignity of the court must be preserved not only in outcome but also in process, and this includes the manner in which judicial authority is exercised. If a judge is of the view that a person has acted in a manner that is contemptuous of the court, the judge MUST follow the accepted way of conducting proceedings for such allegations.”
Osigwe noted that while lawyers have the duty to conduct themselves with restraint, professionalism, and respect for the court at all times, they are entitled, indeed obligated, to advocate firmly and fearlessly on behalf of their client.
He, however, insisted that such advocacy must always be exercised within the bounds of courtesy and decorum.
The senior lawyer said that disagreements with the court, no matter how strongly felt, must be expressed through proper legal channels and not in a manner that disrupts proceedings or undermines the authority of the court.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Viviour has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s foreign trips, describing them as offering little or no value to Nigerians amid the challenges facing the country.
Rhodes-Viviour, the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate for Lagos State in the 2023 general elections, criticised the president for prioritizing visiting the United Kingdom despite the biting costs of fuel and other economic challenges Nigerians are battling with.
“The President has spent a significant amount of time traveling outside the country while the people are experiencing extreme hardship. That is unprecedented. Regarding the topic you just discussed and the pain Nigerians are dealing with—specifically higher petrol and diesel prices—I don’t think this visit is a priority for Nigerians right now,” Rhodes-Viviour, who is now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
“His visiting and perhaps adding some legitimacy and credibility to his position as President is good for him, his optics, and his party. However, I don’t see how it is entirely good for the Nigerian people. This is a President who spends quite a lot of time outside the country, so I don’t truly see the value for the average Nigerian. For him, surely, it is beneficial.”
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‘No vision’
President Tinubu is in the UK on a state visit. The ex-Lagos state governor is accompanied by the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, and other top government officials.
They are in the UK as guests of their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
King Charles will host Tinubu and his wife at Windsor Castle from Wednesday, March 18, to Thursday, March 19.
The presidency said the visit is to strengthen bilateral relations and explore avenues for further collaboration.
His visit is the first by a Nigerian leader in 37 years. The country and the UK share strong historical ties as the former colonised the latter.
The trip is the latest in Tinubu’s foreign travels. But critics and opposition parties have faulted the president’s trips abroad, asking him to instead focus on addressing the challenges in the country, especially following the attack in Borno, which left scores dead.
“We have been colonized and enslaved, yet there is no vision for our security. We can barely protect our own citizens,” the 43-year-old said on the breakfast show.
London, United Kingdom – When Nigerian President Bola Tinubu arrives in the UK this week, the visit will carry more than ceremonial significance. It will be the first state visit by a Nigerian leader to Britain in 37 years.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are to host Tinubu and first lady Oluremi Tinubu at Windsor Castle from Wednesday to Thursday.
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The last Nigerian state visit, considered one of Britain’s most important diplomatic tools, took place in 1989 when then-military ruler Ibrahim Babangida met Queen Elizabeth II.
“It’s the first time since Nigeria returned to democracy [in 1999] that a democratically elected Nigerian head of state is being afforded this honour by the British monarchy,” said Ikenna Okonkwo, data integrity lead at the Nigerian intelligence consultancy SBM Intelligence.
The visit comes at a time when both countries are trying to deepen economic cooperation.
Nigeria is one of Britain’s most important partners in Africa. Trade between the pair was worth more than 8 billion pounds ($10.6bn) in the year to October.
In 2024, they signed a trade and investment partnership aimed at expanding business opportunities.
Among members of the UK’s Nigerian community, there are mixed feelings about the visit.
London-based business owner Monica, who requested Al Jazeera withholds her surname, expressed scepticism about whether it will bring tangible change.
“What is he [Tinubu] coming here for? He needs to sort out the issues at home,” she told Al Jazeera, pointing to economic difficulties and violence in parts of the country. “Look at the state of the economy in Nigeria.”
A country under pressure
Tinubu, a trained accountant and former Mobil oil executive who is in his 70s, took office in May 2023 after a tightly contested election.
Early in his presidency, he implemented sweeping economic reforms intended to bring stability and attract foreign investment. But they also triggered a sharp rise in the cost of living.
“The country has been dealing with a lot – from security concerns to economic pressures,” Okonkwo said. “Ending the fuel subsidy and changing the currency regime created significant hardship for many Nigerians because it pushed inflation very high.”
Security is another key issue. Armed groups and banditry affect several regions while instability across the Sahel has increased pressure on West African states.
“There are perennial issues around power supply, the cost of living and security,” Okonkwo said.
What leaders hope to achieve
Policymakers view the visit as an opportunity to advance strategic interests.
Kabir Adamu, managing director of Beacon Security and Intelligence Ltd in Abuja, said some may see the visit as a chance to reset relations after Britain’s departure from the European Union.
Discussions are likely to focus on expanding the trade and investment partnership and cooperating on security, migration policy and climate financing, he told Al Jazeera.
“The UK secures deeper commercial access to Africa’s largest market,” he said. “At the same time, Nigeria gains essential foreign direct investment and security backing to stabilise its domestic economy.”
In November 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, welcomed Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi Remi Tinubu, for a state dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris during a two-day state visit to France [File: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters]
Tinubu is also expected to use the visit to promote his government’s economic agenda.
“The president will actively pitch his administration’s macroeconomic reforms to attract British investment into sectors like mining, energy and Nigeria’s creative industries,” Adamu said.
But he warned that negotiations could also touch on sensitive areas, including UK immigration rules affecting Nigerian students and workers as well as debates over human rights and the repatriation of historical artefacts.
“A successful visit would produce tangible outcomes,” Adamu said, “such as trade agreements, commitments from British companies to invest in Nigerian infrastructure and stronger security cooperation.”
Oil, investment and global politics
Energy may also feature in the discussions.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer although output has fluctuated in recent years due to pipeline theft and security issues in the Niger Delta. The government has been trying to increase production to meet demand.
Okonkwo said that as a major hydrocarbon producer, Nigeria could become more significant in a volatile global energy market.
“Nigeria is trying to ramp its production back up,” he said. “Given the geopolitical tensions around energy supply globally, West African producers like Nigeria become increasingly relevant.”
Beyond oil, Nigeria is seeking investment in manufacturing, infrastructure and power generation as it tries to diversify its economy.
“One of the biggest obstacles to investment has been insecurity,” he said. “There are also ongoing questions around governance and corruption that international partners will be paying attention to.”
The ‘foundational’ diaspora factor
The Nigerian diaspora, estimated to be among the largest African communities in Britain, is an important bridge. According to official figures, more than 270,000 people in the UK were born in Nigeria.
Adamu described the diaspora as “foundational” to the bilateral relationship.
“They drive economic remittances, act as a source of soft power and serve as a cultural bridge between the two nations,” he said.
Remittances play a significant role in supporting families back home. For many migrants, those financial ties mean they closely follow political and economic developments in Nigeria.
Okonkwo noted that some members of the diaspora have become increasingly critical of the government.
“A large number of Nigerians have moved to the UK in recent years because of the deteriorating situation at home,” he said.
For some in the diaspora, the visit represents an opportunity for dialogue. Okonkwo said engagement between the government and Nigerians abroad could be crucial.
“I would hope that there are interactions not just with elites but with diaspora organisations,” he said.
Diplomacy and expectations
Ultimately, the ceremonies at Windsor Castle will showcase the UK’s traditional pageantry while signalling the importance London places on relations with Africa’s largest economy. And it will be watched closely by Nigerians both at home and abroad.
For analysts like Adamu, success will be measured in concrete results.
“If the trip produces real investment commitments and stronger security cooperation,” he said, “then it will have achieved something meaningful.”
For Nigerians in the UK, the test lies beyond photo opportunities.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill says that Chris Atherton’s switch to the Republic of Ireland is “disappointing, but we have to accept it”.
Atherton made history in September 2022 when he became the youngest senior footballer in the United Kingdom at 13 years and 329 days old, when he featured for Glenavon in the League Cup in Northern Ireland.
The 17-year-old moved from Glenavon, who he had been with since the age of four, to Chelsea’s academy in July 2025 before signing a professional contract in October.
Atherton represented Northern Ireland at under-16 and under-17 level, and was a youth ambassador at the announcement in Nyon for the UK and Ireland’s successful bid to host Euro 2028 in October 2023, but has now changed allegiance to the Republic of Ireland.
Speaking at his squad announcement for the World Cup play-off semi-final in Italy, O’Neill said “every player has the right to make that choice”.
“He’s a young player that had been initially in the Republic of Ireland set-up,” he continued.
“He came back to be part of our set-up and I think Chris played maybe 17 times for representative teams for us.
“But every player has the right to make that choice, and obviously he’s made that choice.”
O’Neill also referenced the decision of Omari Kellyman, who is on loan at Cardiff City from Chelsea and switched to England from Northern Ireland in 2023.
Northern Ireland have also benefited from changes of allegiance, as Jamie Donley and Ronan Hale switched from England and the Republic of Ireland respectively in the past 12 months.
“We can’t handcuff them to a decision that they made initially,” O’Neill added.
“They have the right to make that choice once in their career, and Chris has decided to make that choice.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill says that Chris Atherton’s switch to the Republic of Ireland is “disappointing, but we have to accept it”.
Atherton made history in September 2022 when he became the youngest senior footballer in the United Kingdom at 13 years and 329 days old, when he featured for Glenavon in the League Cup in Northern Ireland.
The 17-year-old moved from Glenavon, who he had been with since the age of four, to Chelsea’s academy in July 2025 before signing a professional contract in October.
Atherton represented Northern Ireland at under-16 and under-17 level, and was a youth ambassador at the announcement in Nyon for the UK and Ireland’s successful bid to host Euro 2028 in October 2023, but has now changed allegiance to the Republic of Ireland.
Speaking at his squad announcement for the World Cup play-off semi-final in Italy, O’Neill said “every player has the right to make that choice”.
“He’s a young player that had been initially in the Republic of Ireland set-up,” he continued.
“He came back to be part of our set-up and I think Chris played maybe 17 times for representative teams for us.
“But every player has the right to make that choice, and obviously he’s made that choice.”
O’Neill also referenced the decision of Omari Kellyman, who is on loan at Cardiff City from Chelsea and switched to England from Northern Ireland in 2023.
Northern Ireland have also benefited from changes of allegiance, as Jamie Donley and Ronan Hale switched from England and the Republic of Ireland respectively in the past 12 months.
“We can’t handcuff them to a decision that they made initially,” O’Neill added.
“They have the right to make that choice once in their career, and Chris has decided to make that choice.
Israel launched a wave of strikes on Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday, while attacks in Baghdad drew neighbouring Iraq deeper into the Middle East war that has sparked economic turmoil across the globe.
The Iranian capital, under near-daily bombardment since a joint US-Israeli attack started the war on February 28, was hit by what the Israeli military said were strikes on “terror regime infrastructure”.
The war, now in its third week, has killed hundreds and quickly spread to include Iranian strikes on Gulf nations as well as Israeli bombardment of Lebanon.
Lebanese state media reported Tuesday that Israeli strikes at dawn hit a residential building in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the pro-Iranian armed group Hezbollah.
Authorities in Lebanon said more than one million people have registered as displaced since March 2, with more than 130,000 people staying in upwards of 600 collective shelters.
The nation was drawn into the war when Tehran-backed Hezbollah militants struck Israel over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the conflict.
The regional war has also steadily pulled Iraq further into the fighting, after the country had long been a proxy battleground between the United States and Iran.
A drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday, while a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisors.
The strikes on the complex came hours after air defences thwarted a rocket attack at the embassy and a drone sparked a fire at a luxury hotel frequented by foreign diplomats in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone.
War in the Mideast has sent oil costs soaring, and prices resumed their climb on Tuesday as several countries pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s demand that they help secure the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran continued to target crude-producing neighbours.
Traffic in the Gulf waterway, through which a fifth of global crude oil passes has been severely disrupted by the war.
Repeated attacks on oil infrastructure — including strikes on major fields in the United Arab Emirates and southern Iraq — have contributed to the unrest in the markets.
Global oil prices have surged more than 40 percent since the US and Israel began their strike, and the impact has been felt globally.
Australia’s central bank hiked its key interest rate Tuesday, pointing to “sharply higher fuel prices” driven by the US-Israel war on Iran.
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Armada to Hormuz
Trump demanded allies join with “great enthusiasm” an armada to escort tankers through the strait.
“We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly,” Trump told reporters at a White House event.
Trump has warned that it would be “very bad” for the future of NATO if the allies refused to help and suggested he could delay a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping by a month or so over the issue.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London was working with allies to craft a “viable” plan to reopen the strait, but ruled out a NATO mission.
Berlin also said it “has been clear at all times that this war is not a matter for NATO”.
Japan, Australia, Poland, Spain, Greece and Sweden also distanced themselves from any military involvement in the Strait of Hormuz.
EU foreign ministers discussed the war in Brussels on Monday but showed “no appetite” for extending their Red Sea naval mission to help reopen Hormuz, the bloc’s top diplomat said.
Western allies Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom also urged Israel to show restraint in Lebanon, where it has announced “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah.
But Israel’s President Isaac Herzog told AFP that Europe should support “any effort to eradicate Hezbollah now”.
Defiant tone
The war has now engulfed the region, with Iran striking at least 10 countries that host US forces and its Revolutionary Guards saying it had fired around 700 missiles and 3,600 drones.
More than 1,200 Iranians have been killed by US and Israeli strikes, according to the last toll from Iran’s health ministry on March 8, which could not be independently verified.
But Tehran’s foreign minister struck a defiant tone on Monday.
“By now they have… understood what kind of nation they are dealing with,” Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Tehran.
Iran, he said, “does not hesitate to defend itself and is ready to continue the war wherever it may lead, and take it as far as necessary”.
Despite the violence and more than two weeks of internet blackout, some Iranians have sought to restore a sense of normalcy, with cafes and restaurants reopening and the popular Tajrish bazaar in Tehran busy over the weekend ahead of the coming Persian new year.
There is little sign of a popular uprising within Iran, where security forces killed thousands during protests in January.
The UN refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people have been displaced in Iran.
