The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned the treatment of Ms. Comfort Emmanson on an Ibom Air flight and is demanding the immediate withdrawal of the lifetime flight ban imposed on her. The NBA described the incident on August 10, 2025, where Ms. Emmanson was forcibly removed from the aircraft, publicly stripped of her clothing, and humiliated, actions that were widely circulated online. The association called these acts “heavy-handed, unlawful, and degrading,” stressing they violate human dignity and Nigerian law. The NBA also criticized the decision by Ibom Air and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to impose a lifetime ban on Ms. Emmanson without giving her a fair chance to respond. They insist that such sanctions should be regulated by the appropriate government authorities, not airlines alone. Further, the NBA condemned the sharing and circulation of unedited footage showing Ms. Emmanson’s exposure, labeling it a serious invasion of privacy and criminal. They demand that those responsible for distributing the video be identified and prosecuted. Calling for an independent investigation into the events leading to the incident, the NBA urged the withdrawal of the ban, a public apology to Ms. Emmanson, and compliance with aviation standards protecting passenger rights. The NBA additionally offered pro bono legal support to Ms. Emmanson to ensure her rights are safeguarded.The NBA’s firm stance shows its undeniable role to protecting citizens’ rights amid concerns over airline conduct and regulatory oversight.
PocketLawyers raises the bar for legal tech in Africa with Nubia Capital investment
PocketLawyers, a Nigerian legal-tech startup, has secured major backing from Nubia Capital to expand its digital platform for lawyers across Africa. Ngozi Nwabueze, founder and CEO of PocketLawyers, never planned to be a tech entrepreneur. After launching her virtual law firm in 2020 due to COVID-19, she quickly saw a bigger opportunity: help lawyers run their practices online, without the high costs of traditional offices. PocketLawyers now offers an all-in-one platform where solo lawyers and small firms can build no-code websites, generate legal documents using AI, manage client consultations, payments, and invoicingand also create transparent profiles with services, prices, and client reviews Described as “Shopify for lawyers,” the platform aims to make legal services more accessible and efficient, especially in places where many lawyers have little or no digital presence. In 2024, PocketLawyers switched from a service-based model to a full SaaS (Software as a Service) platform. This move is already paying off, with over 250 lawyers signed up in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. A standout feature, PocketAI, helps lawyers with research and document drafting, saving time and boosting service quality. Nubia Capital’s new investment will help PocketLawyers secure intellectual property, form partnerships with legal associations across Africa, and grow its product team. The exact funding amount remains undisclosed, but industry insiders say it’s a strong vote of confidence in African legal tech. Davidson Oturu, general partner at Nubia Capital, said, “PocketLawyers is reimagining how Africa’s founders access the tools to build compliant, scalable, and investor-ready businesses.” The startup is part of the FirstFounders venture studio, which supports African tech startups from idea to investment. David Lanre Messan, CEO of FirstFounders, called the deal “a win for the venture studio model and a big step for PocketLawyers.” PocketLawyers is also onboarding 1,000 new lawyers, known locally as “new wigs,” as part of a grassroots push to grow its user base. “African lawyers often have zero digital footprint,” Nwabueze told Technext. “PocketLawyers gives them that presence, along with tools for communication, productivity, and even payments. Our goal is to let lawyers practice independently, efficiently, and at scale.” On the investment, she added, “This shows they believe in the product and its impact on the entire ecosystem, not just for lawyers, but also for businesses looking to expand across borders. We are building for AfCFTA and beyond.” PocketLawyers plan to reach at least 10 African countries by the end of 2025, starting with Anglophone regions and then expanding into Francophone markets. The team’s long-term goal is to become the go-to legal infrastructure for Africa and emerging markets worldwide.
Nigeria launches JusticeTechNG 2025 hackathon to revolutionize justice sector with technology
The federal government today kicked off JusticeTechNG 2025, the country’s first-ever national hackathon and accelerator program dedicated to justice innovation. The event runs from June 3 to 5 in Lagos and brings together developers, lawyers, technologists, civic activists, and entrepreneurs to co-create digital solutions addressing critical challenges in the justice sector. The initiative, spearheaded by Fernandez Marcus-Obiene, Special Assistant to the President on Justice Sector Reform and ICT/Digital and Innovative Technology, aims to tackle issues such as court congestion, delayed access to justice, prisoner rehabilitation, and digital legal education through homegrown technology solutions. “We’re building a pipeline of justice innovations that are locally grown, policy-aligned, and ready for real-world adoption,” said Marcus-Obiene. “If we want the justice system to work better, we must invest in the people building tools to fix it.” From a competitive pool of 82 submissions, 20 finalist teams were selected by a panel of experts across law, technology, and development sectors. These teams will compete for a total prize pool of ₦22 million in cash and services, alongside structured mentorship and opportunities to pilot their solutions with government and civil society partners. Following the hackathon, the top 10 teams will enter a month-long virtual accelerator program, culminating in a Demo Day where finalists will pitch their innovations to a distinguished panel including government officials, judges, investors, and development agencies. The program is coordinated by a multi-disciplinary committee chaired by Abiola Jimoh, a legal technologist and policy strategist, who emphasized the initiative’s transformative potential: “This is not just a hackathon. It’s a coordinated national push to build scalable solutions that justice institutions can adopt and expand for real impact.” JusticeTechNG represents a pioneering model of public-private-civic collaboration, placing technology at the heart of justice reform in Nigeria and potentially across Africa. The high-level advisory board includes senior judges, legal experts, tech entrepreneurs, and policy leaders, ensuring strategic alignment with national reform goals.