UNIBEN Wins Nwofor Moot Court Competition 2015, held at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka

THE University of Benin (UNIBEN) has won the Sir B.E.I Nwofor (SAN) third Annual National Inter-University Moot court competition conducted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) Awka. Ten Universities entered for the Moot Court competition designed to encourage Advocacy among final year students of their law faculties.

The competing Universities  included University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Imo state University (IMSU) Enugu state University of Techonoly (ESUT), Ebonyi state University (EBSU) University of Benin (UNIBEN), Lagos State University (LASU), University of Ibadan (UI), University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the University of Uyo in Akwa-Ibom state.

After three days of preliminary rounds of the competition in which each of the participating school had three student lawyers to argue for or against an action on points of law with a practicing lawyer as the Judge Advocate, the Enugu state University (ESUT), the University of Benin and the Nnamdi Azikiwe University came first 2nd and third with 78%, 75%, and 70% in that order to enter into the finals.

But the tide changed in the finals as University of Benin emerged tops with 76%, Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Enugu state University of Technology came second and third with 71% and 66% respectively.

The overall winner went home with #50,000, second position #30,000 and the third #20,000.

The law faculties of the competing schools were represented by three student lawyers each in the finals and had argued in the case FHC/AWK/CS/15/2015 titled “Chidimma Ntonto vs Nechobel, an image maker, on Unizik road, Awka and the Federal Government filed on her behalf as the applicant by G.N Nwodo from the ESUT Faculty of law for an order to enforce her fundamental human rights.

After arguments, however, the application was not adopted because it didn’t say anything about the witnesses and that freedom doesn’t mean license to sue.

Ntonto had in her reliefs sought a declaration of the court that the wrongful act of the second respondent (Nechobel) by using her photograph on an advert label without her consent had exposed her to the prying eyes of the public and consequently upon which acts of attempted rape, sexual harassment and assault had been experienced and constitutes an abuse of her fundamental right.

She also sought for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, agents and privies from using all television adverts with her image.

The presiding Judge, Barr. O.L. Udemezue had before announcing the results after arguments were taken on points of law said the criteria for determining the over-all winner included team work, position, appearances, management of procedure and comportment.

Sir B.E.I Nwofor (SAN) who instituted the Inter-University Moot court competition for the third year running said at the end that he was impressed with the high level of discipline, humility, standard and professionalism exhibited by the competitors, adding that the legal profession is noble and honorable and urged them to work harder to wear the silk either in the bench or at the bar.

He pointed out some of the mistakes some of them made while presenting their arguments and expressed the hope that they would have corrected them by the time they passed out of the law school and called to the Bar.