A human rights activist and Executive Chairman, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, has urged the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, not to allow some State Judges to destroy the judicial system of the country with frivolous, illegal and bias orders, rulings and judgements emanating from the various State High Courts in the country.

Sulaiman made the appeal following the recent imprisonment of human rights lawyer, Barrister Inibehe Effiong, on the orders of the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Ekaette Obot, for a period of one month while defending his client in an open Court over what Justice Obot termed as contempt of court by the lawyer for asking the Court not to allow armed security men in an open court,

Sulaiman also advised the apex body of the bench under the watch of the CJN to set machinery in motion to checkmate the frivolous, illegal and unlawful pronouncements from the State High Courts across the land that made litigants to lose hope in approaching the courts for redress, adding that loss of hope by Nigerians in the nation’s judicial system led to incessant jungle justice among the populace.

He also alleged that most of the State Judges had turned the courts of justice and equality to court of injustice and inequality.

Comrade Sulaiman, who strongly condemned the action of Justice Obot for sending Barrister Effiong to a month jail term without trial for contempt of court, describing her action as “illegal, unlawful, aberration, evil, unconstitutional, barbaric, undemocratic and crime against God and humanity”, adding that this was a “national embarrassment to the entire judiciary of the country”.

He added that the action of Justice Obot went against the provision of Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) that she sworn to uphold at all times in discharging of her constitutional duty, calling for immediate and unconditional release of the Barrister Effiong with writing apology from the apex body of the bench to Effiong and Nigeria Bar Association.

Reacting to the development through a signed press statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, Sulaiman declared that Justice Ekaette Obot had failed an integrity test as a jurist with her illegal and unlawful action, adding that there should be punitive measure for Justice Obot from the National Judicial Council (NJC) in order to serve as deterrent to other Judges that might have the same mindset and idiosyncratic tendency of Justice Obot in the nearest future in our judicial system.

The fiery rights activist further stated that most of the State Judges were breakers of the rule of law by encouraging the highest bidders before the court to disrespect the pronouncements of the court at will, because something has exchanged their hands, citing the traditional ruler cases where those who violated the court orders at will were given priority to continue disobeying and disrespecting the court without severe punishment for such action as stipulated by the law.

Sulaiman alleged that Justice Olanrewaju Akeredolu of an Ondo State High Court was in the same character as Obot in using their position as Judges of the State High Court to perpetrate evil against their perceived enemies.

According to him, “This is too bad and pathetic in our judicial system. A judicial personnel in the temple of justice should uphold the tenets of the process by ensuring equality before the law and adjudicate without fear or favour, but reverse was the case of State Judges today. The action of the Presiding Judge shows clearly that the Judge has hidden agenda on the subject matter before her.

“Some State High Court Judges have turned themselves to the appendage of members of the State Executive Council and moneybag politicians while handling cases in which they were parties. The National Judicial Council (NJC) should wake up from its slumber to save our judicial system by purging the respected bench from the bad eggs of those who are selling court judgements by giving timeline to the cases at each level of the court in the country to the letter.

“The action of Justice Ekaette Obot is national embarrassment and to the justice system of the country and if care is not taken, the judiciary would become toothless bull dog that can only bark but cannot bite as submitted by the late legal luminary, Chief F.R.A. Williams in the case of Chief Okoya and others Vs. Santilli and others (1991) 7NWLR (part 206)753-760.”

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