Tension in Ado-Ekiti, and CNPP, SANs, Saraki, others worried

The National Judicial Council (NJC) may convene an emergency meeting over last week’s attack on courts and judges in Ekiti State by pro-Governor-elect Ayodele Fayose thugs, as regards the report.

Mr. Justice John Adeyeye was attacked by Fayose’s supporters, who tore his suit, at the Ado-Ekiti High Court premises.

A report on the incident has been written by Ekiti State Chief judge, Justice A. S Daramola, whose court room was invaded and record shredded. Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Mariam Alooma Muktar, who is the NJC chairman, got the report on Friday, according to sources.

It was gathered that the NJC is of the opinion that a firm decision must be taken on the matter to strengthen the esteem of the judiciary.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that NJC members were “embarrassed” because the attacks on judges threaten the Judiciary.

A source said: “The NJC is going to probe the incidents because the assaults amounted to threats to the Judiciary. And if the Judiciary cannot operate freely in any society, anarchy will set in.

“Already, the NJC is planning an emergency meeting on the development in Ekiti which, if not checked, may be replicated in other states.”

The source added: “The CJN has received a preliminary report from Ekiti Chief Judge; it is left to the NJC to conduct a comprehensive appraisal of the incidents.

“Also, the Ekiti State Government and lawyers involved in the matters have also made representations to the CJN and the NJC.”

Details of the report were not known yesterday, but a source said it contained the fact that Fayose “supervised” the thugs who beat up Justice Adeyeye.

Fayose denied that any judge was assaulted.

Another source said: “All the parties have sent reports on their travails to the CJN, who will present all the facts to the NJC.”

Ekiti State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General  Mr. Wale Fapounda, has requested for the video recordings of Saturday’s Sunrise early morning programme on Channels Television in a possible investigation of the role of lawyers in the sacking of Justice Ogunyemi’s court in Ado Ekiti on September 2.

The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson during the programme, Mr. Gboyega Adesogan, stated that it was the PDP lawyer that informed the hoodlums of the happenings in the court which led to their violent disruption of proceeding.

According to a statement from the office of the attorney general, the admission by the PDP spokesman corroborated witness accounts and the petitions he had received on the role of lawyers in the fracas.

Yesterday, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) condemned attacks on judges and demanded the relocation of the affected courts from Ekiti State to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The CNPP made its position known in a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary,  Mr Osita Okechukwu.

The statement said: “The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP ) is outraged over the desecration and tragic assault on the temple of justice, in Ekiti State on 22nd and 25 September, 2014; resulting in assault of Judges and naked beating of Honourable John Adeyeye and subsequent closure of courts in the state.

“Our understanding of what triggered-off the mayhem of September 22, 2014, was that political thugs allegedly associates of Mr. Ayo Fayose, the governor-elect of Ekiti State, frowned at the audacity of Honourable Justuce Isaac Ogunyemi  to rule in favour of jurisdiction to try a case involving the governor- elect.

“What emboldened the thugs to move violently on September 25 to sack the Ekiti Election Petition Tribunal was the siddon-look or sheer indifference of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies, in whose full glare the brutal attack took place.

“Feeling highly insecure, since the security agencies had become accomplices of the thugs, the Chief Judge of State shut down the courts.

“It is on this score that we call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the Nigeria Judicial Council to, as a matter of urgent national importance, relocate the two courts to the Federal Capital, Abuja, for speedy dispensation of justice.

“CNPP cannot recollect where such bizarre and brazen assault on temple of justice took place in recent times, except in Uganda under Idi Amin and in banana republics of yester-years – Burma and Latin America.”

Senator Bukola Saraki described the situation in Ekiti State as a big threat to democracy, political stability and judicial independence.

Dr. Saraki, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), urged the National Judicial Council, The National Judicial Institute, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Body of Benchers and other related judicial bodies to rescue the judiciary.

They “must also condemn this act and show concern in respect of this barbaric attack to one of their own,” he added.

In a statement, the chair of Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology said: “I am personally worried and concerned, as a Nigerian and as a stakeholder in the Nigerian polity. Whether the Ekiti State crisis is APC or PDP driven or whether it is as a result of an act of commission or omission and or whether it is government, group of people or individually driven, I must say without any ambiguity that what has happened in Ekiti State in the last few days is totally unacceptable and should be dealt with immediately and decisively too in good time.

“A situation where the independence of our judiciary and its  institutions in particular and the office of our respected judicial officials are no more secured and safe  to discharge and practise their constitutional responsibility and professional roles respectively,  calls for a signal that anarchy is about to set in to our polity.

“It is unfortunate that at a time when we as a nation are battling high rate of insecurity and insurgency across the country and such assault is being unleashed on a Judge of a High Court on official duty, brings a deeper thought to the level of leadership we are providing to this country.

“It is appalling that since the attack on one of the High Court judges in Ekiti State, the Federal Government, the Presidency and the ruling party has either refused, neglected or failed to make a formal pronouncement on this unwarranted attack. This is a sign of bad leadership. A precarious situation of this nature should not be sacrificed on political expediency.  This is unacceptable.

“A situation where the Federal Government, the Presidency and the party that forms the government at the national level deem it not to be concerned and decide to keep mum over the unwarranted attack on our judges is an act of dereliction of duties and responsibilities,” he said.

Senior lawyers described the attack on judges and court as an unwarranted debasing of the temple of justice, and a threat to the sustenance of democracy.

Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), Duro Adeyele (SAN), the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, rights activist Festus Keyamo, Kalouma Umar and Richard Chukwuocha said this “frightening trend” must be halted immediately.

Adeyele said: “The attack is very unfortunate. It should not happen at all. The court is the last hope of the common man, and so long as we keep it high, it will be better for our society.

“It is not in the interest of those who attacked the court. I am sure they will realise this and change their stance. This is not about what the government should do. It is a question of what the people should do. People should imbibe civility and know what is good for their interest.”

“What they are doing in Ekiti is actually against the interest of those who attacked the court. This is because if they are accused of anything, they will be taken to that same court. It is in the general interest that people desist from such unnecessary attacks on the court,” the Senior Advocate said.

Okutepa said: “If it did happen, then we should say goodbye to the rule of law. We are already facing serious intimidation and the almost extinction of rule of law in this country. So, if the rule of the jungle is now taking over the rule of law, then might will soon become right and the peace and tranquillity currently being  threatened, would have been completely wiped out.

“The criminally-minded will continue to rule us and the rest of us will have to run for our dear lives. And then, we can now say Nigeria is finally dead. I just wish it didn’t happen.

“It may be Ekiti today, the next could be Abuja. They are testing the waters, and it portends grave danger for 2015. It means that electoral process can no longer be determined by democratic means.”

To Keyamo, “it is complete debasing of the Judiciary” and that should never happen. “If it becomes a trend, and the Judiciary is continually subjected to attack, that may well be the end of democracy,” he said, adding: “Politicians are now bringing the hooliganism in politics to the Judiciary. It is what all right thinking men must condemn. It must stop immediately. To attack the Judiciary is to drag the Judiciary into the muddy waters of politics. And that will destroy the entire democratic process,” he siad.

In Odinkalu’s view, “it is despicable. Actually, it is beyond despicable in view of the fact that you are not hearing a consensus condemnation across the political divide,” he said, adding:

“This is because the same politicians will go to these election tribunals tomorrow. I do not thinks there is word enough to condemn what is happening.

“The law is very clear that it is wrong to attack a judge. And if that happens, the law is very clear on what should be done. The fact that we are not seeing any meaningful steps to punish those behind this condemnable act means that some people have been licensed to attack judges.

“Today, it is happening in Ekiti State, tomorrow, it is going to happen elsewhere and this is gradually returning us to 1963 and 1964 in the Southwest and the country, nobody wants this.”

Chukwuocha condemned it all as “ serious infraction on the rule of law and the height of contempt in the face  the court. All the people that participated in that mayhem should be arrested and prosecuted, and if found guilty, should be prosecuted according to the law,” he said.