SHAME! HIGH COURT JUDGE FIGHTS IN CHAMBER WITH JUDICIAL ASSISTANT

JUSTICE OJIKUTU-OSHODE IN CHAMBER FIGHT WITH JUDICIAL ASSISTANT

Friday the 26th October, 2007 started on a quiet, rather uneventful note for Grace Ibukun Ibidapo. That morning, little did Ibidapo, a married lady lawyer, who works as a judicial assistant in the Lagos State Judiciary know that the day would end on a spectacular, if sad note for her.

In fact, things had gone so awry with the woman, that by 3p.m of the 26th October 2007, she had found herself at the emergency ward of the General Hospital, Lagos for treatment for shock, neck sprain and bruises. The attack that sent G.I. Ibidapo to the hospital bed came from a most unlikely place.

At about 2.05p.m on the said October 26, some verandah geckos saw a distraught G.I. Ibidapo somewhere about the outer offices of Honourable Justice Inumidun Akande, the Administrative (Head) Judge of Lagos High Court sobbing bitterly. Her eyes were red, cheeks puffy and her neck bore scratch marks as if so put there by the talons of a wild bird.

These verandah geckos did not waste time in sending this information to the SQUIB GECKO CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE NETWORK/SERVICE (GECINS) which in turn activated all PERMANENTLY IMBEDDED GECKOS (PIGS) in all the corridors of power in the Lagos High Court. About thirty minutes after the activation, the GECINS received a report from Olama (Code name) the PIG in Honourable Justice Titilola Oshode’s court. It read thus:
“CASE OF DISTRESSED JUDICIARY STAFF IN LAGOS HIGH COURT.”

“Dear Chief Gecko, we have identified the staff in question. Her name is Grace Ibukun Ibidapo. She is a lawyer and works with Honourable Justice Titilola Ojikutu-Oshode as her judicial assistant. There was a clash between the judge and Ibidapo this afternoon. The clash was physical, very physical, full of noise. It all started in the judge’s chamber and climaxed in the open court. The judge was annoyed that her judicial assistant was not quick enough to write out the judgement of a case she presided on. According to the judge, the ‘assignment’ had been with the judicial assistant for several days without completion. The assistant however complained about the judge’s handwriting, claiming it was rather difficult to read. But this aside the fact that she was not too happy about writing judgements and rulings for her judge, since in her view, it was morally and legally wrong for her, a mere judicial assistant to be engaged in such tasks. The assistant was also not happy that the judge was delaying writing the progress report on her (the assistant) which is crucial to the renewal of the assistant’s contract of employment.

Maybe it is a case of “two fighting.” This is because the judge is claiming that it was her assistant who first touched her clothes but what I saw with my two “korokoro” gecko eyes was that the two women, Ojikutu J. and Ibidapo (42) were standing close to each other when a thunderous slap landed on the younger woman’s cheek. Immediately, her earring flew off. I personally saw about fifty-seven (57) stars dance all over the assistant’s face. The registrar of the court, one man called Demola Adekeye witnessed the incident but just stood there shivering like a wet chicken.

‘Ha, e gba mi leti!’ (Madam, you slapped me!) yelled the slapped assistant. But the older woman who probably is a ‘WRESTLEMANIA’ fan was not done yet. She made a loud ‘grrrrrrrrrrr’ sound and rushed to grab the judicial assistant by the neck in a wrestling-choke fashion for a long twenty-three seconds before registrar Demola Adekeye came to the rescue.

For about twenty minutes, the judicial assistant disappeared from our radar. But we sighted her later at the office of the Administrative Judge and later at the office of the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission.

In the course of investigating this shocking story, the SQUIB endeavoured to hear from Justice Ojikutu-Oshode

SQUIB: (telephone) Good evening milady.
JUDGE: Good evening
SQUIB: May I speak with Honourable Justice Ojikutu Oshode?
JUDGE: Who are you?
SQUIB: My name is Adesina Ogunlana
JUDGE: Ha!...I don’t recognize your name.
SQUIB: I am the Editor-in-Chief of SQUIB magazine
JUDGE: (Switched off).

Long time observers of the Lagos Judiciary scene told the Squib that Justice Ojikutu-Oshode will not be the first judicial officer in Lagos State to be involved in physical fights with judiciary staff. For example, about a decade ago, a former Chief Judge of the state judiciary infamous for his terribly short temper got more than he bargained for when he slapped a junior staff at his official quarters.

The staff knowing full well that the Chief Judge was living alone, closed the door on the older man and extended the hot courtesy of three resounding slaps to the cheeks of the judge. The irascible judge became calm instantly and kept mum in line with the Yoruba adage that says:
“Iso inu e ku. A mu mora ni.” (One has no option than to bear the inconveniences of a secret shame manfully).

Related links: http://www.squiblogg.blogspot.com
http://www.editorspark.blogspot.com
http://www.learnedsquib.wordpress.com

WHAT IS A DOCTOR'S LIFE WORTH IN NIGERIA?

SQUIB COVER STORY CONTINUED 1. (Vol.8 No.4 15th Oct.2007)
http://www.squibanticorruption.com

IN THE CHIEF MAGISTRATE COURT OF LAGOS STATE
HOLDEN AT COURT NO.1 –IGBOSERE ROAD, LAGOS
TODAY FRIDAY THE 17TH DAY OF AUGUST, 2007
BEFORE HIS WORSHIP: MR. O. A. ISAAC –CMI

CHARGE NO. A/10A/2006

BETWEEN:

COMMISSIONER OF POLICE
VS
IBINABO FIBERESIMA

JUDGEMENT

The accused person was arraigned before this court on the 6th March, 2006 on a three count charge of dangerous driving on a public highway; dangerous driving causing death of Dr. Giwa Suraj and causing damage to one Honda Accord Saloon Car; all contrary to the provisions of Section 18, R.T.A.; Section 27 (1) R.T. Act and Section 28 (1) R.T.A respectively.

To the three counts the accused person pleaded NOT GUILTY.
By virtue of a Legal Advice dated 14th March, 2006, and on the 24th April, 2006, the earlier charge was withdrawn and a new Charge A/25/2006 was brought against the accused person as follows:-

Count 1: That Ibinabo Fiberesima ‘F’ on the 26th February, 2006 at about 22.30 hrs along Lagos-Epe Expressway in the Lagos Magisterial District being the driver of a Toyota Jeep with Registration No. DW 600 APP drove same on the public highway in a dangerous and reckless manner and caused the death of Dr. Giwa Suraj ‘M’ thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 28 of the Traffic Law Cap RI0 Vol.7, Laws of Lagos State 2003.
Count 2: That you Ibinabo Fiberesima ‘F’ on or about the 26th day of February, 2006, at about 22.30 hours along Lagos – Epe Expressway in the Lagos Magisterial District being the driver of a Toyota Jeep with Registration No. DW 600 APP drove same on the public highway in a reckless and negligent manner having regard to all the circumstances of the case including the nature and the condition of the road and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 29 of the Road Traffic Law Cap RI0, Vol.7 Laws of Lagos State 2003.

The accused person pleaded NOT GUILTY to the two counts and in the process of trial the prosecution called 6 witnesses while the accused person gave evidence on oath in defence.
The summary of the case for the prosecution is that on the 26/02/06 the accused person was the driver in charge of a Lexus Jeep Vehicle with Registration No. DW 600 APP and that she drove the vehicle reckless dangerous and reckless (sic) manner by leaving her own side of the road on the Lagos – Epe Expressway climbing the kerb dividing the road, goes to the other side of the Epe – Lagos Expressway and hit a Honda Accord Saloon Car driven by one Dr. Giwa Suraj who was with two other occupants, PW1 and PW3, and as a result of the impact the said Dr. Giwa Suraj died before being taken to hospital.

In her defence, the accused person admitted being the driver of the Lexus Jeep. She also admitted crossing over from her own side of the road to the other side of the road and hit the vehicle driven by Dr. Giwa Suraj the victim of the accident. She stated that her vehicle crossed over to the other side of the road when she swerved to avoid a red car which was pursuing her, overtook her and stopped suddenly in front of her.

The prosecution in the course of the trial called the following as witness:-
PW1: Rasheed Kayode Giwa who described himself as the brother of the deceased and was in the car with the deceased at the time of the accident.
PW2: Nofiu Taoreed, a police constable attached to the Maroko Police Station who is the Investigating Police Officer.
PW3: Yisa Omotayo Lambe who described himself as a childhood friend of the deceased who was also in the car when the accident occurred.
PW4: Babatunde Balogun, a Police Office attached to the Accident Vehicle Inspection Unit who inspected the accident vehicles i.e. the Jeep and the Honda.
PW5: Aderemi Musiliu Fashanu, a friend of the deceased who witness (sic) the event immediately at the scene of accident.
PW6: Dr. Taiwo Fadeyi, a Medical Practitioner, a friend of the deceased from whose house the deceased left before the accident. He testified that he examined the deceased at the scene of accident and confirmed him dead.
The prosecution also tendered the following Exhibits viz:-
Exhibit ‘A’ which is headed “Rough Sketch of Fatal Motor Accident along Lagos/Epe Expressway, Lagos” dated 6/9/2006.
Exhibit ‘B’, B1 are two photographs of the Honda Car driven by the deceased, Dr. Giwa Suraj.
Exhibit ‘C’ – the Statement of the accused person dated 1/3/06.
Exhibit ‘O’ – the Statement of Yisa Omotayo Lambe. PW3.
Exhibit ‘E’ – Accident Vehicle Inspection Report of the Lexus Jeep Registration number DW 600 APP dated 28/2/06.
Exhibit ‘F’ – the Accident Vehicle Inspection Report of the Honda Accord LX Saloon Car – BX 533 APP dated 28/2/06.
Exhibit ‘G’ – the Proof of Ownership of the vehicle Toyota Haurier Jeep registered in the name of Daniel Wilson.

At the close of evidence for the prosecution and by the accused person, written addresses were filed by both sides.

TO BE CONTINUED.