Who are more the
criminals and the culprits whom we should lay the blame of our stunted
development as a people on their door steps? The politicians or our honourable
learned colleagues, who might not be learned after all.
They go by the names
Learned Colleagues, legal luminaries, counselors, lawyers, legal
practitioners, Barristers and whatever hallowed nomenclatures they might’d discovered
and settled on for themselves, as they intimidate the public and coarse respect
from among the people. They negotiated and convince the people on their
indispensability and secured a spot for themselves as an arm of government that
makes things right, whereas they contribute and are part of the problems.
They’re quick to jump off the board and accuse the politicians of corruption
and stalling the country’s development whenever things doesn’t go well,
forgetting the fact that they’re part and parcel of those running things.
They stall and
constitute obstacles to the dispensation of justice. They adjourned cases, and
receive kick backs behind the surface and under the tables to further their
pervasive modus operandi, they proclaim their saintly and defile less lives,
and are quick to deceive you that they’re your last hope. But am here to tell
you not to listen to them, they’ll screw
you and ask you to pay 50k for file opening and consultancy, after raising your
hope, that they’re watching your back. It’s a lie, they ain’t watching no shit,
if you leave your rare for them, and think they’re watching your back, you’ll
get screwed. They’re like the double face Janus that looks to the front, while
also looking behind. They are evil, carrying a little bit of good that has been
overshadowed by selfishness and greed, just like the politicians.
 |
| Justice Aloma Murtar, CJN.
In our country, if you
go check the number of cases awaiting trial, and how long they’d been pending,
you’ll be amaze, and wonder what the guys in the system does when they go to
work. I have heard and witnessed a situation a case might’d been fixed for
hearing or determination, only for the judge not to turn up for no reasonable excuse, except for that he or she missed his
or her newspaper for the morning or had a quarrel with their spouses, thereby, allowing
everyone’s fate to be dangling on limbo, as they prolong cases for as long as
ten, fifteen, twenty, even eternity years.
To them they’re and see themselves
as God, who can decide who, lives or who dies.
Go check the accounts,
and assets made out in the names of most of our legal practitioners In our
country, and you’ll be amaze at the level of ill gotten wealth they’ve so
primitively accumulated just like our rogues politicians, yet no one talks
about them. They’re richer than most business men, as their wealth over the
years piled up through their shady and justice obstructions activities without
scrutiny. Little wonder jungle justice and lack of faith in the country’s legal
system has fast become part of us, as the legendary reggae king Bob Marley said
“You can fool some people sometimes, but you can't fool all the people all the
time”
People now prefer and
glamour for the days of Amadioha, Shango, and the instant striking of the
thunder to take over the dispensation of justice, as our learned colleagues,
who appear dumb in most of their proclamations, and rulings, and tend to
confused our judgement and insult our intelligence, claiming that cases are
determined base on some technicality and whatever jargons and lies that they
peddle that no longer inspire confidence.
Sometimes
you wonder whether they usually travel out of the universe, or have cotton
boards in their ears or wool on their eyes when celebrated crimes are committed
all over the world, like that of Oscar Pristorius, OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson’s
child molestation case, the propofol drug that killed him, administered by his Doctor, Corad Murray, former prime
minister of Israel, Ehud Olmerd, who was jailed for corruption, and the order
by the court for the arrest of Pakistani’s prime minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf ,
Damilola Tailors murder cases, and many others when they come up, the time
frame the hearing, determinations and the ruling on the cases were conducted, and
dispose of within a reasonable time frame, thereby reposing confidence and hope
of justice on the system. But not so
here with the boys running things in our house, if they’d done there work, the Ekiti
State Governor elect won’t be slapping a Judge, and obstructing court proceedings,
Oji Uzoh Kalu won’t be in USA buying new jets, and writing rubbish on his Sun newspaper
about another serving corrupt none performing governor, Joshua Dariye, Jolly
Nyame, Boni Haruna, Tarfa Balogun, Alamesia, Gbenga Daniel, Farouk Lawal, Femi
Otedola and the Elumelu guy that was once the Chairman House Committee on
power, that were investigating President Obasanjo’ regime’s wastage of over
60Billion dollars on a none existing power project would’ve all been where they truly deserve by
now. The former governor of Delta state, Jame Onanefe Ibori wouldn’t had so disgraced the country
and the country’s legal system as he did, Bola Ahmed Tinubu wouldn’t have
become so powerful, transacting almost half of Lagos in his sitting room, Chris
Uba and the oil marketers would’ve by now known their fates.
But our judicial
system, workers, and legal practitioners would not allow the course to work
itself, they’ll aid the politicians to distort our laws, make mess of what
makes for morals in our country, insult our sensibilities and expect no one to
put the blame of our degradation, degeneration and shameless and abominable
behaviours on their door steps, who then should we blame? No wonder they’re as rich as our corrupt and stealing politicians, if
you doubt me, go find out how much the likes of Festus Keyamo, Riki Tarfa, Femi
Falana, and the rest charges on election tribunal and other cases bordering on corruption
and other criminal cases, and how long those cases have been pending in court,
if not completely forgotten. Shake them up a little and you’ll be amaze at the
level of ill gotten wealth they’ve so primitively accumulated just like our
rogues politicians. They’re richer than most business men, as their wealth
over the years had piled up through their shady and justice obstructions
activities without scrutiny. Little wonder jungle justice and lack of faith in
the country’s legal system is fast becoming part of us, as the legendary reggae
king Bob Marley said “You can fool some people sometimes, but you can fool all
the people all the time” To the people, you’d been fooling us for a very long
time
 
The concern of this writer is the fate of the
judiciary in the face of the comic absurdity in our nation’s democratic
practice. Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN) had sounded a note of warning to
judges in his book, ‘Legal System, Corruption And Governance in Nigeria’,
saying Gen. Ibrahim Babangida held the judiciary responsible for the annulment
of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
In his annulment proclamation, Babangida said that “the judiciary has been the
bastion of the hopes and liberties of our citizens. Therefore when it became
clear that the courts became intimidated and subjected to the manipulation of
the political process, resulting in contradictory decisions and orders by
courts of coordinate jurisdiction, then the entire political system was in
clear danger. Accordingly, it is in the supreme interest of the laws and order,
political stability and peace that the presidential election be annulled.”
In the same vein, Gen. Sani Abacha blamed the judiciary for sacking Chief
Ernest Shonekan’s Interim National Government, following Justice Dolapo
Akinsanya of Lagos High Court judgment which declared the government illegal
and an aberration.
As we speak, Twenty five Federal High Court Judges
and State High Court Judges are allegedly stewing in their own messes. The
Judges are currently being interrogated on charges bothering on corruption,
bribery, money laundering and abuse of office.
25 JUDGES UNDER INVESTIGATION:
A National Daily competent sources disclosed that the investigation of the 25
Judges is predicated by the alleged petition forwarded to the Chief Justice of
Nigeria (CJN), Mariam Aloma Muktar. CJN concerning the alleged corrupt
practices of the Judges and copied the Chairman of Economic Financial Crime
Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde.
aSources said in the alleged petition four Justice of the Appeal Court were
accused of bribery and abuse of office amounting to over N5 billion. Five
serving Federal High Court Judges and eight Judges across the country.
“Punitive action will be taken against the affected Judges when they return
from annual vacation. The CJN has been interacting with EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim
Lamorde in other to fine tune details of impending trial. CJN assured the
petitioners that no stone will be left unturned in riding the nation of
corruption.”
It was further learned that Justices of the Federal High Court and Chairman of
Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar are also facing the EFCC over
allegation of corruption, bribery, money laundering and abuse of public office.
The affected Judges are currently telling the EFCC of what they know about N5
billion found in their account as Judicial Officers. The National Daily
impeccable sources hinted that Nasarrawa Chief Judge, Suleiman Dikko may soon
face the CJN over his alleged misconduct in the impeachment saga involving the
governor, Tanko Al-Makura. It was learned that 20 members of the Nasarrawa
State House of Assembly are writing a petition against Suleiman Dikoo raising
16 allegations against him.
While Al-Makura believe that the dismissal of the petition vindicated the
lawmakers rejected the finding of the panel.
The 20 lawmakers are expected to submit the panel’s decision to the State House.
The National Judicial Council which is charged
by the same 1999 Constitution with the appointment and discipline of judges
have always taken exception to action of judges who violate the otherwise clear
provisions of the constitution, but since corruption, dubious activities and
greed runs in the veins of most of our dishonourable learned colleagues, who
fight on daily bases to portray that they’re honourable just like most
politicians, they continue to act against every measures the council is
adopting in order to inspire confidence from the people and honour for the
body.
At an emergency meeting held at
Abuja on December 20, 2006, the National Judicial Council, acting with powers
vested in it by Paragraph 21(d) of the Third Schedule to the 1999 constitution
suspended the Chief Judges of Anambra, Plateau and Ekiti states for the
partisan roles played in the impeachment of the governors of their respective
states.
Those suspended were Justices Chika Okoli (Anambra), Ya’u Dakwang (Plateau), and both the Chief Judges of Ekiti state, Justice Kayode Bamisile, and the former acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Jide Aladejana. The suspension takes immediate effect. Chuka Okoli, former Chief Judge of Anambra State, was placed on suspension by the council for what was considered to be his inglorious act in the controversial impeachment of Peter Obi as governor of the state. Before Governor Virginia Etiaba effected the decision of the council to appoint an acting Chief Judge, Okoli even tried to discountenance the directives of the NJC. Justice Kayode Bamisile, his Ekiti State counterpart, was also sanctioned for similar misconduct. The former Chief Judge allegedly compromised himself by appointing on the investigation panel persons believed to be cronies of the then Governor Ayodele Fayose, to probe the impeachment allegations levelled against the governor. But Justice Jide Aladejana, who stepped into Bamisile’s shoes without due process, went down with his boss in line with the council’s recommendation. Lazarus Dakyen, the Chief Judge of Plateau State, also lost his job because of his reluctance to be guided by law in his participation in the processes leading to the removal of Governor Joshua Dariye. Before them were Okechukwu Opene and D. A. Adeniji, who were indicted for taking bribe on the matter of the senatorial election in Anambra State. Though a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Akin Olujimi, (SAN), advised President Olusegun Obasanjo against their dismissal, the President upheld the decision of the NJC. Olujimi based his advice on the procedure adopted by the council in determining the case. They are not the only judicial officers who fell victims of the political crisis in Anambra State. Stanley Nnaji, then a judge of Enugu State High Court, was suspended in March 2004 for wrongly assuming jurisdiction on a matter outside his state. The judge had ordered Tafa Balogun, then Inspector-General of police, to remove Chris Ngige, who was then the governor of Anambra State. Nnoruka Udechukwu, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, petitioned the NJC, complaining that the ruling was in bad faith and against the code of conduct of judicial officers. Nnaji was probably encouraged by the reluctance of the Federal Government to implement a similar decision of the council on Wilson Egbo-Egbo, another High Court judge, for granting an injunction directing Ngige to stop parading himself as the governor. But shortly after Nnaji was accused of misconduct, Obasanjo approved Egbo-Egbo’s retirement. The latter is one of the nine judges so far retired for endorsing unnecessary ex-parte applications.
But they are not the only casualties of
political cases.
  
Five others were implicated in
the 2003 Election Petition Tribunal in Akwa Ibom State. They adjudicated on the
petition against the re-election of Governor Victor Attah by Ime Umanah,
candidate of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, at the election. By
the time the NJC concluded its job, Matilda Adamu, a judge of the High Court of
Plateau State, Christopher Senlong of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and James
Isede, a chief magistrate in the Edo State judiciary, had earned themselves
dismissal from the judiciary because political issues. D. T. Ahura of the High
Court of Plateau State and A. M. Elelegwu of the Customary Court of Appeal,
Delta State, were recommended for suspension. The Federal Government, after
approving the verdict of the council on the judicial officers in February 2004,
sent their case files to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related
Offences Commission for trial.
It on these grounds judges and Chief Judges who are involved in various political cases, especially as the 2015 general elections approach, are advised to learn from the eventualities
which befell those of the past by doing
justice in accordance with their oath.
Heads certainly will roll in the ongoing EFCC investigation of alleged corrupt Judges.
Some recitations FROM NATIONAL
DAILY
|
Ezeoku
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