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Tag: Justice

  • Akpabio to Parliamentarians: Let’s stand in partnership committed to peace, justice

    Akpabio to Parliamentarians: Let’s stand in partnership committed to peace, justice

    President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has called on parliamentarians all over the world to stand in partnership, committed to peace, justice, and shared destiny.

    He stated this in his remarks at the ongoing 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union IPU in collaboration with the United Nations, Geneva Switzerland

    According to Akpabio, as parliamentarians, let us commit to collaboration and the courageous pursuit of solutions that transcend borders and partisan divides.

    “I bring you greetings from the Senate and the resilient people of Nigeria. I come from a nation that has endured fire and risen from ashes. A nation that finds clarity in confusion and keeps sailing through storms and rough weather.

    “This conference—’A World in Turmoil: Multilateralism for Peace, Justice and Prosperity for All’—meets the moment. Across the globe, conflict drowns out the songs of peace. War consumes not only homes but the hopes of families. And while science surges, millions—especially in developing nations—remain trapped in cycles of fear and want.

    “With the world now a global village, these are not distant crises. I urge affected nations not to surrender to despair. We in the Nigerian Senate have chosen to legislate in the storm, reform in the furnace, and lead with courage.

    “We face armed conflict, climate disruption, and youth disillusionment. Terrorists exploit poverty and displacement. Farmer-herder clashes and small arms proliferation threaten our unity. But we are not defined by what we face, but by how we rise. In the furnace of turmoil, we are becoming stronger, wiser, and more determined to build a greater nation”.

    Akpabio stressed that “In parliament, we are legislating to secure the future. In partnership with the Executive, we have passed laws to confront insecurity and rebuild trust: the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Act, the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, and the Out-of-School Children Education Act etc.

    “We are investing in innovation, through a 10-year National Digital Strategy, to equip our youth to bridge the divide. Through the Start-Up Act, expanded credit access, and digital training, we unlock potential long caged by poverty.

    “We are also advancing inclusion. The Not Too Young To Run Act was a summons to a new generation. Women and persons with disabilities are no longer on the margins. And legislation is underway to institutionalize gender quotas—because inclusion, not exclusion, must be our standard.

    “We have devised strategies to fight poverty: education loans, vocational training, tax reforms for the vulnerable, and cash transfers to the poorest households—all aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals”.

    He noted further that “Multilateralism must not become a rhetoric. It must rise as a movement of resolve. The Nigerian Parliament believes in international solidarity as a shared responsibility. For humanity is a single tapestry and when one corner is torn by conflict or injustice, the whole fabric is weakened.

    “Let us therefore stand in partnership, committed to peace, justice, and shared destiny. We must not simply convene; we must command. Let us bind our futures not only in treaties, but in tenacity and remain paragons of purpose.

    “As parliamentarians, let us commit to collaboration and the courageous pursuit of solutions that transcend borders and partisan divides.”

    Jackson Udom,
    Special Assistant, Media To The President Of The Senate

  • Akpabio to Parliamentarians: Let’s stand in partnership committed to peace, justice

    Akpabio to Parliamentarians: Let’s stand in partnership committed to peace, justice

    President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has called on parliamentarians all over the world to stand in partnership, committed to peace, justice, and shared destiny.

    He stated this in his remarks at the ongoing 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union IPU in collaboration with the United Nations, Geneva Switzerland

    According to Akpabio, as parliamentarians, let us commit to collaboration and the courageous pursuit of solutions that transcend borders and partisan divides.

    “I bring you greetings from the Senate and the resilient people of Nigeria. I come from a nation that has endured fire and risen from ashes. A nation that finds clarity in confusion and keeps sailing through storms and rough weather.

    “This conference—’A World in Turmoil: Multilateralism for Peace, Justice and Prosperity for All’—meets the moment. Across the globe, conflict drowns out the songs of peace. War consumes not only homes but the hopes of families. And while science surges, millions—especially in developing nations—remain trapped in cycles of fear and want.

    “With the world now a global village, these are not distant crises. I urge affected nations not to surrender to despair. We in the Nigerian Senate have chosen to legislate in the storm, reform in the furnace, and lead with courage.

    “We face armed conflict, climate disruption, and youth disillusionment. Terrorists exploit poverty and displacement. Farmer-herder clashes and small arms proliferation threaten our unity. But we are not defined by what we face, but by how we rise. In the furnace of turmoil, we are becoming stronger, wiser, and more determined to build a greater nation”.

    Akpabio stressed that “In parliament, we are legislating to secure the future. In partnership with the Executive, we have passed laws to confront insecurity and rebuild trust: the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Act, the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, and the Out-of-School Children Education Act etc.

    “We are investing in innovation, through a 10-year National Digital Strategy, to equip our youth to bridge the divide. Through the Start-Up Act, expanded credit access, and digital training, we unlock potential long caged by poverty.

    “We are also advancing inclusion. The Not Too Young To Run Act was a summons to a new generation. Women and persons with disabilities are no longer on the margins. And legislation is underway to institutionalize gender quotas—because inclusion, not exclusion, must be our standard.

    “We have devised strategies to fight poverty: education loans, vocational training, tax reforms for the vulnerable, and cash transfers to the poorest households—all aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals”.

    He noted further that “Multilateralism must not become a rhetoric. It must rise as a movement of resolve. The Nigerian Parliament believes in international solidarity as a shared responsibility. For humanity is a single tapestry and when one corner is torn by conflict or injustice, the whole fabric is weakened.

    “Let us therefore stand in partnership, committed to peace, justice, and shared destiny. We must not simply convene; we must command. Let us bind our futures not only in treaties, but in tenacity and remain paragons of purpose.

    “As parliamentarians, let us commit to collaboration and the courageous pursuit of solutions that transcend borders and partisan divides.”

    Jackson Udom,
    Special Assistant, Media To The President Of The Senate

  • Woman wrongly convicted freed after 43 years in jail

    Woman wrongly convicted freed after 43 years in jail

    A 63-year-old Missouri woman, Sandra “Sandy” Hemme, who was imprisoned for more than 40 years for murder, has had her conviction overturned after spending 43 years in prison for a murder she did not commit.

    According to the Foreign news outlet, The Guardian, on Sunday, Hemme was convicted in 1985 based on her incriminating statements, made while she was a psychiatric patient.

    However, a judge has now ruled that there is “clear and convincing” evidence that she was innocent of the crime.

    Hemme, now 63, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1980 murder of a library worker, Patricia Jeschke, in St Joseph, Missouri, after Hemme made statements to the police incriminating herself while she was a psychiatric patient.

    Livingston County Circuit Judge Ryan Horsman on Friday ruled that “evidence directly” ties the murder of Jeschke to a local police officer who later went to prison for another crime and has since died.

    The judge said that Hemme who has spent the last 43 years behind bars, must be freed within 30 days unless prosecutors decide to re-try her.

    The judge’s decision followed a January hearing where Hemme’s legal team presented evidence linking the murder to Michael Holman, a former local police officer who has since passed away
    Hemme’s conviction was the longest-known wrongful conviction of a woman in US history.

    Her legal team, with the Innocence Project, argued that authorities ignored Hemme’s contradictory statements and failed to disclose evidence that would have helped her defence.

    Her attorneys in a statement said, “We are grateful to the Court for acknowledging the grave injustice Ms Hemme has endured for more than four decades.”

    Hemme initially pleaded guilty to capital murder to avoid the death penalty, but her conviction was later overturned on appeal.

    She was retried in 1985, with the only evidence against her being her contradictory and factually impossible “confession” made while she was a psychiatric patient.

    In a 147-page petition, her attorneys seeking her exoneration argued that authorities had ignored these inconsistencies.

  • NBA identifies challenges hindering administration of justice

    NBA identifies challenges hindering administration of justice

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Bwari Branch, Abuja has identified challenges inhibiting administration of justice in the country.

    The Chairman of the branch, Paul Daudu, enumerated the challenges on Friday while addressing newsmen to announce the branch’s law week in Abuja.

    Daudu listed the challenges to include prolonged pre-trial detention, delayed trials, lack of access to legal representation and poor case management.

    He said the problem also include conflicting and perverse judgments for superior courts of record, unethical practices by some legal practitioners and law enforcement agents, amongst others.

    “There is indeed the perception by ordinary citizens that what presently operates in Nigeria is the ‘administration of law’ and not ‘’administration of justice.’

    “The former being a system riddled by hybrid technicalities, legal jargon, cumbersome adjudicatory procedure and rhetoric.

    “As a branch, we identify the challenges facing the administration of justice in Nigeria,” he said.

    The chairman called on the legal practitioners, as guardians of the law, to reaffirm their commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring access to justice for all.

    “Our theme for this year’s Law Week, ‘Strengthening the Foundation of Justice,’ resonates deeply with the core values of our profession and the principles upon which our legal system is built,” he said.

    Some of the programmes at the weeklong event include a Jumat Service, a novelty football match between the senior members of the Bar and the Young Lawyers Forum, lectures, Christian thanksgiving service, among others.

  • I will continue to push for national policy on justice – AGF Fagbemi

    I will continue to push for national policy on justice – AGF Fagbemi

    The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has said that the justice sector under his watch would continue to push for mutuality in the formation and implementation of the national policy on justice.

    Fagbemi said this at the 2024 National Judicial Summit on Justice Sector on Wednesday in Abuja, with the theme: `Repositioning the Justice System: Constitutional, Statutory, and Operational Reforms for Access and Efficiency”.

    Giving a brief history on how the national judicial summit was born, Fagbemi said the idea was conceived in 2017 with the aim of providing a veritable platform for analysing, reviewing and accessing issues affecting the Administration of Justice in Nigeria.

    “In furtherance of the above, we are developing draft constitution amendment bills which are aimed at achieving the aims of improved access to justice, deepening the independence and capacity of the judiciary, and eliminating delays in the administration of justice, among others.

    “Justice Sector Summits were held in 2017 and 2022 and this summit offers us an opportunity to assess the successes recorded and challenges faced since these last summits.

    “Specifically, it enables us to measure the impact of the reforms initiated by the National Policy on Justice (2017 – 2023), in the key areas of administration of justice: law enforcement, judicial proceedings, correctional services, restorative and traditional justice, legal education and practice, etc.

    “At this summit we will validate and adopt the revised National Policy on Justice, 2024-2028 which is the product of extensive research work and consultations undertaken by critical stakeholders in the Justice Sector.

    “Although, the draft policy itself is an ambitious document which aims to serve as a catalyst for the transformation of the entire justice system in Nigeria’’.

    According to him, this is an opportunity to have a comprehensive assessment, review and consideration of issues militating against effective administration of justice in Nigeria.

    “There will be a well-articulated broad road map of initiatives, actions and responsibilities for addressing and repositioning the justice sector to effectively and efficiently discharge its duties in enhancing national security: upholding the rule of law, promoting the protection of human rights, democratic principles and the socio-economic development of our nation.

    He highlighted some of the key interventions proposed to be pursued in the Revised National Policy on Justice, 2024.

    The policy, he said, seeks to promote and protect human rights and access to justice which are essential features of a functional justice system.

    He also said it proposes practical and sustainable interventions in the implementation of statutory provisions encouraging protection of human rights and access to justice.

    “It also seeks to improve mechanisms for fair and speedy dispensation of justice; detention and correctional services; restorative justice; alternative dispute resolution (ADR) – developing Nigeria into an arbitration hub on the continent; commerce and economic activities; compliance with treaty obligations; synergy and cooperation across the justice sector; and independence of the judiciary; among others,” he said.

  • SAD! Justice Belgore is dead

    SAD! Justice Belgore is dead

    A retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Ahmad Olarewaju Belgore, is dead.

    A family source said the highly respected jurist died on Tuesday at his residence in Ilorin after breaking fast in the evening.

    Profile:
    Born on 18th April 1953 and studied Law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he bagged LL.B. (Hons.) with a Specialization in Islamic Law from 1975 to 1978, the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos (Barrister-At-Law (BL) 1978/79 Session and was enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in July, 1979.

    Records revealed that the late jurist was appointed as a Notary Public in 1987 and later served in various capacities such as Judge of the High Court of Justice, Kwara State from August 1990 to 2006, Resident High Court Judge, Offa Judicial Division of Kwara State August 1994 to September, 1999 as well as Chairman, Special Tribunal Miscellaneous Offences in Abuja.

    He was also on secondment to the Judiciary of the Republic of the Gambia and appointed as Justice of Appeal, Gambia Court of Appeal and was later elevated to become the acting Justice of the Supreme Court of the Gambia, a position he held up to December 2005.

    Late Ahmad Belgore was appointed as Justice, Court of Appeal, Nigeria on 27th April 2006 and sworn in on the 8th June, 2006 and was posted to become the Presiding Justice, Sharia Panel of the Court of Appeal in 2008 and by 2015, he was appointed as Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal and posted to Ekiti Division.

    Appointed Member, Body of Benchers of Nigeria, October 2015. Appointed Life Bencher, February 2021 and finally retired on 18th April 2023 at the age of 70.

  • 1967 civil war denied us 3 academic sessions in S/East, Justice Uzo Ndukwe-Anyanwu, JCA narrates experience during valedictory session+Photos

    1967 civil war denied us 3 academic sessions in S/East, Justice Uzo Ndukwe-Anyanwu, JCA narrates experience during valedictory session+Photos

    …says those of us in Queens sch will remain ever grateful to Chief EK Clark who gave us chairs and desks

    … before the furniture came we were sitting on cement blocks

    Justice Uzo Ndukwe-Anyanwu of the Appeal Court who last week formally retired from service has narrated how the civil war of 1967 denied students in the South Eastern part of Nigeria sacrificed three academic sessions to the war.

    Justice Ndukwe-Anyanwu, JCA, made this revelation in her valedictory session in Enugu last Thursday where she started her career as a Legal Officer.

    The Valedictory session was attended by Who is who in Nigeria, including the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, in this her abridged speech bared it all as she recalls the ordeal those in the South East went through in those horrifying three years the war lasted.

    Hear her:

    “The journey to this day started 70 years ago in Bida in today’s Niger State. I was born into the illustrious Ndukwe family of Oraifite in Ekwusigo Local Government Area to Ellis Amobi Ndukwe and my mother Janet Uchenna Uzoukwu-Ndukwe on the 28th day of December, 1953.

    “My father a young pharmacist was posted to Bida to serve out his bond as a Federal Government Scholar trained in the Pharmacy School Yaba Lagos.

    “My mother a trained teacher of Women Training College Umuahia in today’s Abia State. They got married in Bida and started their life together. My father served out his bond in 1955 and they both relocated to Enugu where my other five siblings were born. I started my elementary school in Women Training College Practising School Enugu in 1959.

    ” I spent six years and obtained my First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC). I proceeded to Queen’s School Enugu in 1966 to start my Secondary School education. I was in class two in 1967 when the civil war broke out.

    ” All schools in the then South East or better known as East Central State were shut down. Students were sent home. I was at home for most of the year in 1967 in Enugu until it fell. My family thereafter, relocated to our village Oraifite in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    ” The hostilities continued for us in our new location. Myself and my sister Uche continued with our education in Anglican Girls’ Secondary School Nnewi, a few miles from home.

    ” My parents hired a room for us close to the school. My father used to drop us off on Sundays on his way back to work in Amaigbo where the Nigerian Railway Corporation Hospital was stationed.

    “Myself and my sister would thereafter, take the long walk back home to Oraifite on Fridays. The hostilities continued with a lot of intensity. Oraifite was so close to Onitsha which was a very dangerous front.

    “After sometime, it became clear that the war front was moving past Onitsha inching into the neighbouring towns and villages. Oraifite did not fall due to the hostilities but my parents moved most of us again to Owerri further into the hinterlands. Somehow, the hostilities never got to Oraifite.

    ” Luckily the hostilities ended in January, 1970. Everyone tried to go back to their former places of abode as much as possible though very sceptical. My own family went back to Enugu. Luckily our own home was still standing bereft of any piece of furniture except an oak dining table which was assembled in the room. That is that for the years 1967 – Jan. 1970.

    “The process of rehabilitation was tedious. No money, nothing. It was B. A. begin again. I went back to Queen’s School Enugu. It has also suffered devastation like everything in the South East.

    “The three Rs promised by the Federal Government was a far cry in materialising. In Queen’s School we started with sitting on cement blocks and anything available in sight. It didn’t take too long before our situation got the attention of the Midwest Government of Samuel Ogbemudia spearheaded by Chief E.K. Clark who I believe was then his Commissioner of Education.

    ” Lorry loads of desks, chairs and wood to build more furniture were delivered to our school. Chief E. P. Clark personally came to our school. We saw him as a Messiah coming to the rescue. Up till this moment, Queen’s School Old Girls still revere him.

    ” A house was named after him in recognition of his good deeds. God bless him abundantly. We struggled on, as most of our expatriate teachers did not come back. Some of the Nigerian teachers returned with an infiltration of new ones.

    ” The core values of the School were lost never to be regained. We struggled along with our studies as much as we could. The east then had two sets of class 5. Those who were in class 5 before the war were designated Class 5 (Special) and those who were promoted to Class 5 after the war were called Class 5 (Ordinary). Both sets took their School Certificate together and there was recorded a lot of exam malpractice. They retook the exams and were notoriously labelled Expo Set.

    ” I eventually took my School Certificate in 1972 and came out with a Grade 1 with 3 distinctions. I then proceeded to Queens’ College Lagos for my ‘A’ Levels. It was a different ball game. I came with a mind-set that discipline would be the watchword. I was very disappointed.

    ” I expected more from them since they were shielded from the war. I quickly adapted to the new normal of discipline I met. We were only three from Queens’ School Enugu. The girls we met who were our classmates were at least 3 years younger.

    “My original classmates left just before we came in 1973. We were supposed to do ‘A’ Levels for two Sessions but as the Federal Government was changing the School Calendar to conform, with the world, we ended ours in June 1974 instead of December 1974.

    “We therefore, became, the first June set to be able to proceed to the Universities in September of the same year. Unlike before, after ‘A’ levels in December you had to proceed to University in September of the next year losing almost a year at home.

    ” It became obvious to us that we had to compress the curriculum to one and half years which made it very hectic and onerous. Universities then had their own entrance exams.

    ” I only opted to take the entrance exam for U. N. N. which I passed. At the end of the ‘A’, Levels, I proceeded to U. N. N. Enugu Campus before the ‘A’ Levels Results came out. I passed my ‘A’ levels.

    ” I was then offered admission to UNILAG to study Law, University of Ibadan to study BA Classics as they had no Law Faculty. I also was offered admission to ABU Zaria. Since I had already started a 4-year programme, Prof C. O. Okonkwo our family friend and my course adviser convinced my parents I should continue in U. N. N.

    ” I didn’t see any need to go against their wishes and I continued in U.N.E.C. I enjoyed my 4 years in the university participating in the Students Union Council. It was 4 years of fun and growing up. The academic sides of my sojourn in the university was brilliant and interesting.

    ” I did not lag behind on the social aspect of university life. Driving in the university was a sina qua non. One was careful not to be bitten by the almighty BEE, a UNEC soft sell magazine that watched all the clandestine moves of students. I got lucky not to be bitten by the BEE. But it was all fun when you were not the victim of its sting. We participated in the Annual Rag Day. This used to be very interesting.

    ” It was the only day the members of the Pirate Confraternity unmasked themselves. They acted as the ombudsman. They came to the various hostels especially the female hostels to ensure compliance.

    ” Undergraduates dressed themselves in rags. There was a competition to know who adorned themselves in what is seen as rags. A Rag Queen and Rag King were crowned to end the day. It was all fun whilst collecting donations for charities from the public. In my 4th and final year, there was the almighty strike that had bedevilled Nigerian Educational System.

    ” In the years in the University our elders cautioned us on joining the National Strikes of NANS. The reason being that each of us had lost not less than 3 years in the war.

    ” The universities in the East tried to shield themselves from National Strike actions. However, this one was the master of all strikes. The ALI MUST GO Strike.

    ” Universities nationwide were shut down for weeks. We stayed at home for weeks. Universities were opened early June. Universities had only about two weeks, to finish their syllabus, do revision and then exams.

    ” It was tough but, school calendar was school calendar. Exams cannot be shifted. ALI was the then Minister of Education. No one knew who he was. Decades later, this man came to my Chambers to take his oath for his Code of Conduct Form.

    ” I administered the oath and we got talking. He confessed that he was that ALI the Minister under whom we went on strike. He narrated how the road in Surulere was blocked when he was going home.

    “He was forced to come down and he immediately fizzled into the crowd shouting ALI MUST GO like everyone on the street. He was an ordinary man.

    ” He was not physically endowed in terms of height, so no one recognised him. He became one of the protesters on the street waving leaves. He was a very funny man. I told him in no uncertain terms what he caused me as an individual.

    “Up till today I can’t place my hand on the issues we went on strike for. However, ALI was the face of government that kept us at home. We sat for our exams amidst the paucity of time. It was tough to say the least. I made it but there were a lot of casualties littered all over.

  • I will build on my predecessor’s achievements – Edo CJ, Okungbowa

    I will build on my predecessor’s achievements – Edo CJ, Okungbowa

    Edo state Chief Judge, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, says his vision is to make the state judiciary better than he met it and build on his predecessor’s successes.

    Justice Okungbowa made the remark at a ceremonial court session marking the commencement of a new legal year for the Edo State Judiciary.

    While pledging zero tolerance to corruption, he pledged to automate court proceedings and evolve a fully technology-driven judicial process.

    He acknowledged the cordial relationship between the state judiciary and the government and sued for its sustenance within the constitutional limits of the separation of powers.

    He told the gathering that his administration would work towards reducing the workload on judges occasioned by multiple jurisdictions of judges with the attendant strains.

    On manpower development, he assured that the training and retraining of various cadres of judicial staff would be sustained, though the state judiciary was yet to attain financial autonomy.

    The Edo state chief judge implored the state government to undertake massive renovation of dilapidated judicial structures across the state, especially those outside Benin City.

    On the judiciary’s case flow, he said as at August, 3,418 cases were brought forward in the criminal division, while 3615 were disposed of, leaving 3,478 pending.

    At the civil division, 8,900 cases were brought forward out of 8,631 filed while 7,894 got disposed of.

    He said 9,637 were still pending.

    The Magistrates’ courts have 5,977 cases brought forward from 3,450 filed and 3,377 disposed of while 6,455 are pending.

    Smaller claims courts have 44 cases brought forward from 63 filed, and 53 disposed of while 54 are still pending.

    At the Area customary courts, 3,271 cases were brought forward from 8,157 filed, 7,876 disposed of while 3,552 remained pending.

    The district customary courts had 470 cases brought forward from 664 filed and 626 disposed of while 508 are pending.

    The chief judge stated that the state judiciary’s internally generated revenue for the previous legal year was more than N560 million.

    Earlier, the chief judge and other judicial officers worshipped at St Joseph Catholic Church in appreciation to God for His mercy towards the state’s judiciary in the outgone year.

    During the ceremonial court session, Mr. Solomon Asemota, SAN, on behalf of senior benchers, cautioned that the judiciary was now acting as the executive arm of government due to conflicting ideologies.

    The chairman of the Benin branch of the NBA commended the executive’s approval for the appointment of new judges and called for the implementation of judicial financial autonomy.

    He decried the situation where courts in Benin had constant power supply while those outside didn’t.

    He also called for the enhancement of the operations of area court presidents for better dispensation of justice while reiterating the need for Customary Court of Appeal to be re-established.

    The ceremony was preceded by the inspection of a guard of honour by the Chief judge of Edo, mounted by a detachment from the Nigeria Police Force

    Earlier at a thanksgiving service, His Grace, Most Rev. Augustine Akubeze, the Archbishop of the Metropolitan Sea of Benin, in a homily, prayed God to bless the new legal year with peace.

    He also prayed that the chief judge’s tenure would bring peace to the judiciary and Edo.

    Archbishop Akubeze appreciated the government for providing a conducive environment for the judiciary to operate while he urged judges to always act in the best interest of the people and be instruments of God’s justice and peace.

    He urged legal practitioners to continue offering probing services to those who could not afford legal fees.

  • Public opinion can never override constitutional provisions in justice delivery – CJN

    Public opinion can never override constitutional provisions in justice delivery – CJN

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola says public opinion no matter how serious or weighty it might be, cannot override or supersede the constitution of the country.

    Ariwoola said this on Wednesday in Abuja while swearing in another batch of the 23 Judges for the Federal High Court.

    He charged the judges to always apply constitutional provisions in deciding cases that may be assigned to them.

    He said that several vitriolic attacks are regularly heaped on the judiciary; but that it is crystal clear that public opinion, no matter how serious or weighty it might be, cannot override or supersede the Constitution of the country which judges apply in deciding each case.

    “Judicial officers sowe their conscience and the generality of the Nigerian masses: particularly those who are looking up to them, the great responsibility of good moral rectitude and acceptable conduct to uphold and consolidate the trust reposed in them.

    “By virtue of the oath you have just taken, you have, automatically assumed new status and responsibilities in life.

    “A new blank page in the book of life has just been opened for you and as it is with public office, especially the judiciary, you are completely opened to daily public scrutiny.

    “The pen is right there in your hand to write whatever you desire to be the content of the new page that is now openly displayed in the public domain.

    “Like I always say, even though judicial officers are not spirits or superhuman, yet, so much impossible things are expected from them by the society.

    He warned that the bench is neither for the indolent, the greedy nor those with dubious character, who can easily fall for a plate of porridge offered by desperate litigants.

    “I heartily rejoice with you on this very important and sensitive appointment; but at the same time, I sincerely sympathise with you for the landmines that are already laying on your paths in the course of your adjudication, especially if your conscience is at variance with your conduct.

    “You must, at all times, rise above temptations and trials that might obstruct or even halt your rise to the pinnacle of your career.

    “We are all humans, no doubt, but you display the humanism in you by doing those extraordinary things that people would ordinarily conclude that you cannot do.

    “That is what separates those with integrity and passion for success from those with low pedigree and dysfunctional moral compass”, he added.

    He said appointments to the bench was not an appointment to wealth, vainglory, dishonest disposition or ostentatious lifestyle through corrupt acquaintances.

    “Whatever wrongdoing that emanates from any form of indiscretion and abuse of office, will, in like manner, be used to conscientize, chastise and thoroughly sanitize the same conscience that you may have refused to listen to.

    “The searchlight of the National Judicial Council beams brightly on all judicial officers across the country. The NJC should never, either by omission or commission, be mistaken for a toothless Bulldog.

    “It can bark fiercely and as well bite deeply and aggressively, too.

    “Our radar is sophisticated enough to detect every form of corruption and wrongdoing by Judicial officers; and we will not waste a moment in taking the necessary action to fish out the bad eggs”.

    He said that the remoteness of their locations of adjudication can never blur NJC’s sight on them.

    “We have put in place the right machinery to capture and document your conduct.

    “So, be careful and take heed, or else, you may end up regretting ever being appointed a judicial officer, although, we don’t wish you such, anyway.

    “The entire letters and words of the oath you have just taken, must reside in a prime place of your heart and be generously applied in your adjudications.

    “This is a bond that you should engrave in your heart and be well guided by it while adjudicating in all matters that come before you”.

    He admonished them to be impartial, fair to all, and apply justice in all your undertakings.

    “The times that we are in, are quite perilous, so we need judicial officers who are calculative, honest, objective and dispassionate in all ramifications.

    “Thus, your appointments to the bench at this crucial period of our national history are not by accident but by divine ordination”, the CJN said.

  • Why dispensation of justice delay in Nigeria – Appeal Court Judge

    Why dispensation of justice delay in Nigeria – Appeal Court Judge

    Hajiya Binta Zubairu, Justice of the Court of Appeal (JCA) on Sunday in Zaria said judges are not the cause of delay in the dispensation of justice as erroneously believed by some Nigerians.

    Zubairu made this known on the sidelines of a reception organised in her honour in Zaria on recent elevation as a Justice of the Court.

    Judges are being wrongly accused of delay in dispensing justice by the public.

    “Judges work as a team with the prosecution, lawyers and others. Speedy dispensation of justice requires the prompt efforts of the police, prosecution, assembling of exhibits by lawyers and presenting them correctly before the judges in court in accordance with the laws.

    “Most times  the judges or magistrates are ready to adjudicate but the prosecution would not be ready or the lawyers will come with one excuse or the other.

    “These are facts that are glaring in Courts but because we the judges can’t voice out their frustration, all the blames are shifted and heaped on us, ” she said.

    She said most times it takes the police longer than usual to conclude investigation in a simple case.

    Zubairu commended the  Zazzau emirate for identifying and rejoicing with her over her promotion and appointment.

    According to her, her elevation to the court of appeal is for the joy of the entire Zazzau Emirate and humanity.

    She expressed gratitude to the Almighty God for making her the first female in the Zazzau Emirate to be elevated to the rank of Justice of the Court of Appeal.

    “As a child, it was not my wish to be a magistrate or a judge. I wanted was be a principal of a school.

    “I wanted to be a principal because as a kid I desired to see that all children go to school to be educated.

    “I have not in my wildest imagination, thought I will be a judge but destiny took me to the judiciary,’’ she said.

    Earlier, the Emir of Zazzau, Malam Ahmad Bamalli said “the emirate was proud of justice Zubairu’s as  the first female from the emirate to attain that height in the judiciary.

    The emir enjoined the celebrant to be good ambassador of the emirate by exhibiting high sense of honesty and professionalism in her endeavour.

    Also speaking, the Chairman of the Presidential task force committee on prison decongestion and former FCT Chief Judge, Justice Ishaq Bello urged young judges to imbibe the culture of hard-work and dedication to enable them excel.

    Bello while congratulating justice Zubairu, advised her to follow the ethics of the profession for effective delivery.