The Nigerian Bar Association has expressed concern about the ongoing trials of judges on corruption charges.
The umbrella body of all Nigerian lawyers said it had therefore constituted a team of senior lawyers to keep watch on the judges’ trials on its behalf.
An entourage of the NBA led by its President, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), expressed their displeasure about the judges’ arrests and subsequent trials during a visit to the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, on January 18.
The General Secretary of the NBA, Mr. Isiaka Olagunju, recently posted on the association’s website what he titled, ‘Titbits on NBA/CJN parley as the Bar pays courtesy visit on the Supreme Court.’
He did not give details of the monitoring team set up by the association to monitor the judges’ trial.
Part of the publication read, “The NBA is seriously concerned about the arrest and arraignment of some senior judicial officers for corrupt practices.
“We have, therefore, constituted a team of senior counsel to hold watching briefs on behalf of the NBA in the ongoing trial.”
Some operatives of the Department of State Services had arrested seven judges during their raid on the judicial officers’ houses between October 7 and 8, 2016.
The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation had, following the arrests, filed charges of alleged corruption against two of the seven judges – Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court and Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission also subsequently filed similar charges against Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia before a Lagos High Court.
As evidence that the NBA had put in place the monitoring team, a lawyer, Mr. Kola Omotinugbon, appeared as a representative of the association in Justice Ademola’s trial before Justice Jude Okeke of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Maitama on February 8.
After the prosecuting and defence lawyers had announced their appearances, Omotinugbon also rose to disclose that he was representing the NBA on a watching brief in the trial.
He produced a letter to back his claim after the trial judge asked him if he had any evidence.
According to the NBA secretary, who was also part of the association’s entourage to the acting CJN, others led to the meeting by the NBA president were, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), Mrs. Olabisi Shoyebo (SAN), Aare Muyiwa Akinboro (SAN), Mr. Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), Ogu Tim-Menakaya, Murtala Abdul-Rasheed and the NBA Executive Director, Mrs. Ifueko Alufohai.
Olagunju described the meeting as “a frank, robust and heart-to-heart talk at the conference room of the Chief Justice of Nigeria at the Supreme Court in Abuja.”
Among other issues discussed at the meeting were the appointment of the substantive CJN, the reform of the National Judicial Council, appointment of the legal practioners to the Supreme Court bench, and corruption in the judiciary.
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