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Avoid Diplomatic Problems, Falana Warns Wike Against Sealing Embassies Over Ground Rent

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Nigeria human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has warned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, not to contemplate sealing 34 embassies and foreign missions said to be owing ground rents in the nation’s capital city Abuja. 

“Embassies and missions cannot be invaded because they have not paid ground rent, which is not applicable for all of them,” the senior advocate said on Channels Television’s Politics Today Monitored by the column.ng on Monday.

The Wike administration in the FCT had published the details of 9,000 debtors in newspapers, asking them to pay their ground rents to avoid the risk of forfeiture of their land.

The FCT Administration announced on May 23, 2025, that it would take possession of about 5,000 affected properties owing ground rents between 10 and 43 years and began sealing and taking over properties of debtors including the PDP national secretariat but President Bola Tinubu granted the defaulters a 14-day grace period to settle their outstanding payments and penalties.

The grace period elapsed on Friday, June 6, 2025, which was a public holiday for Eid celebrations. Many Nigerians anticipate the next line of action by the Wike administration after the Sallah holidays on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

 

Falana argued that there are about 20 high court, appeal court, and Supreme Court decisions that ruled that the FCT authorities have no right to unilaterally seal up any property within the nation’s capital.

The senior lawyer said, “As far as the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations is concerned, the premises of any embassy in Abuja are inviolable by Article 22 of the convention.

“If we embark on invading the embassy of any country, it’s going to lead to serious diplomatic problems for Nigeria. So, it is not allowed.

“The minister cannot order that a house be sealed up because the right to a fair hearing is guaranteed by Section 36 of the Constitution and Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights Act. What this implies is that before you can take action against me, you must give me the right to make a representation.”

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Transfer: Real Madrid , Cucurella Reach Verbal Agreement 

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Chelsea reliable defender, Marc Cucurella may join Spanish giant, Real Madrid before the end of the current transfer window.if information from transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano are anything to go by.

 

Romano In a latest transfer update, said Real Madrid has reached verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.

“Verbal agreement in place between all parties, player too — he’s the left back wanted by Mourinho” the update read.

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Hakimi, Vinicius Barred From Speaking Spanish At World Cup

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FIFA has come under scrutiny after several high-profile players, including Achraf Hakimi and Vinicius Junior, were discouraged from speaking Spanish during media engagements at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

 

The issue first surfaced ahead of Morocco’s Group C clash with Brazil when a Spanish-speaking journalist attempted to question Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi in Spanish.

Despite Hakimi, who grew up in Madrid and speaks the language fluently, indicating he was comfortable answering in Spanish, event officials reportedly insisted that questions be asked in English.

Hakimi attempted to reassure organizers that language would not be a barrier, but officials maintained that no Spanish translator was available for the session. A compromise was eventually reached, with the reporter asking the question in Spanish while Hakimi responded in English.

The controversy intensified during Brazil’s media session when Vinicius Junior was also interrupted while responding to a question in Spanish.

The Real Madrid forward, who is more comfortable speaking Portuguese or Spanish than English, was reportedly asked by organizers to switch languages.

Rather than continue in Spanish, Vinicius opted to answer in Portuguese before turning his attention back to Brazil’s World Cup preparations.

The incidents sparked widespread debate among journalists and fans, many of whom questioned why Spanish—a language spoken by millions across North America—was effectively restricted at a tournament being hosted largely in the United States.

According to Spanish media outlet El País, FIFA only provides Spanish-language translation services at World Cup press conferences involving Spanish-speaking nations such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

For all other teams, questions and answers are expected to be conducted either in English or the official language of the participating country.

The policy has generated criticism online, with many supporters arguing that multilingual communication should be encouraged at a global event like the World Cup.

The backlash was particularly strong in Vinicius’ case, as the Brazilian forward appeared visibly uncomfortable being asked to communicate in English.

The controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a highly anticipated encounter between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

With the issue now drawing international attention, FIFA may face increasing calls to review its media language guidelines as the tournament progresses.

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It’s Illegal’…Falana’s Bombshell Indicts Govs, FG.

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Human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has warned federal and state governments against negotiating with and rewarding terrorists.

 

According to Falana, the practice is illegal.

He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting in Abuja on June 13, 2026.

Falana claimed it is public knowledge officials of the Federal Government and some State Governments have been holding meetings and negotiating with terrorists and bandits, which has led to thousands of ‘repentant’ criminals being forgiven and given cash gifts of undisclosed sums of money.

Asserting that the “satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies have been proscribed” under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, Falana insisted that “their members and allies shall be prosecuted and not pampered and forgiven by the Nigerian State.”

Highlighting the legal consequences, he quoted Section 22 of the Act, stating: “A person who knowingly—(a) arranges, manages, assists in arranging or managing, participates in a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, (b) collects, or provides logistics, equipment, information, articles or facilities for a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, or (c) attends a meeting, which in his knowledge is to support a proscribed entity or to further the objectives of a proscribed entity, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of at least 20 years.”

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