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Tag: Judiciary

  • Nigeria’s Judiciary Must Stop Being a Safe Haven For Politicians – Mike Igini

    Nigeria’s Judiciary Must Stop Being a Safe Haven For Politicians – Mike Igini

    The former Resident Electoral Commissioner of Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini has advised the Nigerian judiciary to discourage politicians from seeing them as a safe haven when things don’t go as they want.

    Mr. Igini, in an interview with ARISE NEWS, stated that the judiciary must be mindful of its place in the practice of democracy, urging them to take a cue from the United Kingdom’s judicial system.

    He said “The most Important message this morning is that the judges, the Judiciary must be mindful of its place in the affairs of the society, particularly, in the practice of democracy”.

    The former INEC REC said the election ought to have ended at the polling units, having no need for the long court processes.

    “The whole design of the innovations that we have been working on for years, particularly those provisions that were resisted for twenty years, that have now changed under the two thousand and twenty-two electoral act, were all intended to ensure that at the end of the election, the votes of the Nigerian people should be determined, finally and conclusively at the polling unit, not in the court of law” He said.

    Mr. Igini also noted that as a result of the ongoing tribunal, most court cases that are politically unrelated are now placed on hold.

    “The implications of this are as follows which is the reason why I’m worried and I have been saying this over the years. As we speak today, because of the nature of the election petitions, all the judges that have now been selected to be in the tribunal, all their civil and criminal dockets are now on hold.

    “Cases that have been up for twenty years, fifteen years, as we speak now, are going to be on hold in abeyance for the next six months because the judges are on various tribunals

    He further stated that the outcome of the general election was not the expectation of the commission.

  • IGP calls for synergy with judiciary to improve justice system

    IGP calls for synergy with judiciary to improve justice system

    By Isaac Kertyo

    The Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has called for more synergy between the Nigeria Police Force and the Judiciary arm of government.

    According to him, this would allow the efficient dispensation of justice in the country.

    Baba disclosed this during a visit to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Abuja.

    These were contained in a statement by the acting Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Wednesday.

    The statement was titled, ‘Administration of justice: IGP pays historic visit to Chief Justice of Nigeria’.

    It read, “The visit was aimed at solidifying the synergy between the Police and the Judiciary as key players in the Criminal Justice System of the nation with a view to ensuring a smooth and efficient dispensation of justice.

    “The Inspector-General of Police emphasized the inclination of his administration to upholding the sanctity of the Criminal Justice System and rule of law which is vital to professionalism and citizen-based policing.”

    The IGP also sought the collaboration of the CJN to accredit the legal department of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State to enable its graduates to proceed for further studies at the Nigerian Law School.

    He said this would ensure the Police have more lawyers within its pool to strengthen its prosecutorial duties and hopefully produce more Senior Advocates of Nigeria in the future.

    The CJN was quoted to have commended the IGP for his thoughtfulness, expressing his readiness to continually partner with the Nigeria Police Force for seamless justice administration.

  • CJN To Malami: Judiciary Can’t Be Blamed For Delay In High-Profile Cases

    CJN To Malami: Judiciary Can’t Be Blamed For Delay In High-Profile Cases

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, on Tuesday, absolved the judiciary of delay in the handling of high-profile corruption cases.

    Justice Muhammad’s comments followed an accusation by the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, that judges were still delaying timeous hearing and determination of such cases, particularly concerning Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs).

    Malami had during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, blamed the judiciary for the protracted trial of high-profile corruption cases.

    But barely 24 hours, the CJN said Malami’s criticism of the judiciary for the delays suffered in court by high-profile corruption cases, was one-sided.

    “The position of the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) that the judiciary be held responsible for delays in the trial and delivery of judgements on corruption cases involving politically exposed individuals appears to be one-sided,” the statement by the CJN’s spokesperson, Ahuraka Isah, read.

    The CJN explained that the lapses on the part of the executive arm of government contributed to the delays in cases.

    According to him, the constitutional responsibility of the judiciary does not involve crime detection and investigation, while referencing the serial disregard of court orders by the executive.

    This is even as he stated that the judiciary does not have “a garrison command to fight its cause or enforce its orders and decisions.”

    “The Judiciary has an internal mechanism for budget control and implementation. The judiciary defends its budget before the senate and the House of Representatives Committees on Judiciary at the National Assembly, besides the initial vetting by the executive.

    “The judiciary has an internal mechanism for budget control and implementation. Each Court and judicial body has a budget unit, the account department, internal audit, Due Process Unit, as well as Departmental Tenders Board.

    “There is also a Due Process Committee at the NJC (National Judicial Council) and the Judicial Tenders Board that award contracts on expenditure above the approval limit of the accounting officers of the Courts and judicial bodies.

    “These layers of control were established by the Judiciary to ensure transparency, accountability and effective budget implementation. The type of transparency that the Federal Government has stressed,” the CJN added.

  • Judiciary Will Not Rest Until Corruption Is Stamped Out Of Nigeria – CJN

    Judiciary Will Not Rest Until Corruption Is Stamped Out Of Nigeria – CJN

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Mohammed has vowed that the judiciary would not rest on its oars until corruption is stamped out of the country.

    The CJN said this on Tuesday during the third National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    According to him, between 2020/2021, over 756 corrupt cases were handled in the country.

    He also added that from January to November this year, 1,144 suspects were convicted of various corruption offences and financial crimes including hundreds of millions of cash forfeitures, alongside eight aircraft, seven fuel stations among others.

    Participants attend the third national summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector in Abuja.

    He further noted that for any nation to prosper, the judiciary must remain independent and insulated from interference (financial or otherwise).

    The CJN earlier in November made a call for judges to rise to the challenge and restore public confidence in Nigerians.

    He said the judges must dispense justice without fear or favour and in line with the knowledge and understanding of the law.

    Mohammed also urged judges in the country to desist from giving incessant ex-parte orders in order not to project the judiciary in a bad light.

  • Justice Odili Invasion: Wike Accuses FG Of Intimidating Judiciary Ahead Of 2023 Elections

    Justice Odili Invasion: Wike Accuses FG Of Intimidating Judiciary Ahead Of 2023 Elections

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has accused the Federal Government of intimidating the judiciary ahead of the 2023 general elections in the country.

    Wike’s criticism followed a recent invasion of the residence of Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court in her Abuja residence by men believed to be security operatives.

    Speaking on Thursday during a special court session to mark the opening of the 2021/2022 Legal Year of the Rivers State Judiciary in Port Harcourt, the governor said the Federal Government wants to continue to ride roughshod unchecked over the rule of law and the sanctity of the country’s electoral system, hence, the renewed attack on judicial officers.

    “Although it is still early morning in our democratic match towards 2023, the attack on Justice Mary Odili is a prelude to many more and even worse political maneuverings we should be prepared to experience from the APC-led Federal Government, which having lost relevance and popular support is becoming more and more desperate over its dwindling political fortunes by the day,” Wike said.

    “While cases with political undertones, including the constitutional validity of certain sections of the recent amendments to the 2010 Electoral Act, if assented to by Mr President, would necessarily come before our courts; what is important is the duty and capacity of our judiciary to save our democracy and the country.”

    According to him, it is the responsibility of the government at all levels to protect the judiciary and accord the courts such assistance as they may require enabling them to safeguard their independence, advance the rule of law, and dispense justice equally and fairly to all citizens.

    While the present Federal Government has been very weak in resourcing and strengthening the judiciary, Wike said it has been very strong and readily predisposed to ridiculing the entire institution and subjecting individual judges to both physical and psychological trauma for its own self-interest.

    “We all witnessed the infamous midnight raids on judicial residences and the subjection of some judges, to illegal raids, arrests and detentions by agents of the Federal Government purportedly carrying out a baseless sting operation back in 2016

    “Since then the intimidation of judges whose judgments, intellectual or moral disposition they are not comfortable with has continued unrelenting with the latest attack on a peaceful mother, wife of a former Governor and Justice of the Supreme Court, our own highly revered Hon. Justice Mary Odili

    “It is important to emphasize that we allow these intimidations to become acceptable standards of behaviour and even become complicit in their unholy design to undermine the administration of justice when we all opt to keep quite in the face of these assaults,” Governor Wike added.

    Governor Wike, who commended the leaders of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and members of the public for promptly condemning the idiotic siege on judiciary, said they  must quickly move beyond the verbal protestations to unveil those behind the raid on Justice Odili’s residence and ensure that they all are held to account for their actions, otherwise this impunity would never cease to rear its ugly head in the country.

    He challenged the Federal Government to come clean on this infamy with the names, identities and affiliations of those allegedly arrested for their roles or found to have been involved in the attack on the residence of Justice Odili, if it is not to be perceived as the primary mastermind.

    Speaking on the proposed setting up of law school campuses, the governor urged the management of the Nigerian Law School, the Council of Legal Education and the Federal Government to see the folly in the plan, and nib the idea from the bud before it causes more damage to a foremost institution that is already severely challenged for lack of adequate funding.

    He explained that the Port Harcourt Campus of the Nigerian Law School being built by the Rivers State Government was consciously demanded for and approval secured from the Council of Legal Education and ultimately from President  Muhammadu Buhari, through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and named after late Nabo Graham-Douglas, SAN.

    Wike added, “Here again, some lazy and uninformed characters have criticised our Law School development project with the unfounded and lousy allegation that it lacks budgetary provisions in our 2021 budget, even when they conceded to the propriety of the project and the optimal benefits it would attract to the State and the business community.”

  • CJN Moves to Save Judiciary, Summons Justices over Conflicting Court Orders

    CJN Moves to Save Judiciary, Summons Justices over Conflicting Court Orders

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and Chairman of the National Judicial Council, (NJC), Justice Tanko Muhammad has summoned the Chief Judges of Rivers, Kebbi, Cross River, Anambra, Jigawa and Imo State to an emergency meeting.

    This is part of efforts to stem the recent wave of embarrassing and conflicting exparte orders emanating from judges in their jurisdictions.

    In a letter of invitation dated 30th of August, 2021 and sighted by our judiciary correspondent, the CJN summoned the head of the concerned courts to the emergency meeting to brief him on the incessant granting of the conflicting orders on suits instituted by different political parties before the various courts.

    The Spokesperson of the NJC, Soji Oye confirmed to our correspondent that the letter indeed emanated from the office of the CJN but declined to say on what specific day the meeting has been scheduled for. He however said that the meeting will hold sometime this week.

    A part of the invitation letter reads, “My attention has been drawn to media reports to the effect that some courts of coordinate jurisdictions were granting conflicting exparte orders on the same subject matter. It has become expedient for me to invite you for a detailed briefing on the development. This is even more compelling having regard to an earlier NJC warning to judicial officers on the need to be circumspect in grating exparte applications.”

    Reports also gathered that the meeting between the CJN and the Heads of Courts concerned is a prelude to a larger NJC meeting likely to hold next week.

    The leadership of the judiciary is said to be embarrassed at the recent developments and the meeting is part of measures to stem the tide and to be seized of the facts before the larger council deliberation.

  • Why the Judiciary should be decentralized — El Rufai

    Why the Judiciary should be decentralized — El Rufai

    By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna

    Governor Nasir El Rufai has called for the decentralization of the judiciary because the heavy caseload of High Court Judges in Kaduna State hinders the administration of justice.

    The governor who made this known when the National President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Olumide Akpata paid him a courtesy call on Tuesday, said that ‘’on average, a High Court judge in Kaduna state handles about 250 cases.’’

    El Rufai said that his administration has ‘’been making cases for the National Judicial Council(NJC), to double the number of High Court judges in Kaduna State, which will reduce the case load to about 100 per judge which is still too high.’’

    Governo El-Rufai in a statement by in Kaduna Tuesday, noted that it is an anomaly to have a unitary judiciary in a federation, saying that “I am one of the major advocates of the decentralization of our unitarist judiciary to a federal one.’’

    ‘’We are pushing for the creation of State Judicial Councils that will handle the appointment of High Court judges in the states, because that is the only way that we will be able to take our fates in our hands.

    “I believe that we have enough lawyers in the public and private sectors in Kaduna state, to get 20 judges tomorrow, if the State Judicial Council screens them and makes their recommendations. But we are constitutionally constrained as speak.’’

    The governor said that he is ‘’happy that the National Assembly has started the process of trying to remove the bottleneck and I urge the Nigerian Bar Association to openly support it.’’

    El Rufai argued that decentralizing the judiciary will be ‘’in the interest of administration of justice, it will give more opportunities for qualified lawyers in the private and public sectors and the academia, to be part of the judiciary.’’

    The governor who also has a degree in law, further argued that ‘’ bringing in outsiders always brings innovations and new ideas to improve the system.’’

    ‘’I do not believe that the only path to being a High Court Judge is to be a magistrate or state counsel. There are many other paths as other countries have shown and have produced excellent judges at all levels,’’ he added.

  • Kaduna: NLC urge Lawmakers to implement financial autonomy of Judiciary

    Kaduna: NLC urge Lawmakers to implement financial autonomy of Judiciary

    By Gabriel Udeh, Kaduna-
    Members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest to Kaduna State house of Assembly, demanding for full implementation of financial autonomy of the judiciary.
    The workers, during the protest said if their demands are not met, they will continue to protest and occupy all State Assemblies across the Federation.
    State chairman  of the organized labour, Comrade Suleiman Ayuba who spoke on behalf of the workers, said the state lawmaker should take the necessary steps to implement financial autonomy for the judiciary as the welfare of their members is tied under the autonomy.
    The workers also alleged that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is impeding every effort to also implement President Muhammadu Buhari’s Executive Order 10 which was signed last year, to grant autonomy for the judiciary and also improve their welfare.
  • Lawyers laud Buhari for signing Executive Order on legislature, judiciary financial autonomy

    Lawyers laud Buhari for signing Executive Order on legislature, judiciary financial autonomy

    Human Rights Campaigner, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa,SAN, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari, for signing the Executive Order, granting financial autonomy to the Judiciary and Legislature.

    Adegboruwa lauded the new order, describing same as a step in the right direction and urged total compliance with all its provisions by states.

    The President Buhari, on Friday, signed into law, an Executive Order to grant financial autonomy to the legislature and judiciary for states.

    The Attorney-General of the Federation , Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, had in a statement in Abuja, said that the Executive Order No. 10 of 2020, made it mandatory for all states to include allocations of both the legislature and the judiciary in their Appropriation Laws.

    According to the AGF, a Presidential Implementation Committee was being constituted to fashion out strategies and modalities for the implementation of financial autonomy for state Legislature and Judiciary in compliance with section 121(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended).

    Reacting to the new order, Adegboruwa told NAN in Lagos that the president’s bold initiative to grant financial autonomy to other tiers of government through the executive order to enforce the fourth Alteration of the constitution was highly commendable.

    “It takes courage and selflessness for the head of the executive to grant autonomy to other arms of government. For the judiciary, it is considered that most cases in the courts are to check the excesses of the executive arm, being the organ of government responsible for the implementation of policies,” he said.

    Adegboruwa, consequently, harped on a need to ensure full compliance with the rule of law through complete obedience to all orders and decisions of the courts.

    He also called for a directive to all government parastatals, to ensure compliance with all orders, judgments and decisions of courts.

    “I urge the President to grant total autonomy to the judiciary by signing another executive order to all parastatals, agencies and departments of government to implement section 287 of the 1999 Constitution by complying with all orders, judgments and decisions of the courts.

    “I urge state governors to cooperate with the president for the full implementation of this executive order in all parts of the federation,” he said

    Another Lagos based constitutional lawyer, Mr Spurgeon Ataene also lauded the executive order of the president and called for its sustenance.

    “I commend the executive arm for this giant stride which has long been awaited; while I support this step, I will urge fellow Nigerians to be more awake to their fiscal responsibilities in the area of acting as watchdogs to know how their resources are spent.

    ” Every allocation accruing directly from the federation account should be published alongside the expenditure.

    “There should be a committee set up and must include all stakeholders from the different constituencies to oversee how their money is spent, with appropriate sanctions meted on defaulters,” he said (NAN)

  • Iran to execute man for spying for CIA- Judiciary

    Iran to execute man for spying for CIA- Judiciary

    The semi-official Fars news agency on Tuesday said a man sentenced to death in Iran for spying for the CIA and attempting to pass on information about Tehran’s nuclear programme would be executed soon.

    Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said in another case, two people working for a charity were sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying and five years in prison for acting against national security on similar charges.

    “Amir Rahimpour who was a CIA spy and got big pay and tried to present part of Iran’s nuclear information to the American service had been tried and sentenced to death and recently the supreme court upheld his sentence.

    “He will see the consequences of his action soon, (referring to the individual facing capital punishment).’’

    Esmaili did not provide any additional information about the nationality of the convicted individuals working for a charity.

    Iran does not recognise dual nationality and the judiciary prosecutes dual nationals as Iranian citizens.

    Earlier, Iran announced it had broken up a CIA spy ring of 17 individuals and that some had been sentenced to death.

    The CIA did not immediately comment on Esmaili’s remarks.

    U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted after the announcement last summer, `the Report of Iran capturing CIA spies is totally false. Zero truth.’’

    Tensions have increased between Tehran and Washington since the U.S. killed top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.

    Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad on Jan. 3, prompting the Islamic Republic to retaliate with a missile strike against a U.S. base in Iraq.

    Esmaili said at a news conference that names of the individuals working for the charity would not be released yet because the sentence had not been
    finalised.