President Buhari While addressing journalists alongside four past presidents, the NBA President, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), made the declaration at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. Mahmoud addressed the press alongside four past presidents of the association – Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN); Mr. J.B. Daudu (SAN) and Augustine Alegeh (SAN).
Also in attendance at the declaration, were Prof. Kayinsola Ajayi (SAN), Mr. Yusuf Ali (SAN), Mr. Dele Adesina (SAN), Monday Ubani among others. Mahmoud said two Supreme Court justices, Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta were “abducted”, with their families, adding that he had yet to have the full detail of other judges who could have been involved. Mahmoud said the NBA condemned what it termed the Gestapo-style operation of the DSS.
He announced the constitution of an emergency or crisis management team, comprising past NBA presidents to engage with the government. Mahmoud, who said it was not the responsibility of the DSS to arrest judges, described the DSS action as an unconstitutional means of intimidating the judiciary and undermining its independence.
The NBA President called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order the immediate release of the arrested judges, vowing that there would be consequences should the demand be ignored. Mahmoud said, “I want to emphasise again that we are not under military rule and we cannot accept this unholy event and Gestapo-style operation. “We, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately caution all the state security agencies and to respect the rule of law and to respect due process.
“Any issues affecting the judicial officers, there are established procedures for handling them and we demand that this constitutional process must be obeyed. “Given the unfolding nature of the event and the seriousness of the situation, the NBA hereby declares a state of emergency as it affects the affairs of the judiciary and I hereby constitute a crisis management team, comprising all past presidents of the association.
“I want to, on behalf of the association, make the very following clear and unequivocal demands: we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all the judges abducted from about 9pm yesterday (Friday).
“The release must be done immediately and without any conditions. Two, we demand that the Department of State Services should limit itself to its statutory and constitutional responsibilities. “I’ll be meeting with the CJN later tonight or tomorrow. There will be consequences should these demands are not met.”
Emergency what. If the findings by the sss is real then a poor man can never find justice before these judges.
ReplyDeleteLeave them, they believe they are above the law. The masses are waiting and watching, we voted for the government of the day and not the judges of day. The judges and the lawyers had constituted a bottleneck to the fight against this corruption, they have become partisan taking huge bribe giving conflicting rulings over same case. Where is that respected judiciary we are talking about? The so called SANs will flood the court because of one politician just to intimidate the jury. So money, politics,tribalism and religious bigotry has messed up the so called judiciary. The federal government need to clean all. Even the DSS themselves has their days of reckoning ahead. Sai Baba.
DeleteDemocracy is about t the rule of Law. Is 1984 here now? Hahahaha!
ReplyDeleteChangi dole!
Say Baba!
Anonymous, I agreed to your comments absolutely
ReplyDeleteThe present government is out for everybody poor or rich. Truth be this country must be purged out of every challenge holding us to truly develop as a nation.
Some of the people are so poor upstairs so much so that they play sentimental politics, once the persons being convicted is from their village, state or party that persons are regarded as being witch hunting. even though it glaring that he/she never benefitted anything from the said convict. Nigerians let us shine our eyes for ones.
The same set of people have been shouting for the past decades that our problem is corruption and that once more than half of the corruption is stamped out only then our dear country Nigeria will be GREAT
NBA should wait for its turn! Nigerians know that the most corrupt Association in Nigeria is NBA.
ReplyDeleteShameless NBA is trying to cry foul before the ball reach its net!
I quite understand the need to follow and obey the rule of law but hw shameful it is when the judiciary are perpetrating crime believe they cud hide under the rule of law.
ReplyDeleteGod in ur INFINITE MERCIES please NIGERIA of these CORRUPTIBLE JUDICIAL system.
Nigeria will be GREAT!