THE BODE GEORGE CONVICTION: TRIAL JUDGE TO SUFFER FOR IT?

The Federal Republic of Nigeria versus Chief Olabode George & Ors decided recently by an Ikeja High Court, Lagos presided over by Honourable Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, has become a cause celebre.

For some weeks, the case has been a focal point of discussion in the public domain, especially now so, that the learned judge not only convicted the accused persons, but equally firmly rejected their application for bail pending appeal.

A striking feature of the case is the special attention to Chief Olabode George, the first accused person, by the press and members of the public.
So special is thus attention that one may be forgiven to think that it was only one person (Olabode George) that was the prosecuted party. However there were four other persons, all otherwise respectable Nigerians who have at one time or the other, held high public office..
Nobody however talks about any of the other five accused, excepting perhaps as a foot-note or a way laconic after-thought.
These other five are Aminu Dabo, an architect, Captain O. Abidoye, Alhaji Abdullahi Aminu Tafida, Alhaji Zama Maidaribe and Mr. Sule Aliyu, an engineer.

Together with Olabode George, a retired Navy commodore and a past Governor of old Ondo state the six men were arraigned on a 68 count charge on conduct splitting, abuse of abuse and disobedience to lawful orders.
On judgement day (26 October 2009) Oyewole J. presiding, convicted the defendants on 35 counts of the charge.
The judgement to say the least caught the defendants and their counsel napping. All through the trial, the defence team seemed to shine like a million stars while the prosecution were shored off as yokels, whose moves were easily punctured by the agile defence.

Thus on judgment day, the defendants, having as it were waltzed through trial, expected to receive a discharge and acquittal.
Confident in that hope, the clear leader of the group, Olabode George, a big talking, swash-buckling political conquistador practitioner of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) extraction and who had brought colourful controversy to attend the trial in the form of scores of gainly dressed and uniformly attired (mostly female) supporters ostensibly present to give moral support to George and the gang, simply tripled his effort.

Thus on judgment day it was in their hundreds that the “Georgitas” turned up at the court-house. However it was all in vain as Justice Oyewole waded through a 110 page judgement to send the accused on an admission to the Maximum Security Prison, Kirikiri having found them guilty on about half of the charges against them.
The accused persons simply could not believe their ears when the judge broke the news of their admission into the special 'guest house of the government' at Kirikiri Lagos.

The most devastated convict understandably was Mr. Bode George. His natural optimist and gang-to proclivity, as well as strong belief in the competence of his decorated counsel had driven the thoughts of possible imprisonment far away from his mind.
Turning to his lead counsel in utter bewilderment indeed stupefaction he beseeched that worthy, Mr. Tunji Ayanlaja S.A.N of the “Apoti Aje” fame in those words.
“Chief, Tunji please do everything in your powers to see that I do not go to that place (Maximum Security Prison).
Ayanlaja being merely a lawyer and no magician knew that there was no legal resource in his vast arsenal to stop his client’s passage to prison, was left with no option than to tell the devastated politician, the stark truth.
And so to 'college,' George and the gang went. Willy-nilly.
As the gang clambered into the School bus, the shame, nay ignominy of it all (and which was just nascent) stung the mobilized supporters of George to cursing, weeping and issuance of threats against the trial judge.

In their new 'homes,' the MSP, the new inmates continued to be in shock, particularly Olabode George.
A gecko, who had become a head-boy in the new school of Bode George sent information through the usual intelligence channels to the Squib that on the second day in prison a visitor to the Tsunami Exponent of political take-over of Lagos state could not help soliloquizing, this with cheeks resting on a pelion.
“Ah, Oyewole, Oyewole, that boy? He was agreeing with us. When we said this, he agreed, when we said that, he agreed. Then at the last day, he looked us in the face and sent our leader here. Oyewole, Oyewole, Oyewole, that boy, we’ll see how he’ll get to that Court of Appeal which he wants to go.
We’ll see. He’ll get there only if it is a place where ghosts and not human beings preside as judges.”
To the supporters of Bode George, some who are clearly violent and rough, the trial judge had a golden opportunity of “redeeming” himself when application for bail pending appeal was brought on behalf of George and the other convicts in the case.
A lot of media hoopla attended this routine application amidst speculations that huge pressure had come upon the judge to relent and grant the application.

However the judge remained convinced that George and his co-horts should remain in school to squarely face their studies, and so firmly and promptly denied the prayers for bail, on 9th November 2009.
In many quarters of well meaning Nigerians, there are concerns for the safety and progress of the man who prescribed a spell in prison for a political big-wig like Olabode George. Said a commentator-

“Although before the Olabode George case, Justice Oyewole had already became famous. After all he was the one who sent the big time fraudster Chief Emmanule Nwude to prison and was also responsible for putting Reverend King behind bars, sentenced to death, among so many other cases.
But Olabode George is a different kettle of fish. George is, unlike Nwude or King a politician, a very big one for that matter, and in the ruling party.
Politicians are dangerous people to offend - they are well connected and are deep-rooted. Governments go, governments come, but they are always there.
Another observer said “my fear for the judge (Oyewole J) is that he may have been caught unwittingly in a political war between the PDP and the Action Congress (A.C).
Some P.D.P. people are saying his judgement was the dictate of Bola Tinubu the god-father of politics in Lagos state and who appointed Oyewole as judge in 2001. Tinubu is a well known political adversary of Bode George and so meanings are read into the judgement mosre so as Lagos State belongs politically to the Action Congress and not the P.D.P. You know our politicians being bad losers, are always looking for scape-goats to blame their woes on.”

As far as the Squib is concerned, judges handling special and sensitive assignments such as presiding over anti-corruption case and high electoral matters should have a strong security support round them. This, is not the case presently. A clean conscience and a patriotic are not enough shields where security is concerned. Remember General Muritala Mohammed?

BODE GEORGE SUPPORTERS ALMOST KILL LAWYER IN COURT.

On Wednesday, 4th November 2009, the squib had an interview with Mr. Muftau Kajobola Olobi at the secretariat of NBA Ikeja Branch. Olobi is a young lawyer, having been called to the bar in 2006 and a member of the Ikeja bar (Tiger Branch).

The interview was prompted by the ugly experience Olobi suffered on Monday the 26th November 2009 at the premises of the first compound of the Ikeja High Court, in the hands of embittered supporters of Chief Olabode George, who alongside four other people was jailed Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Ikeja High Court for the offences of contract splitting and disobedience to lawful orders.
Below are excerpts from the interview.

HOW IT STARTED
I knew that day, judgement in the Olabode George case would be delivered by the trial judge, so I came to the court (Ikeja High Court) to know the outcome.
I came also to protest against the way supporters of Chief Olabode George had turned the court, any hearing date of the case to a place to dress in Aso-Ebi and make merry, in short a carnival-ground.
I thought that was not good enough in my opinion a descreation of the hallowed grounds of the court.
I mean a man was being tried for fraud and related offences and all he could was to organize and encourage people to troop to court in carnival fashion in the name of solidarity with him.

MY PROTEST
When I finally gained entrance into the court premises, I distributed a one page article entitled STOP THE UTTER DESCRATION, CONTEMPTOUS AND GRIM DEMYSTIFICATION OF THE HALLOWED CHAMBERS to newspaper correspondents and other media people. Upon going through the leaflet, the journalist decided to interview me on my protests and view points.
I did not grant the press interview in the midst of Bode George people. However they saw and heard me talking from a distance, because I was talking quite loudly and gesticulating as well to make my points.

THE CONFRONTATION
When I was addressing the press, nobody disturbed or challenged me, even though the Olabode George supporters saw me and some of them were pointing at me. After the press conference, I did not go away but waited for the outcome of the case.
When the verdict came, and it was against the accused, the supporters mood changed and tension rose immediately. I was dressed in the formal wears of the barrister when I spoke with the press-But I came with a change of dress. So I went to a place and changed into this other wears, just ordinary suits. I felt safer that way and was quietly making way towards the second gate, servicing the new court complex when two men approached me and demanded to know who I was. I knew trouble had come and I tried to bluff my way out. So I put up a bold face and asked them what manner of question that was and who, they too were? Then they asked me “Are you not the man who was speaking against Baba George?” I told them I didn’t know what they were talking about.
Then one of them shouted. He is the one jo”. Then they moved on me, two against one. Almost immediately thereafter about twenty of them rushed to the scene, shouting while beating kicking me. They were saying
“He is from Tinubu” (Mr. Nola Ahmed Tinubu immediate past Governor of Lagos State and Action Congress Chieftain). “He is Fashola’s lawyer!" At a point they resolved that the best way to deal with me was to carry me out of the court premises. So they tried to bodily lift me up but I managed to hold on to the fender of nearby car and cling to it-tenaciously. I was fighting for my life. I knew if I was carried out, it would only result in my death.
Some of my attackers were with pistols. I saw the guns. Suddenly Barrister Yinka Farounbi one of counsel to the defendants rushed into the rowdy scene. A police man, who I later knew to be the Divisional Police Officer also came.
These two men rescued me and saved my life. By then my coat, shirt and singlet had been torn. Blood was flowing from a cut on my head. My right eye is especially traumatised. Even now more than a week after the attack, I am not seeing well with the eyes of course during the attack those hoodlums took my phone away but the D.P.O retrieved it from them. But it was only my sim card I could retrieve from it-the phone had been smashed

AFTER THE ATTACK
I had to go to hospital to nurse the injuries I received. For several day after I could not see well. Of course I have no personal relationship with either Asiwaju Bola Tinubu or the Governor, Raji Fashola. I have not met them, only their pictures in newspaper and on television. The attack on me on Monday 26th October 2009 only revealed that there is no security of life and property there. Although the policemen were many that day, but they made no arrests, they were looking the other way. After rescuing me from the hoodlums, they refused to arrest them.
I am not deterred by the attack infact since that day I have been receiving threat calls, from theses Olabode George supporters, boasting that they will deal with me. They claim that I am being sponsored by Tinubu and the congress. They said Bode George is not the first and only thief in Nigeria and wondered why he is being singled out for punishment. These threat calls did not show the telephone numbers of the callers.
But I am not deterred by the threats since I know that my life is not on their hands. I will still come to the Ikeja High Court on Monday, to protest against the act of turning the court premises to a carnival ground.
As to what steps I will take on the attack on me we are considering a number of options including suing the government, the police and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). We may sue the government for failure to provide effective security on that day, the police, for failing to do their duty despite their presence and the P.D.P because my attackers are her members and Bode George’s supporters.

BIG STRESS AS OLABODE GEORGE AND 4 OTHERS GO TO JAIL

The court house is second home to legal practitioners. It is understandable – it is where they as advocates, practice their profession daily and as honoured officers and priests at the temple of justice for that matter…

Little wonder it came as a rude shock to many Lagos lawyers on Monday 26th October 2009 when they arrived at the Ikeja High Court only to find the gates of the main compound (Compound A) locked against them and manned by armed policemen.

It was already a battle to get through to the gates of the court, courtesy of variegated traffic snarls in all directions and routes leading to the Ikeja High Court.

At the various entrances of the High Court, it was a situation of near bedlam as vehicles of all shapes and sizes were parked just about anywhere and anyhow, as the gates remained shut against people.

When the Squib got to the gates at about 8.55 am., more than forty people were jostling to gain entrance and it took the supreme persuasion for the legal practitioners amongst them to succeed. Most litigants and judiciary staffers were turned back.
It was a most curious situation as even some judges were turned back. At a point when the commotion at the gates was getting too much, the private security men who had the keys of the gates simply drifted away from the scene.

Of course, this only made the situation worse. By now the reason for the unusual development had become known – Honourable Justice Olubunmi Oyewole the trial judge in the case of I.D/71C/2008 Federal Republic of Nigeria versus Chief Olabode George and 4 others, would be delivering the judgment in the sensational case, that very morning and security operatives had taken over the court premises to forestall the possible breach of the peace. The Olabode George case became sensational because of the 1st accused person, a top notcher in the ruling party in Nigeria, and a flamboyant Lagos born politician who believes, it appears, in conquistador politics, practiced albeit in a quixotic fashion.

Olabode George as an accused person, brought colour and disquiet if not controversy to the case as deliberately organized political supporters, dressed in similar, gay, native apparels turned up in the court at every hearing session, in their scores. It was a move calculated to show that George was ‘a man of the people but the sight of several dozens of women in aso-ebi (uniform native dresses) just hanging around the trial court, anytime of the case, riled most observers.
Many people including the governor of the state Babatunde Raji Fashola S.A.N had complained about the spectacle of Olabode George’s “Supporters, turning the court into something of a jamboree or a circus show but the “show” did not stop.:

On D-day (26th October 2009) more “supporters” of Olabode George turned up for the case. They could not have numbered less than five hundred people. Rather surprisingly, despite the activities of the mobile policemen manning the gates, and who turned back many people with good reasons to be in the courts that morning, no less than three hundred of the said “aso-ebied” supporters of Olabode George gained entrance into the court premises.

In the court premises proper, only a few vehicles could be seen and except for the area of Justice Oyewole’s court, the rest of the court complex appeared unusually vacant and silent.

Apart from Justice Oyewole himself who was busy in his court wading through his 110 page judgment, only very few otherjudges, like Mojisola Dada J., Obadina J., Adefope Okojie J. sat in the Ikeja High Court, at least before 10.00 am.
A particular rumour gained ground that the “authorities” had ordered other judges not to sit at the normal hour of 9:am but at 12.30pm! Since it was such a rather curious information, most lawyers found it rather strange but were left in deeper confusion since there was no senior official of the judiciary to confirm or deny the news.

Of course, lawyers could be trusted to react to such a situation. Said one, “Ha, ha, what is this country turning into? Because of the judgment in one court, other courts will not work again?” Another said, “This is how we promote and glorify villains in this country. What is so special about the Bode George case that other courts that other courts must not sit? What of the numerous other cases? Are they now saying those other litigants are not important?”

Yet another counsel had this to say, “I find this directive, if indeed true, rather odd. This is not the first big case in this same Ikeja High Court and in all those instances, nobody stopped courts from working. The particular court handling a sensitive case is the only one, the security people secure. Not everybody is allowed in it or even around it.
Even if the security report indicates that there could be serious problems, then, the judgment should be delivered in the afternoon, say 2.00pm, when most other courts would have finished their business for the day.”

It was the view of yet another counsel that “I bet you that Olabode George will be jailed. It is so apparent that this will be so, otherwise why this unusual security arrangement?”

It was around 1.00pm that news came that judgment had been delivered in the Olabode George case and that the defendants were to spend two years in prison, although they were discharged and acquitted on some other counts. Immediately the judgement ended, the situation turned ugly. Highly disappointed at the judgement, supporters of Olabode George turned aggressive as they pranced about the court premises cursing the judge and “enemies” of their idol. Some of them were seen openly brandishing guns and other weapons, threatening to attack any person who dared take photographs of Olabode George, climbing into the “School Bus” (the maria) that would take him and his co-convicts to the School of Further Adult Education at the Maximum campus, Kirikiri Lagos (maximum security prison).

At this point a group of these supporters pounced on one legal practitioner, M.K.O. Olobi Esq., and beat him up, thoroughly. In previous sessions, Olobi was known for protesting against the turning up of Olabode George’s supporters in court in uniform dresses.

Another person, a journalist too was reportedly assaulted. In spite of all these incidents, the police made no arrests, in fact turned a blind eye, becoming dumb, deaf and blind, in spite of being in large numbers and sufficiently armed.

Said a judiciary staff who witnessed the departure of Olabode George and his case mates from the court after being sentenced, “it was unbelievable that the police could behave the way they did. Can you imagine those people shouting threats at us, in the court premises saying they would kill and and injure us if “anybody takes any picture of baba,” in the very presence of the police and the police just turned away?”

As the trial court has fixed November 9 2009 for the hearing of bail pending appeal application of the convicted men, there are concerns that 26 October 2009 could repeat itself. This, except, the judiciary and the police do things differently in terms of security arrangement.

'HURRICANE AKANDE' HITS LAGOS MAGISTRATES

Office of the Hon. Chief Judge

High Court of Lagos State,

Lagos

2nd October 2009

Ref. No. CJL/JUD/006/VOL.VII/13

TO:

All Magistrates

Lagos State Judiciary

CIRCULAR

POSTING SCHEDULE OF MAGISTRATES FOR THE YEAR 2009/10

1. The following postings are hereby published for general information and due compliance.

2. All Magistrates are to compile a list of part-heard matters in their Courts and forward same to DCR (Legal) High Court, Ikeja for necessary action.

3. The Magistrates who are yet to go on their Year 2009 annual leave are to liaise with the DCR (Admin.), Ikeja so as to arrange for the persons that would relieve them.

4. This posting takes effect 7 (seven) days after the receipt and acknowledgment on record of this Circular by Magistrates to enable proper compliance with the directive in paragraph 2 above.

HON. JUSTICE (MRS.) I.E. AKANDE

CHIEF JUDGE OF LAGOS STATE

PROPER?: ATTACHED FURNITURE IN USE IN CHIEF JUDGE SECRETARY’S OFFICE

One of the odious practices of the Nigerian police is the wrongful appropriation of the properties of criminal suspects.
When the police swoop on criminal suspects, for good or base reasons, they often impound their chattels like furniture sets, cars, television and radio sets etc and bring same to their stations.
After a time, the impounded chattels are taken away into the various offices in the station and put to use. So one can find a situation where the rug belongs to suspect A, the table is owned by suspect B, the coat hanger, the property of suspect C and the television set is the property of suspect D. It is not uncommon to find impounded vehicles, driven by investigating police officers.

The Squib can however reveal that this abuse of office and powers is not limited to the police. Another important institution in the administration of Justice at least in Lagos State, the Judiciary is involved in similar practice.
In many administrative offices in the judiciary and even in some court rooms, are furniture not owned by the judiciary, but put to use there. These pieces of furniture and even electronic sets are goods seized by the police of the judiciary, to wit the court-bailiffs, otherwise known as bailiffs, during execution of court judgements and brought into the custody of the court.
The attached goods, under the law never become the property of the court but are meant to be sold off to satisfy judgement debits or be redeemed back by their owners upon payments of their judgement debts.
Unfortunately quite a few of such attached goods are converted with impunity, by staffers of the Judiciary, with the obvious knowledge and compromise of the bailiffs themselves.
The use of attached goods in the judiciary, particularly in the high courts is so rampant that such goods are in upon use in the office of the Chief Judge of Lagos State. In the reception of the office of the secretary of the Chief Judge of Lagos State at the Lagos State High Court-Igbosere, are two seats (see cover) part of a set, obviously attached goods, labeled LD/490/05. The (abbreviated) name of the attaching officer ‘sho’ is also stated also.
In some other courts (Hon. Justice Williams, Hon Justice B. Shitta-Bey) are such goods also in use.
Some sources in the judiciary informed the Squib that the unsavory situation arose for two reasons - lack of adequate storage facility in the Lagos State Judiciary for attached goods and inadequate supply of office-furniture and equipment for junior staff of the judiciary said a source-“The focus of government in the judiciary is mainly on judges. They always try to satisfy them but care less for other workers. So we have to find means of looking after ourselves. You need chairs, tables, etc to work in the office, but it is either we don’t have or the ones we have are badly damaged and nobody cares about repairs, so we have to arrange with our friends the bailiffs to help us out”.
Clearly there is no lawful justification for the conversion of attached goods for use in the judiciary. In fact it is another indication of the rot in our institution and our distorted value system as a people. Things have gotten so bad that the public institution of Justice becomes a blatant and shameful misappropriators of goods in her care.
We urge the new authority of the Lagos State Judiciary to take urgent steps to correct the grossly anomalous situation.

HOW SHOULD LAWYERS DRESS?

On 28th September 2009, no less than two hundred lawyers turned up at the Cathedral Church, Marina, Lagos, for the Christian service marking the new Legal Year Day for 2009/2010.

A particular barrister stood out of the lot but for negative reasons. While most of his colleagues at the occasion looked sharp and clean in their suits, Mr. Olusesan Aknalaja (called 1991) cut such an extremely shabby appearance, that he could easily be mistaken for a tramp about loud or an academic who had just embarked on a journey of innocuous insanity.

Akinlaja’s shoes were a pair of black; he of course had no socks on. His trousers a blue khaki jeans no shared no affinity with his jacket and was dirty. But the light blue stripped jacket Akinlaja had on was even dirtier, 'grimy' actually is the word. His shirt had lost its whiteness may be as far back in time as 2007 and his bib, wrinkled and browned as it were, would serve as fair camouflage for an aparo (patridge).

Akinlaja had a bag in his hand; that was about the only neat item on him, but it was simply out of place, being more like a small travel bag or a woman’s hold-all than a male lawyer’s bag.

To complete the story picture Akinlaja presented an unshaven cheeks and chin that sprouted short white hairs.
Indeed Akinlaja was an unsightly figure on the said day but most just kept their thoughts about him to themselves yet this was a legal practitioner, who for the sheer terrible sight he presented on that day, properly deserved a suspension from the profession, except it be proven that he was suffering from insanity!

Concerned members of the legal profession are worried about the slovenness and general inappropriate dressing of many practicing counsel these days.

There are some lady lawyers including magistrates and even judges who, in the course of their jobs practice various forms of undress and imbibe the practice of loud jewelry wearing including leg-chains, heavy multi-coloured face make-up, drop ear-rings, big brooches, punk hair styles, multi-coloured braids, etc.

For the men folk, quite an increasing number are finding it difficult to appear before the court wearing suits and shoes of colour black. Many also find it almost an anathema to sport starched, crisp, all white bibs as they are more at home with dirty, stained, crumpled ungainly bibs, which flop dejectedly on their chests.

Male lawyers, particularly those on the Main-land are more guilty of poor dressing than their female whose fault mainly lie in being unnecessarily and inappropriately showy.

There are many male counsel, whose constant excuse for poor, clients-chasing-appearance is “you know I am not appearing in court today” and they truly believe that is good enough excuse to appear like a palm-wine tapper or a rustic thrift collector, or just a plan old “Lagos stroller.”

This magazine believes a legal practitioner should endeavour to look his best all the time, not only for reasons of personal benefits but as part of the effort to maintain and sustain the high reputation of the legal profession.

We also believe that it is the duty of the seniors and elders in the profession to discourage legal practitioners from indulging in care-less or even worse, care-free dressing which tends to put to ridicule the noble profession.

WHY THEY ARE AFTER ME

Come 29 October 2009, all other things being equal, the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee of the Body of Benchers would sit at their normal venue, the Court of Appeal Headquarters Building, Abuja.
At the sitting of the LPDC a prominent feature is that of Mr. Dele Kelvin Oye, veteran prosecutor for the Nigerian Bar Association. He is well known to the members of the committee their registrars and staff and of course the defendants and their counsel.
A pleasant and ordinarily amiable character, Oye would be seen interacting freely with people wearing a friendly mien even with those facing his prosecutorial harpoons.
Given the deep politics and bitter, even dangerous intrigues that sometimes colour or follow cases before the Committee, Oye’s constant strategy could be likened to that of the proverbial Lagos city rat that eats so much off the sole of slumberer’s foot by blowing cool air gently on the foot before and after every bite! The constant mantra on Mr. Oye’s lip while ‘killing the defendant slowly, as it were is “I am only doing my duty, you know we are all colleagues.”
As things stand now, it is doubtful whether Mr. Oye, a 1989 graduate of the Nigerian Law School, would ever return to his familiar turf of prosecutor before the LPDC.
In late August 2009 in the wake of the recent tsunami, violently rocking the banking industry in the country, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) declared Dele Oye, who also to be the chairman of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce a wanted man, in connection with alleged financial crimes related to Intercontinental Bank.
Geckos informed the Squib that Oye ran into troubled waters with the EFCC, when in the course of investigating the Intercontinental Bank, some companies such as Flotsome, Prisky Gold Nigerian Ltd, Dilvent Int’l Ltd, Marricross and Circular Global had suspicious interactions with the Intercontinental Bank.
The EFCC wasted no time in tracing and finding the supposed Directors of these companies who are lawyers but who turned up at the EFCC to claim that they knew nothing about the companies. All the lawyers happened to be juniors working in Dele Oye chambers.
When their employer was summoned by the EFCC, Oye thought it best to flee instead of honouring the invitation. The EFCC has since sealed up the gentleman’s office in Abuja.
According to our sources, the alleged financial deals of Mr. Dele Oye totalled some 6.5billion naira.
Though on the run, Oye whose disappearance is now frustrating the prosecution of some disciplinary matters before the LPDC, has not been completely incommunicado.
The Squib successfully monitored Dele Oye’s off and on communications with a select few with whom he always pleads his innocence claiming that his travails is due to nothing other than fierce turf-possession politics in the banking industry, with the emergence of Lamido Sanusi as the new Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“My indictment is nothing more than politics” he says, from hiding. Some people are however advising that the NBA prosecutor is better served by stepping out to confront the EFCC and his other detractors, with facts and figures of his innocence.
One of these observers told the Squib-“Oye should stop being a fugitive. He should come back home and face his trial like a man, if he indeed is innocent. Nobody proves his innocence by running away from the accusers, rather you suggest that you are guilty as charged. If he is afraid of detention he should know that the court will grant him bail just as they did to the bank executives. In Nigeria when the allegation of fraud against you is very weighty, the courts grant you bail, especially when you are a respectable and prominent individual, And the chairman of the Abuja Chambers of Commerce is prominent enough a person.” He can also be sure that if indeed the EFCC is merely persecuting him, that the NBA whom he has served for so many years would rise to his defence.

THE TRUE AND FULL CAUSE OF GANI'S DEATH

One spectacular event that dominated the air-waves and the press from the first to the third week of September 2009 was the passing away of the legal luminary, author, publisher, philantrophist, and temporary politician Abdula-Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi a.k.a. GANI...

GOVERNMENT DISSOLVES LAGOS JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION.

Certainly the last has not been heard about the efforts of the Lagos State Government to appoint new Judges (about eight in number), even though there is a lull in the activities thereon courtesy of the on-going recess or vacation in the Judiciary, all over the country.
As has been exclusively reported by the Squib, in our two previous editions Vol 9 No 34 and 35 respectively, the chairman of the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission, Mr. Justice Adetula Alabi, who has only a week now to quit office of the honourable Chief Judge of the State by way of retirement, has paraded two lists of short-listed candidates (16 in all) for Judicial appointments in the state whereas the short-list of candidates actually prepared by the LSJSC had only ten candidates on it.
From reliable sources, we had gathered that the 10 man list enlarged to variants of the 16 man list after the sharply unpleasant meeting of the out going Chief Judge and the Governor of the state some weeks ago.
However the latest news related to the issue of judicial appointments in Lagos State, is, wait for it, the dissolution of the Judicial Service Commission of the state.
The dissolution, which is still only known to a few, was unexpected by many of the members, considering the fact that the LJSC can be said to be only mid-way- into their current term of five years.
Even without the disbandment, the current chairman, Alabi C.J. would have gone away nonetheless, once he retires on August 8 2009 from service. Also on her way out was Mrs. Bukola Balogun the Secretary, who was on contract employment with commission.
The full fledged members include Mr. Yomi Okunnu and Mrs. Abimbola Williams S.A.N who had spent like “an eternity” in the commission, having been there for no less than a decade now. The other member, a non-lawyer is one Mr. Ogunbawo.
Why nobody knows precisely the reason for the sack of the Judicial Service Commission, observers tend to believe it is not unconnected with the ‘wrangling’ between the Executive and the authorities of the Lagos State Judiciary on the new would be Judicial appointees. Some others believed that the disbandment was long over-due any way in the light of the presence of certain members who had become like permanent members of the commission and the need to inject new blood with fresher-vision into the commission.
Meanwhile in a rather curious situation, Mrs. Damilola Olanipekun of the daughters of the secretary of the Judicial Service Commission, has more or less surreptiously, become a magistrate in Lagos State.
Damilola a young lawyer in his late twenties, and called to the bar in October 2004 was until very recently a state counsel serving in the Office of the Public Defender of the state.
It is learnt reliably by the Squib that Damilola was appointed a Magistrate on a special Transfer of Services arrangement, placing her on entry into the magistracy on Grade Level 10. Even though sworn in only about two weeks ago, the appointment was said to have been back-dated to April 2009.
From all indications, it appears that Damilola Olanipekun became a magistrate on a “solo appointment” a most unusual situation, if indeed true, as magistrates are appointed together in fairly large numbers in Lagos State, whenever there are vacancies.

LAGOS JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT CRISIS: DOUBLE SHORTLISTS EMERGE.

In less than a month now, the controversial reign of Mr. Justice Adetula Augustine Alabi as the Chief Judge of Lagos which started in August 2004 will come to a definite end on August 8 2008.
There is no indication that the troubled reign will end quietly though. The reason is that the very last important duty of the Chief Judge, in his capacity as the chairman of the Lagos State Judicial Service, to wit nominating new judges from a pool of fiercely competitive candidates in already roiling in steaming crisis and controversy.
It would be recalled that last week, the squib released a list of candidates, short-listed for appointment into the Lagos state Bench. That short-list, signed by Mr. Justice Alabi goes thus-:
1. Mr. Christopher Ayodeji Balogun
2. Mrs. Olabisi Olusolabomi Ogungbesan
3. Mrs. Lateefat Abiola Morayo Folami
4. Mrs. Ibironke Olatunbosun Harrison
5. Mrs. Latifat Atinuke Oluyemi
6. Mrs. Oyindamola Adesola Ogala
7. Mrs. Fatimat Ibironke Kazeem
8. Mrs. Sedotan Sosi Ogunsanya
9. Mr. Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare
10. Miss. Olufunke Abiola Loko
11. Mrs. Elizabeth Mopelola Idowu Alakija
12. Mrs. Iyabo Olamide Akinkugbe
13. Mr. Kafeel Omobolaji Dawodu
14. Mrs. Adedayo Adeola Akintoye
15. Mrs. Funlola Adesola Odunlami
16. Mrs. Olufolake Oshin
However, the Squib can authoritatively disclose that, the said list was not the list drawn up by the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission (LSJSC) which considered the various applications of applicants for Judicial appointment and conducted WRITTEN EXAMINATION for them.
According to our unfailingly accurate and well-informed geckos in high and low places, only ten names of candidates were drawn up by the LSJSC after the examinations. The list of ten names had two teams. The Team A contained seven names of those considered the commission as the best and most preferable of all. The Team B contained names of three other candidates and the commission considered these three candidates as being on a supplementary list. One of those on Team B is Mrs. Oyindamola Ogala, the spouse of Mr. Babatunde Ogala, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
We learnt and authoritatively too that after the commission drew up the 10 man list, the Chief Judge, Mr. Justice Alabi presented same to the Governor at a meeting which turned very ugly indeed.
According to our sources, the Governor was unhappy with commission’s list, and angrily accused the Chief Judge of excluding wider-ranging consultations before drawing up the commission’s list. According to our sources, there were angry verbal exchanges between the Governor and the Chief Judge, with the latter so much embarrassed by the heat of the encounter that he literally “stumbled and fumbled” out of the meeting place and had to be helped out as his lordship could not easily recognize again the way by which he came in.
It was after this confrontation that the sixteen man, circulated to the Bar and the Bench in Lagos state, by the Chief Judge, came up.
However, the afore-said 16 man list is not the only one of such in circulation. The Squib here reports that another 16 man list, allegedly signed by Mr. Justice Ade Alabi in his capacity as Chief Judge of Lagos State and Chairman of the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission is said to be making the rounds in the National Judicial Council, Abuja. This other 16 man list a.k.a “Abuja list” contains the same names of the candidates paraded by the “Lagos list” but in different order of arrangement. The list goes thus (see cover story 1 exhibits)
1. Mr. Christopher Ayodeji Balogun
2. Mrs. Olabisi Olusolabomi Ogungbesan
3. Mrs. Lateefat Abiola Morayo Folami
4. Mrs. Ibironke Olatunbosun Harrison
5. Mrs. Latifat Atinuke Oluyemi
6. Mrs. Olufolake Oshin
7. Mrs. Fatimat Ibironke Kazeem
8. Mrs. Sedotan Sosi Ogunsanya
9. Mrs. Funlola Adesola Odunlami
10. Miss. Olufunke Abiola Loko
11. Mrs. Elizabeth Mopelola Idowu Alakija
12. Mrs. Iyabo Olamide Akinkugbe
13. Mr. Kafeel Omobolaji Dawodu
14. Mrs. Adedati Adeola Akintoye
15. Mr. Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare
16. Mrs. Oyindamola Adesola Ogala
For a quicker understand of the issues herein, we place the two lists side by side
LAGOS LIST
(WITH BAR AND THE BENCH)
1. Mr. Christopher Ayodeji Balogun
2. Mrs. Olabisi Olusolabomi Ogungbesan
3. Mrs. Lateefat Abiola Morayo Folami
4. Mrs. Ibironke Olatunbosun Harrison
5. Mrs. Latifat Atinuke Oluyemi
6. Mrs. Oyindamola Adesola Ogala
7. Mrs. Fatimat Ibironke Kazeem
8. Mrs. Sedotan Sosi Ogunsanya
9. Mr. Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare
10. Miss. Olufunke Abiola Loko
11. Mrs. Elizabeth Mopelola Idowu Alakija
12. Mrs. Iyabo Olamide Akinkugbe
13. Mr. Kafeel Omobolaji Dawodu
14. Mrs. Adedayo Adeola Akintoye
15. Mrs. Funlola Adesola Odunlami
16. Mrs. Olufolake Oshin

ABUJA LIST
(WITH NJC)
1. Mr. Christopher Ayodeji Balogun
2. Mrs. Olabisi Olusolabomi Ogungbesan
3. Mrs. Lateefat Abiola Morayo Folami
4. Mrs. Ibironke Olatunbosun Harrison
5. Mrs. Latifat Atinuke Oluyemi
6. Mrs. Olufolake Oshin
7. Mrs. Fatimat Ibironke Kazeem
8. Mrs. Sedotan Sosi Ogunsanya
9. Mrs. Funlola Adesola Odunlami
10. Miss. Olufunke Abiola Loko
11. Mrs. Elizabeth Mopelola Idowu Alakija
12. Mrs. Iyabo Olamide Akinkugbe
13. Mr. Kafeel Omobolaji Dawodu
14. Mrs. Adedati Adeola Akintoye
15. Mr. Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare
16. Mrs. Oyindamola Adesola Ogala
The “Abuja List” differs from the “Lagos list” in four areas. First, while the “Lagos list” places Olufolake Oshin a Chief Magistrate and Deputy Chief Registrar (Legal) at the rock bottom place of No 16, the “Abuja List” places her on a more secure notch of No 6.
Secondly on the “Abuja List”, Mr. Emmanuel Ogundare, another Chief Magistrate and Deputy Chief Registrar (Administration) is placed on No 15, while the “Lagos list” fixes him on the No 9 spot, a disadvantagedly advantageous position! (considering that both Nos 9 and 15 are in the Team B category)
Thirdly, Mrs. Funlola Adesola Odunlami who enjoys the No 9 position on the “Abuja List” is found on No 15 position on the “Lagos list”.
Finally while the “Lagos list” has Mrs. Oyindamola Adesola Ogala on no 6, the “Abuja List” grounds her on the 16th position!
It is interesting to observe that the disagreement in fixtures between the two lists signed by the one and same author, Alabi C.J affects only four persons, three of whom are Magistrates!
In the light of all the above mentioned situations, the Squib wishes to ask these few questions?
1. Is it true that the Governor of Lagos State interfered with the original short-list of names of candidates drawn up by the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission?
2. Can the LSJSC present her minutes of deliberations on the composition of the Short-list of candidates for judicial appointment to debunk the wide-spread information and beliefe that the Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola S.A.N tampered, tinkered and altered the original list of short-listed candidates drawn up by the LSJSC.
3. Is the “Abuja List” genuinely authored by Mr. Justice Alabi?
4. If the answer to the question no3 above is ‘yes’ why did the Chief Judge, Mr. Justice Adetula Alabi author two differently arranged short-lists?
4. Which of the two short-lists (Abuja and Lagos) is valid or are both valid?
Certainly the last of this matter has not been heard!

MRS. IBIRONKE HARRISON: FIT FOR THE BENCH?

Mrs. Ibironke Olatunbosun Harrison, is a well known legal practitioner in Lagos, particularly on the Lagos Island axis.
She is seen by many of her colleagues as a hardworking, amiable and well to do legal practitioner, who is also an ardent Christian with a high level of personal integrity. In fact it was upon the information supplied by some Lagos Island based legal practitioners on Mrs. Harrison to the Squib that we in our last edition espoused her candidacy for judicial appointment in Lagos State as worthy
After making it in the bar, Mrs. Harrison believed to be in her late forties or early fifties, is very much interested in moving up to the bench. In fact not only had she applied for judicial appointment in Lagos State, She has been favourably penciled down by the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission (LSJSC) for a place on the bench. In all of the available short-lists of candidates for judicial appointments by the LSJSC, the lady maintains a no4 position.
However the Squib, in the face of certain heavily damning information and documents (see cover story 2 exhibits) made available to us about Barrister Ibironke Olatubosun Harrison, in the night of Saturday 11th July 2009, now believes that the real place befitting the would be judge is more of a prison yard, than the glorious sanctum of a Judicial Bench.
Presently there are two petitions on the same subject matter to the Nigerian Bar Association and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Mrs. Harrison. In this edition we publish only the petition to the EFCC for lack of space.
The long and short of the petition is that, Mrs. Harrison, without any authorization sold her client’s property located at 24, Iroko Awe Raod, Ikate Olasan, Eti Osa Local Government for #120 million naira to one Architect Solomon Onwukwe of a firm known as Sheltamatics Limited.
Out of the 120 million naira demand, the said Onwukwe paid Mrs. Ibironke Harrison #117,500,000:00 before the deal fell through as Mrs. Harrison could not give the buyer the original documents of the property. In a letter dated 17 October 2008 she pleaded with Mr. Solomon Onwukwe the frustrated purchaser for his understanding and asked for his instructions on how to refund the monies she collected from him.
Some four months after making payment to Mrs. Harrsion, Onwukwe had a meeting in November 2008, with the lawyer and one Mrs. Lucy Abulu the chairman of TONIQUE (NIGERIA) LIMTED the owner company of the property in question. To Onwukwe’s shock, the said Mrs. Abulu denied ever instructing Mrs. Harrison to sell her company’s property and wondered that the lady lawyer could have gone ahead to collect money from Onwukwe on her behalf.
As things stood, the only viable option for Barrister Harrison to do was to make an immediate refund of the #117,500,000:00 she collected from Onwukwe. But that was where Harrison got stuck.
According to our sources, since November 2008 up till date, Harrsion has only managed to cough out only about 98 million naira and this only after incessant demands by Onwukwe and the very occasional threats by the EFCC which has been relatively lenient with her upon her arrest and release on bail.
It is not clear what the Nigerian Bar Association, which has received the petition against Harrison since 11th December 2008 is doing about the lady lawyer, apart from the terse assurance from the General Secretary by way of a letter from the NBA Ibrahim Mark Esq dated 18th December 2008 that the petition is receiving attention and that the complainant’s counsel shall be informed of further developments. (See cover story 2 exhibits).
The Squib learnt authoritatively that the EFCC discovered that Harrison disbursed the money she collected from Onwukwe on purchasing a house for herself in the Lagos Island and had no ready resources to make a snappy refund to Onwukwe.
On Sunday 12th of July 2009 at about 9.30am the Squib placed calls to Mrs. Ibironke Harrison on her G.S.M line for her response to the issues on ground but the calls were not picked up.
This is a clear case of gross unprofessionalism tainted with liberal doses of fraudulent manouevres on the part of a senior member of the bar, now aspiring to become a judge of Lagos State.
The Harrison case poignantly illustrates the dangers inherent in the practice of the appointing authorities of judges of making the appointments a “hush-hush” affair which excludes the contributions and participation of relevant stakeholders and the public except for mere tokenisms.
It is galling that such a practitioner with such an ugly case of professional misconduct and criminal illegal acts like Ibironke Harrison can have the liver to apply for a job of judge in the “Centre of Excellence”.
What is the profession and the country turning to? Or could it be that the Lagos State Judicial Service commission knows of the Harrison situation and yet puts her forward to be appointed a judge?

SEX AND THE BENCH: POLITICS OF GENDER AND LOBBY IN APPOINTMENT OF NEW JUDGES IN LAGOS STATE

On Tuesday 30th June 2009, the Chief Judge of Lagos State Honourable Justice Augustine Adetula Alabi sent a letter to all the Judges of the High Court of Lagos State. In the said letter, the chief Judge requested for the comments of his brother judges on the suitability or otherwise of “short-listed candidates” for recommendation to the National Judicial Council for elevation to the High Court Bench of Lagos State.
The short-listed candidates number only sixteen out of a rather big assembly of applicants. The short-listed candidates are as follows:
NAME SEX CONSTITUENCY
1. Christopher Ayodeji Balogun M Private practice
2. Olabisi Olasubomi Ogungbesan F Official Bar
3. Lateefat Folami F Magistracy
4. Ibironke Olatunbosun Harrison F Private practice
5. Latifat Atinuke Oluyemi F Official Bar.
6. Oyindamola Adesola Ogala F Magistracy
7. Fatimat Ibironke Kazeem F Private practice
8. Seditan Sosi Ogunsanya F Official Bar
9. Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare M Magistracy
10. Olufunke Abiola Loko F Private practice
11. Elizabeth Mopelola Idowu Alakija F Official Bar
12. Iyabo Olamide Akinkugbe F Magistracy
13. Kafeel Omobolaji Dawodu M Private practice
14. Adedayo Adeola Akintoye F Magistracy
15. Funlola Adesola Odunlami F Official Bar
16. Olufunke Oshin F Magistracy
About a day later, the Chief Judge forwarded the same “assessment request” to the leadership of the three branches of the Nigerian Bar Association, to wit Ikorodu, Ikeja and Lagos branches.
Geckos, who are naturalized residents of the corridors of official political powers in Lagos State have informed the Squib however that, the Governor of the State Babatunde Raji Fashola S.A.N, is not happy with-the list of short-listed candidates otherwise called “Alabi List” in some circles.
A reflective examination of the list of short-listed candidates shows the following:
1. The candidates are drawn evenly from three constituencies as follows:- 5 (Private bar), 5 (Official Bar), 6 (Magistracy).

2. The large majority of the candidates are females at the ratio of 13 females to 3 males. The official bar interestingly parades no male at all out of a number of 5 candidates while the magistracy has only 1 male out of 6 candidates. Even in the Private Bar Constituency females also lead at the rate of 3-2

3. The large majority of the candidates are Lagosians.
After receiving credible information and investigating around, the Squib can authoritatively disclose that out of the sixteen candidates presented to judges and the bar for assessment, the Justice Alabi led Lagos State Judicial-Service Commission is actually interested in only eight, for elevation on to the Lagos State Bench.
Thus the sixteen name list actually comprises of two teams: A and B.

Team A is made up of “Approved Candidates” who are the 1st to the 8th candidates to wit:
Christopher Ayodeji Balogun,
Olabisi Olsubomi Ogungbesan,
Lateefat Folami,
Ibironke Harrison,
Latifat Atinuke Oluyemi,
Oyindamola Adesola Ogala,
Fatimat Ibironke Kazeem,
Sedotan Sosi Ogunsanya.
Team B is the list of “Substitute/Probable candidates” who are to wit:
Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare,
Elizabeth Mopelola Idowu Alakija,
Iyabo Olamide Akinkugbe,
Kafeel Omobolaji Dawodu,
Adedayo Adeola Akintoye,
Funlola Adesola Odunlami
Olufunke Oshin.
Without a doubt a lot of intense lobbying and politicking otherwise, went into the drawing up of the names on the short-list.
It is doubtful whether for any of those on the list, MERIT was used exclusively to pick. For example the first person on the list, Christopher Ayodeji Balogun (Lagosian) a former vice-chairman of the Lagos branch of the NBA and son of a former Judge of the State A.L.A.L Balogun was picked not only because he has attractive credentials but because of his sheer importunity-the man has been applying for the job for close to a decade now!
On the other hand the last person on Team A, Sedotan Sosi Ogunsanya, said to be a “just there” presence in the ministry of Justice owes her presence on the list, more than any thing to the fact the she is from Badagry, a big area in Lagos State but with no quota on the Lagos State higher Bench.
It is also clear that a candidate such as Oyindamola Adesola Ogala (good as she may be on her own rights) has her load made lighter by the influence of her husband, a lawyer, who is also the chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on the Judiciary.
Any one doubting this assertion may have to consider the fact that Ogala ranking only No19 in the order of seniority in the Lagos State Magistracy where she is a Chief Magistrate II, has been ranked on the “Alabi List” far above Mrs. I.O. Akingugbe, a chief Magistrate 1 who is No4 on the seniority list of Lagos State Magistrates and Mr. Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare another Chief Magistrate 1, who is no 12 on the seniority list
It is also interesting that Mrs. Adedayo Adeola Akintoye the Lagos State Registrar of Titles makes the list at all, at least this time around. However she is said to be the daughter of a former Judge of Lagos State High Court Justice Adebayo Desalu (died 1993) who also was the son of another judge Justice Adebiyi Desalu. Called to the bar in 1981, Mrs. Akintoye joined the Lagos State Magistracy in 2005, just four years ago and rapidly and even inexplicably rose to the post of Chief Magistrate 2 and Registrar of Titles Lagos State. Said to be a long time resident of the United States of America, nobody seems to know anything about her legal practice history in Nigeria.
If Team A sails through it would mean out of the eight new judges for appointment, C.A. Balogun will be the only male there, in other words, a 12.5% male presence.
Already the Lagos State Bench is distressingly “feminised”. Out of 46 judges in service only 12 are males, just a 26% presence. Consequently if Team A sails through the result is that out of a number of 54 judges only 13 will be males.
The statistics does not confirm with the facts on ground in the legal profession as to the numerical strength, influence and participation of female legal practitioners. In the inner bar, there are only 6 female silks, dead or alive in Nigeria, while the male silks number over 150. In the outer bar, especially in Lagos State the number of leading and active female legal practitioners is in the units while their male counter-parts number in dozens of hundreds.
Keen observers of the Lagos Judiciary are perturbed by the large number of females on the Lagos bench not just because of their disproportionate presence on the bench vis a vis their minority status (gender wise) in the bar, but particularly so because of the poor performance of many of them on the bench.
Of the twelve males judges on the Lagos bench, only one is seen by the bar as an out-right disaster, while about three are adjudged as slightly below average and the rest considered in the range of average to excellent.
The same cannot be said of the 34 female judges on the bench. Only about a third in the estimate of the bar are truly commendable for industry, knowledge, emotional stability and integrity. The remaining two-thirds are remarkable for under-performance of various hues and aroma with at least half of this category seen as serious apologies and caricatures.
The truth of the matter is that the Lagos State Judiciary Service Commission, should for once in about a decade-select for the people of Lagos State, legal practitioners who will truly elevate the Lagos Bench to a matchless realm in the country in terms of sterling judicial performance.
This magazine cannot believe that only three men of all the lawyers who applied to become Judges, are good enough to make the shortlist, and that even worse, of the three, that only one of them has a good chance of being appointed.
The name of the state’s Judiciary is, we believe LAGOS STATE JUDICIARY and not LAGOS STATE WOMEN JUDICIARY.
Although the honourable Chief Judge of Lagos State and the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission did not and will never think of asking this magazine for any assessment of the short-listed candidates, the Squib as part of its social obligations and as a stake-holder in the Lagos State Judiciary sticks out its neck for the following candidates in the short-list as legal practitioners who in terms of character, comportment, industry, legal knowledge, integrity and independent-mindedness will do very well in the bench if appointed.
1. Mr. Christopher Ayodeji Balogun
2. Mr. Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare
3. Mrs. Lateefat Folami
4. Mrs. Olufunke Oshin
5. Mrs. Oyindamola Adesola Ogala
6. Mrs. Latifat Atinuke Oluyemi
7. Mrs. Ibironke Harrison.
Only the very best is good for Lagos State Bench where Judges are so handsomely paid and taken care of, almost royally.
Eko oni baje o!

SEX AND THE BENCH: POLITICS OF GENDER AND LOBBY IN APPOINTMENT OF NEW JUDGES IN LAGOS STATE

On Tuesday 30th June 2009, the Chief Judge of Lagos State Honourable Justice Augustine Adetula Alabi sent a letter to all the Judges of the High Court of Lagos State. In the said letter, the chief Judge requested for the comments of his brother judges on the suitability or otherwise of “short-listed candidates” for recommendation to the National Judicial Council for elevation to the High Court Bench of Lagos State.
The short-listed candidates number only sixteen out of a rather big assembly of applicants. The short-listed candidates are as follows:

NAME SEX CONSTITUENCY

1. Christopher Ayodeji Balogun M Private practice
2. Olabisi Olasubomi Ogungbesan F Official Bar
3. Lateefat Folami F Magistracy
4. Ibironke Olatunbosun Harrison F Private practice
5. Latifat Atinuke Oluyemi F Official Bar.
6. Oyindamola Adesola Ogala F Magistracy
7. Fatimat Ibironke Kazeem F Private practice
8. Seditan Sosi Ogunsanya F Official Bar
9. Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare M Magistracy
10. Olufunke Abiola Loko F Private practice
11. Elizabeth Mopelola Idowu Alakija F Official Bar
12. Iyabo Olamide Akinkugbe F Magistracy
13. Kafeel Omobolaji Dawodu M Private practice
14. Adedayo Adeola Akintoye F Magistracy
15. Funlola Adesola Odunlami F Official Bar
16. Olufunke Oshin F Magistracy
About a day later, the Chief Judge forwarded the same “assessment request” to the leadership of the three branches of the Nigerian Bar Association, to wit Ikorodu, Ikeja and Lagos branches.
Geckos, who are naturalized residents of the corridors of official political powers in Lagos State have informed the Squib however that, the Governor of the State Babatunde Raji Fashola S.A.N, is not happy with-the list of short-listed candidates otherwise called “Alabi List” in some circles.
A reflective examination of the list of short-listed candidates shows the following:
1. The candidates are drawn evenly from three constituencies as follows:- 5 (Private bar), 5 (Official Bar), 6 (Magistracy).

2. The large majority of the candidates are females at the ratio of 13 females to 3 males. The official bar interestingly parades no male at all out of a number of 5 candidates while the magistracy has only 1 male out of 6 candidates. Even in the Private Bar Constituency females also lead at the rate of 3-2

3. The large majority of the candidates are Lagosians.
After receiving credible information and investigating around, the Squib can authoritatively disclose that out of the sixteen candidates presented to judges and the bar for assessment, the Justice Alabi led Lagos State Judicial-Service Commission is actually interested in only eight, for elevation on to the Lagos State Bench.
Thus the sixteen name list actually comprises of two teams: A and B. Team A is made up of “Approved Candidates” who are the 1st to the 8th candidates to wit:
Christopher Ayodeji Balogun,
Olabisi Olsubomi Ogungbesan,
Lateefat Folami,
Ibironke Harrison,
Latifat Atinuke Oluyemi,
Oyindamola Adesola Ogala,
Fatimat Ibironke Kazeem,
Sedotan Sosi Ogunsanya.
Team B is the list of “Substitute/Probable candidates” who are to wit:
Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare,
Elizabeth Mopelola Idowu Alakija,
Iyabo Olamide Akinkugbe,
Kafeel Omobolaji Dawodu,
Adedayo Adeola Akintoye,
Funlola Adesola Odunlami
Olufunke Oshin.
Without a doubt a lot of intense lobbying and politicking otherwise, went into the drawing up of the names on the short-list.
It is doubtful whether for any of those on the list, MERIT was used exclusively to pick. For example the first person on the list, Christopher Ayodeji Balogun (Lagosian) a former vice-chairman of the Lagos branch of the NBA and son of a former Judge of the State A.L.A.L Balogun was picked not only because he has attractive credentials but because of his sheer importunity-the man has been applying for the job for close to a decade now!
On the other hand the last person on Team A, Sedotan Sosi Ogunsanya, said to be a “just there” presence in the ministry of Justice owes her presence on the list, more than any thing to the fact the she is from Badagry, a big area in Lagos State but with no quota on the Lagos State higher Bench.
It is also clear that a candidate such as Oyindamola Adesola Ogala (good as she may be on her own rights) has her load made lighter by the influence of her husband, a lawyer, who is also the chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on the Judiciary.
Any one doubting this assertion may have to consider the fact that Ogala ranking only No19 in the order of seniority in the Lagos State Magistracy where she is a Chief Magistrate II, has been ranked on the “Alabi List” far above Mrs. I.O. Akingugbe, a chief Magistrate 1 who is No4 on the seniority list of Lagos State Magistrates and Mr. Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare another Chief Magistrate 1, who is no 12 on the seniority list
It is also interesting that Mrs. Adedayo Adeola Akintoye the Lagos State Registrar of Titles makes the list at all, at least this time around. However she is said to be the daughter of a former Judge of Lagos State High Court Justice Adebayo Desalu (died 1993) who also was the son of another judge Justice Adebiyi Desalu. Called to the bar in 1981, Mrs. Akintoye joined the Lagos State Magistracy in 2005, just four years ago and rapidly and even inexplicably rose to the post of Chief Magistrate 2 and Registrar of Titles Lagos State. Said to be a long time resident of the United States of America, nobody seems to know anything about her legal practice history in Nigeria.
If Team A sails through it would mean out of the eight new judges for appointment, only C.A. Balogun will be the only male there, in other word, a 12.5% male presence.
Already the Lagos State Bench is distressingly “feminised”. Out of 46 judges in service only 12 are males, just a 26% presence. Consequently if Team A sails through the result is that out of a number of 54 judges only 13 will be males.
The statistics does not confirm with the facts on ground in the legal profession as to the numerical strength, influence and participation of female legal practitioners. In the inner bar, there are only 6 female silks, dead or alive in Nigeria, while the male silks number over 150. In the outer bar, especially in Lagos State the number of leading and active female legal practitioners is in the units while their male counter-parts number in dozens of hundreds.
Keen observers of the Lagos Judiciary are perturbed by the large number of females on the Lagos bench not just because of their disproportionate presence on the bench vis a vis their minority status (gender wise) in the bar, but particularly so because of the poor performance of many of them on the bench.
Of the twelve males judges on the Lagos bench, only one is seen by the bar as an out-right disaster, while about three are adjudged as slightly below average and the rest considered in the range of average to excellent.
The same cannot be said of the 34 female judges on the bench. Only about a third in the estimate of the bar are truly commendable for industry, knowledge, emotional stability and integrity. The remaining two-thirds are remarkable for under-performance of various hues and aroma with at least half of this category seen as serious apologies and caricatures.
The truth of the matter is that the Lagos State Judiciary Service Commission, should for once in about a decade-select for the people of Lagos State, legal practitioners who will truly elevate the Lagos Bench to a matchless realm in the country in terms of sterling judicial performance.
This magazine cannot believe that only three men of all the lawyers who applied to become Judges, are good enough to make the shortlist, and that even worse, of the three, that only one of them has a good chance of being appointed.
The name of the state’s Judiciary is, we believe LAGOS STATE JUDICIARY and not LAGOS STATE WOMEN JUDICIARY.
Although the honourable Chief Judge of Lagos State and the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission did not and will never think of asking this magazine for any assessment of the short-listed candidates, the Squib as part of its social obligations and as a stake-holder in the Lagos State Judiciary sticks out its neck for the following candidates in the short-list as legal practitioners who in terms of character, comportment, industry, legal knowledge, integrity and independent-mindedness will do very well in the bench if appointed.
1. Mr. Christopher Ayodeji Balogun
2. Mr. Emmanuel Olugbenga Ogundare
3. Mrs. Lateefat Folami
4. Mrs. Olufunke Oshin
5. Mrs. Oyindamola Adesola Ogala
6. Mrs. Latifat Atinuke Oluyemi
7. Mrs. Ibironke Harrison.
Only the very best is good for Lagos State Bench where Judges are so handsomely paid and taken of, almost royally.
Eko oni baje o!

SUPREMACY WAR: WILL ADEGBOYEGA KOLADE DEFEAT TAIWO O. TAIWO AGAIN, IN NBA LAGOS ELECTION?

It is now, from today 29 June 2009, sixteen days to the Election Day of the Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch. On that day, in all the offices under contest, the wheat shall be separated from the chaff. “Boys” too will taken away from the company of men.
Expectedly the post of chairman of the Premier Branch, being the highest of all, is the most hotly contested. When the race started about six weeks ago, there were four contestants namely-Taiwo O. Taiwo, Dayo Onakoya, Chijioke Okoli and Gboyega Kolade.
Now two weeks to the D-Day, all the four are still in the race. However as the goal-post gets nearer by the day and the contest gets hotter and tighter, “water, (as a Nigerian parlance goes) is finding its level”.
Rated, about a month ago by this magazine, as the candidate with the least chances of electoral success in the election, Dayo Onakoya esq in the estimate of this-magazine has not had an upswing in his fortunes. Despite his good personal credentials, what still attends his identity is the question “Who is he?”
His political viability has not been helped by the news that circulated round within the Lagos Bar, last week, that Onakoya at a meeting called by some Yoruba caucuses had heeded the counsel of certain Yoruba elders to step out of the contest.
Those who persuaded Onakoya to withdraw from the race wanted to prevent a situation where the three Yoruba in the race will cancel themselves out, to the benefit of Chijioke Okoli, the only non-Yoruba in the race.
The Squib gathered that Onakoya was persuaded to step down, because it appeared to the “defenders of Yoruba” interests that he had the lowest chances of the trio, to clinch the chairmanship post.
A twist has entered the story though as Dayo Onakoya who had appeared agreeable to the idea of withdrawing from the race, suddenly after a lull of about three days, jerked his campaign machinery back to life, with text messages to various persons asking for their votes again.
The inconsistency has surely hurt his already lean chances even the more, as some of his backers have reportedly vowed not to have anything to do with him again. Reportedly said one of them-“How can you give your word to people that you are withdrawing from an elections and after that, come back to say you are running again?”
One sign that Onakoya is not a major contender for the post of chair, is the visible absence of a team of contestants, running under his umbrella. That honour is shared in the main by Adegboyega Kolade and Taiwo O. Taiwo who are now clearly the front runners.
Chijioke Okoli, the fourth contender in the race, is, the Squib can authoritatively disclose, having a ragged time in the race. He has dropped in the ratings as a leading contender, as the more politically experienced and connected Gboyega Kolade and Taiwo O. Taiwo, have, through their network of friends and patch work of alliances eaten deep into his support base in the “Otu oka Iwu” association of Igbo lawyers while he remains basically unattractive to the Yoruba groups and votes. It would appear that Okoli political sin is, running for the highest post in the Premier, too early in his political-career, considering his relative greenness in leadership circles in the Premier Bar.
He too is now more or less like Dayo Onakoya-a ‘solo runner’ without any or much “shadow cabinet”. Of all the aspirants in other categories of contest, only Rose Agbo (1st Vice chairmanship aspirant) is known with Okoli as being in his camp. That alliance cannot give him much mileage as Rose Agbo does not have the influence to attract a great number of votes to Okoli, since in her own category, she is no way a hot favourite for the post of 1st Vice-Chairman.
As at today, the two-main rivals in the contest are Taiwo O. Taiwo and Adegboyega Kolade. In the view of some analysts, both contestants are running “neck and neck”. Kolade and Taiwo are not new to each other when it comes to electoral contest.
Two years ago, both vied for the same office-1st Vice-Chairman. The winner by some 30 votes margin, of that contest was Gboyega Kolade. The question now is, will Gboyega Kolade, this year again defeat his rival Taiwo O. Taiwo for the post of chairman?
Chances are that, Kolade may repeat the feat, but if it happens, it is certainly not going to be an easy thing. This is because, Taiwo enjoys some strengths, that Kolade may find very hard to over-power.
The first is that, some of the main planks of the very structure that ensured Kolade’s triumph over Taiwo in 2007, such as Erasmus Baderinwa (out going chairman) and Kunle Uthman (who postures as a god-father of some sorts) are now backing Taiwo.
This is a formidable support indeed. Baderinwa’s support is crucial being the incumbent chairman and ordinarily should tilt towards his immediate surbodinate in office-Gboyega Kolade, the 1st Vice-Chairman.
It can be revealed that Baderinwa’s withdrawal of support for Kolade caught Kolade off-guard, because he thought that the chairman whom he has been very loyal to, including saving his neck from the axe of impeachment at a point, would reward him with his support in this election. Nobody should blame Baderinwa too much though: in politics there are no permanent friends.
As for Kunle Uthman, who is a socio-political ‘circulator’ in the Lagos Bar and as such well known in all the main sub-groups of the Lagos Bar, his support too will be quite helpful to Taiwo. The combination of Baderinwa and Uthman at this point is very interesting and shows their strong intention to install into power, their own men into office and as such remain relevant in the post-Baderinwa years.
Only three months ago, Uthman could not bear to hear Baderinwa’s name in his presence, so much was the level of his detestation of the chairman who he lavishly used to describe as an ingrate who marginalised his political benefactors like himself, and wedded himself overnight politically to a political parvenu, Mrs. Funmi Oluyede, an ex-officio member of the Baderinwa cabinet.
The second fact is that Taiwo himself is well known and presented as a political moderate, finds acceptability among older lawyers who consider him possessed of enough gravitas and respectable enough to lead the Premier Branch.
Like the heavy-weight that he is unlike Onakoya and Okoli who are running either solo or near solo, Taiwo has attracted under his platform a clutch of contestants in other offices. For example, Mike Idowu running for 1st Vice-Chairman is rooting for him, while another contestant for 1st vice-chairman, John Duru may also be for him. Funmi Oluyede running for the office of 2nd Vice-Chairman is also with him, likewise Opara (Mrs.) for the post of Secretary and Geraldine Wey for Treasurer.
Naturally all these other contestants will ask their own supporters to look the way of Taiwo Taiwo in the election, since the election is now taking the shape of a group contest more than an individual acceptability test.
However in spite of all the afore-mentioned, Kolade and not Taiwo, remains the man to beat in the election. What has continued to stand him in good was his long preparation for the contest, as well as the fact that he is neither a Johnny-Just-Come like Okoli, or an off and on presence like Dayo Onakoya and even more importantly, does not have any credibility problem, in all the offices he has held in the NBA, dating back to 1995/1996.
A dogged, active, spunky and easily accessible character, Kolade finds easy and wide-ranging-acceptance among the younger lawyers, the very type, a bar politician can count on to turn up and in large numbers too, at the polling booths to cast their votes.
Behind Kolade and in his team, are some contestants in other posts. With him is Seth Amafule (2nd vice-chairman aspirant and incumbent secretary) Prince Abimbola (Treasurer aspirant) Joyce Oduah (already returned unopposed as Social Secretary over Labake Adebimpe of the Taiwo Taiwo team, who was disqualified from the race by the Electoral Committee for lack of adequate attendance of branch meetings despite forged entries in the attendance register to the contrary).
None of Kolade’s team is anonymous politically and that would-certainly be of big help to the Kolade bid, especially in the non Yoruba votes. Kolade will also benefit from the desultoriness of the Dayo Onakoya campaign. Seeing the way the voting trend appears to be going decisively against their man, certain strong backers of Onakoya, who are a crop of past chairmen of the branch, resolutely opposed to the emergence of Taiwo as the next leader of the branch, are already throwing their weight behind Kolade, whom they considered a lesser evil to Taiwo.
All though a week, as it is said, is too long in politics, there is no doubting this reality-the race is now squarely between Gboyega Kolade and Taiwo Taiwo, with Okoli a rather distant third and Onakoya just taking a stroll in the political garden
Taiwo has improved considerably in the ratings and is largely responsible for the demotion of Okoli to the 3rd position and the reduction of the lead of Kolade over him from mid April to mid June.
But can he close the gap, and eventually overtake Kolade? Or, will history repeat itself?
We have to wait for June 14 2009 for the answer.

MILLION NAIRA BRIBERY SCANDAL: IS ADENIJI JCA REALLY GUILTY OR JUST MESSED UP BY THE NJC?

When a young man sets out in employment in the Civil Service (Government employment) a popular prayer in Yoruba land for the employee is-



“Oko oba, ada oba
Ko ni sa e lese”



Literally this translates – “May you not be injured by the king’s (government) cutlass and hoes”
But factually it is a prayer against occurrence of mishaps and crisis in the civil service career.
That prayer, if ever said for D.A Adeniji, 72, a former Justice of the Court of Appeal and a South-Westerner from Ile-Ife the cradle of Yoruba civilization has not proved efficacious.
In year 2004, his long judicial career of 31 years starting from the Western State magistracy in 1973 ran into stormy waters and drowned, as he was dismissed from office by Olusegun Obasanjo, the then President of the Federal Republic, alongside one colleague of his Okwuchukwu Opene for corrupt enrichment.

Both judges were members of a three man Election Appeal Tribunal which sat in Enugu in that year and heard the Appeal of one One Senator Ugochukwu Uba against Honourable Nicholas Ukachukwu.
The third member of the Tribunal was K.B Akaahs J.C.A. He was the only one of the trio who left Enugu un-blemished and unscathed.
At the end of the hearing of the appeal which he lost, the respondent Nicholas Ukachukwu fired a petition against Justices Opene and Adeniji who found against him claiming that while Opene J.C.A received 15 million from his opponent, Justice Adeniji received 12 million naira. See cover story exhibit.
Upon receipt of the petition, the National Judicial Council, (NJC) set up a 3 man panel to investigate the case.


The Panelists were Justice Owolabi Kolawole, (now deceased) Justice Olakanmi and Justice Darazo. However some curious, disturbing facts attended the sitting of the NJC Panel and which facts appeared to have affected proper justice delivery in the case.
The first is that both Judges (Opene and Adeniji) accused of receiving bribes were tried together, even where the facts of the allegations clearly showed that they were allegedly bribed on different dates by different persons.

Secondly the Justice Kolawole Panel was epileptic in terms of membership participation in the hearing of the petition.
For example while the Chairman of the Panel was present when all the 14 witnesses in the matter gave their testimonies and cross-examined, while Justice Olakanmi was present for only 9 witnesses before he was removed from the panel. In Justice Darazo’s case, he was opportuned to be present for only three witnesses while Justice Gumi came on board to hear just one witness. The report of the panel was signed by Justices Kolawole, Darazo and Gumi


Thirdly proceedings in the matter suffered a near seven-month break (from April 17 2004 to November 3 2004 due to the serious illness of the Chairman of the Panel – Kolawole.

Final hearing in the matter took place on 4th November 2004 and the ruling was delivered on 17 November 2004. Thus only one panel member heard all the witnesses through while the others heard less than a quarter of the witnesses. It was clear then that Justice Darazo and Gumi relied on hear say evidence of the clearly unhealthy Justice Kolawole or documentary hear say evidence of the record of proceedings of the panel before they came on board to participate in the summing up and evaluation of the evidence before the panel.

Two weeks after delivering the ruling, the Chairman of the panel, obviously very sick still, died. Going through the record of proceedings of the Kolawole Panel and its subsequent findings as the Squib has done it is reasonable to believe that the epileptic membership of the panel as well as the prolonged adverse ill health of the now deceased Chairman of the Panel as well as the seven month hiatus in the proceedings gravely affected the correctness of the record and eventual findings of the Panel. See cover story exhibit for panel’s report.

A single important fact illustrates this point. In its official record, the Panel stated that one Okafor (PW4) gave evidence that he took one Barrister Joy Anyamene in his cab to where Justice Adeniji lived and witnessed how money said to be 12 million naira packed in 3 “Ghana-Must-Go” bags was taken in to him and that Justice Adeniji came out of the house to give him a gift of ten thousand naira. In its findings, the Kolawole Panel substantially found Adeniji J.C.A guilty of the allegation of receiving 12 million naira bribe, essentially on the strength of Okafor’s evidence. According to the Panel, that piece of evidence was damning but Adeniji J.C.A did not deem it necessary to even cross-examine the witness on the allegation.

The truth however was that this “damning evidence” was never given by Okafor against Justice Adeniji but against Justice Opene! The Squib confirmed this truth when it went through the Final Written Addresses of the Counsel for the Petitioner one Ikechukwu Ezechukwu Esq.

The address at page 3 thereof clearly stated that PW4 (Okafor) in company of a Joy Anyamene a lady lawyer, took bags loaded with money in his car, to a house where Justice Opene was and that the Judge (Opene) gave him N10,000:00! In fact in Nicholas Ukachuwu petition the petitioner did not alleged that Justice Adeniji received any money from Joy Anyamene or that same was witnessed by PW4 Okafor.

In fact Justice Adeniji raised this point in his suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2005 ADENIJI Vs AG FEDERATION & OR and the point was not denied or challenged by the defendants. The trial Judge in that matter B.F.M Nyako, now recently recommended for elevation to the Court of Appeal, noted this in her judgement of 15/6/07.



“Another issue that arose from the proceedings is that some of the evidence or testimonies given against Opene J.C.A were attributed to the Plaintiff.


This was not challenged by the Defendants. It will thus be accepted as admitted. I have not had the opportunity to see the records of the deliberations of the National Judicial Council and how and what it used to come to its conclusion even where the wrong evidence was attributed to the Plaintiff and it is so expunged. This does not vitiate the proceedings of the National Judicial Council but part of the Panel’s proceedings (Please See Case Law page).



Much to Justice Adeniji shock and dismay, he lost his case before Nyako J at the Federal High Court Abuja and has now proceeded to the Court of Appeal.
In 2008 the now bitter and frustrated Justice Adeniji wrote to the police on the matter, asking and indeed encouraging the police to investigate Honourable Nicols Ukachukwu allegation of collection of twelve million naira allegation against him but that move has also drawn a blank. See cover story exhibit.



The police appeared not too eager to carry out the request. No report of their investigation has ever been made despite constant pressure from Justice Adeniji.
However it was not as if no evidence at all was given against Justice Adeniji before the Kolawole Panel. There was evidence from one Bonti Oniugbo who claimed he followed one Emeka Okeke who works for the family of Senator Uba (the appellant in the appeal before the Opene Panel) to Justice Adeniji at a guest house.



However the said Emeka Okeke was not produced before the Panel. Worse, Onuigbo said he was only told by Emeka that the money they allegedly carried was 12 million naira. Also he was not there when the said Okeke gave the money to Adeniji JCA or when the judge collected the money! Even the alleged place of the bribey was not right. The witness mentioned guest house but the judge never stayed in a guest house while in Enugu but rather was with Justice Fabiyi of the Court of Appeal Enugu. With him was also Akaahs JCA.



Unfortunately the Kolawole Panel held that Justice Adeniji received the 12 million naira bribe twice! The first from Emeka Okeke and secondly from Joy Anyamene! The same Anyamene who in truth had nothing to do with Justice Adeniji.



To back its findings the Kolawole Panel also relied on a Yoruba proverb Justice Akaahs said Justice Adeniji told him when the bribery scandal broke out on the pages of newspapers. The proverb goes thus: Eni to ba je ki won fi ori oun fo agbon ko ni ba won je n be. (He who allows his head to be used to break a coconut will not partake of the eating).
The panel however translated the proverb thus “Whoever allows coconut to be broken on his head will never live to eat from the coconut”. According to the panel the proverb means “anybody who discloses a plot hatched to do evil will not live to see the result of the evil”.



But this is a wrong interpretation of the proverb as anyone grounded in Yoruba language will testify. Rather the more truthful interpretation will read akin to this:-“He who allows himself to be used as solution to a dangerous and difficult problem, will not partake of the eventual benefits or rewards of the solution.”



However the Kolawole Panel held the proverb to mean that-Adeniji JCA was subtly threatening Akaahs JCA to “either fall in line or be eliminated”!
It is significant that the then Attorney-General of the Federation Chief Akin Olujimi SAN did not support the recommendation of the NJC that both Justices Opene and Adeniji be removed from office. He was however over-ruled by the president Olusegun Obasanjo.



Since their dismissal from office, Justice Adeniji has not kept mum on his fate. He has gone to court, to challenge his dismissal, and he is still there. He has challenged the police to investigate the allegation against him and prosecute him if found culpable but the police has done nothing.



Anyone who has interacted with Justice Adeniji since his dismissal in service 2004 will appreciate the bitter irony of his situation. Though found to be guilty of collecting no less than 24 or 27 million naira bribe in 2004 by the Kolawole panel, the judge has been existing largely on charity and goodwill of friends and sympathisers ever since. He could ill afford to pay for legal fees both before the Kolawole panel and the B.F.M Nyako court where his cases have been heard. In the Kolawole panel, he partially represented himself and at other times was represented by the chambers of Dodo S.A.N free of charge. Before Justice Nyako he was represented free by Chief Gboyega Awomolo S.A.N. At a point he could not afford the cost of air travel to attend his cases in Abuja and according to the judge, “Lawyer Femi Falana has been kind to me too, giving me some amount of money each time I saw him but at a point in time I had to tell Femi “stop giving me all this ten thousand naira, ten thousand naira what I want you to do for me is fight for me.”



This magazine believes that the struggle for justice should not be left alone for the tired, impoverished and sagging shoulders and coffers of the judge (Adeniji JCA). The many grievous lapses in the handling of this matter, must give concern to all those who believe that it is better for a thousand offenders to escape justice than for an innocent man to be unjustifiably punished.

The Squib calls on the NBA to rise up in defence of this judge. Judges no matter their height on the bench, are and will always be legal practitioners and so are always members of the bar too.

No organization or body can champion the redressing of Justice Adeniji’s plight better than the NBA. May God give our great association the courage to do the right in this matter.