Edo State governor swears in new Chief Judge

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Staff Reporter

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Thursday swore in Justice Esohe Ikponwen as the substantive Chief Judge of the state.

Speaking during the ceremony at the Government House, Benin, Mr. Obaseki said that every government must recognise the importance of the judiciary.

He said that the achievements recorded by the Oshiomole-led administration were due to the harmony which existed between the Judiciary and the Executive.

He urged the Chief Judge to bring to bear her wealth of experience in the discharge of her duties as a highly respected judge in the country.

The governor said that her choice as the Chief Judge at a time of change in the state was remarkable as she “is known to be fair and strict in the dispensation of judgments’’.

He also urged the Chief Judge to sustain and improve the harmonious relationship between judges in the state.

Reiterating his administration’s readiness to invest in the judiciary as evident in the over 500 per cent increment in capital expenditure for the sector in the state’s 2017 budget, he assured that his government would uphold the rule of law.

In her response, the new Chief Judge promised to build on the legacy of her predecessor and enthrone justice in the state.

According to her, I promise to be hard working, ensure speedy dispensation of justice and stand for the truth; It is the truth that sets one free.

“There will be no more room for corrupt practices in our judiciary,” she said.

Soliciting the cooperation of other judges, she said “we must work for the strengthening of the third arm of the government’’.

She also assured of the independence of the judiciary and collaboration with other arms of government for peaceful coexistence in the state.

Justice Ikponwen was born Nov. 22, 1954 and went to Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ughelli, in Delta.

Mrs. Ikponwen holds an LL.B and a BL in Law in 1978 and 1979, respectively.

Until her appointment as the Chief Judge of the state, she has been a judge at the state High Court since 1999.

Mrs. Ikponwen takes over from Justice Cromwell Idahosa, who occupied the office from 2010 to Jan. 26, 2017.

NAN reports that previous female chief judges of the state were Justices Abigail Oni-Okpaku and Constance Momoh.

Dignitaries present at the swearing-in included the chief judge of Delta, members of International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Justin Okonoboh, as well as the presidents of the Customary Courts.

Source: NAN

Lawyers walk out on Chief Judge during court proceedings.

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Two lawyers, Mr. Dapo Agbede and Mr. Morakinyo Ogele, have accused the Ondo State Chief Judge, Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi, of bias over a land dispute involving members of one Olokunjuwon family before the court.

The duo stormed out of the courtroom during the court proceedings on Friday at a High Court in Akure, the Ondo State capital, after Justice Kumuyi, who presided over the case, did not allow Ogele, who is the counsel for the claimant, to have access to the record of proceedings of the court, having been recently retained by the claimant.

During the proceeding, Ogele, appearing in suit no Ak/173/2012, prayed the court to allow him have access to the record of proceedings so as to allow him to give proper representation to his client.

He also sought for an order compelling the registrar of the court to produce the certified true copy of the record of proceedings in the case to the new counsel.

Ogele said the case was initially handled by another lawyer, who discontinued his appearance after he was not paid.

Ogele stated that since he took over the legal representation, efforts to get the record of proceedings from the officials of the court had proved abortive.

Agbede also supported the motion of Ogele, saying the new counsel would not be able to give proper legal representation without the record of proceedings.

The counsel to the second, third and fourth defendants, Adetunji Oso and Ola Olawale, said the court should use its discretion.

Justice Kumuyi refused to grant the request of Ogele and Agbede.

The lawyers told the judge that they would not be able to proceed with the case because the refusal of the application would deny the clients a fair hearing.

They subsequently walked out of the courtroom with their clients, leaving the judge on her seat.

BREAKING: Judge Withdraws From Nnamdi Kanu’s Trial

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Staff Reporter

John Tsoho, the judge handling Nnamdi Kanu’s trial, has returned the case file to Ibrahim Auta, chief justice of federal high court, for reassignment.

This was sequel to an application by the legal team of Kanu led by Chuks Muoma, claiming that the court was biased in its handling of the matter.

“We are only asking the court to hands off; my client has lost confidence in this court,” he said.
He claimed that the court was acting in line with the suggestion of President Muhammadu Buhari that Kanu was not going to be released under any circumstance.

The counsel said that if they did not get the relief they sought, they would proceed to the International Court of Justice.

Muoma said any proceedings in the case, following the claim that a petition was written to the National Judicial Council (NJC) to protest against the court, would “stifle it”.

“I understand that there is a letter to NJC, though I haven’t seen it and the CJ has replied saying that the matter will be investigated,” he said.
“I would urge you that you transfer the matter; I would suggest that it be sent back to the CJ.”

Responding, the judge said: “I have no interest in trying your matter and I will return it to the CJ, but I will condemn the attitude of that counsel. I do not care if you take your case to another planet.”

He said that making a ruling on the said application was an attempt to “pre-empt” the outcome of the petition sent by Kanu’s lawyers to the CJ.

However, in a ruling, the judge who prevented the prosecuting counsel from speaking, said: “This case is hereby transferred to the CJ.”

Assign More Judges To Fraud Cases, Magu Tells CJ

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, paid a visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade, on Wednesday, urging her to designate more judges to EFCC cases.

In order to expedite hearings in EFCC cases, Magu also pleaded with the CJ to consider the possibility of putting magistrates sitting in the Igbosere division of the court in charge of remand orders for suspects being investigated by the anti-graft commission.

Magu was quoted to have made this appeal on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Lagos State Judiciary Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Grace Alo, which was made available to newsmen.

The EFCC boss, however, commended the Lagos State judiciary for its commitment to eradication of crimes in the society, noting that the EFCC had secured no fewer than 103 convictions at the Lagos State High Court.

“As of 2015, we have had 103 convictions; it shows the commitment and zeal towards the fight against corruption. For such a judiciary we must thank the Chief Judge and her team for a job well done,” Magu said.

The statement quoted the Chief Judge as restating the judiciary under her watch to eradication of corruption, adding that her team was equal to the task.

She, however, urged the EFCC to embrace the option of plea bargain, especially in financial crimes cases, noting that doing so would aid loot recovery and shorten trial time.

Credit : Punch

El-Rufai’s Inauguration Ends Abruptly As Youths Attack Emir, Chief Judge

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The inauguration of Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State ended abruptly on Friday after angry youth pelted some prominent indigenes of the state, including the revered Emir of Zaria, Shehu Idris, and the state chief judge, Taminu Zailani, at the venue of the inauguration. The rampaging youth accused them of colluding with the previous administration of Governor Ramalan Yero to plunder the resources of the state.

They specifically demanded the dethronement of the Emir who in the ensuing pandemonium that enveloped the venue of the inauguration was rescued and smuggled out of the venue by his palace guards. A senator-elect, Shehu Sani, used his car to smuggle the chief judge out of the venue. He then drove him to his home in the Riga Chikun area of Kaduna.

Mr. El-Rufai could not review the parade mounted by the police as some youth pelted dignitaries with water in sachets, stones and other objects in the pavilion. This prompted security agents to fire tear gas into the crowd at the Murtala Square, Kaduna.

Some dignitaries in the pavilion included the Emir of Zazzau, Shehu Idris, and other traditional rulers in the State. The incident occurred when the new governor had concluded his address and was about to mount an open van to review the parade mounted by the police.

While the crowds were dispersed by the police, dignitaries remained seated, but the occasion ended abruptly without the governor reviewing the parade. The Murtala Square was filled to capacity.

Credit: NAN

Chief Judge Advocates English Language Lessons For Lawyers Due To Poor Grammar

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Justice Ishaq Bello, the Acting Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, has advocated for continuous education for lawyers, particularly in the use of English language. Bello stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at the launch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) stamp and affinity products.

The Acting Chief Judge said that it was becoming rather irritating for lawyers to appear before a judge and continuously mix up their tenses in trying to present their cases. He observed that the declining standard of lawyers could be noticed in the quality of legal practice, where a lawyer stands from the bar saying “I didn’t did it” or “I saw them passes”.

He urged the leadership of the NBA to do more to further encourage the continued education of lawyers, saying the trend was becoming quite irritating. “All lawyers must go through what is called Language Usage Course (LUC); all lawyers must be exposed to the dynamics of global evolving legal landscape.”

He added that the only way lawyers could keep up was for the association to continuously encourage them to learn and urged the older lawyers to provide guidance to the younger ones.

Similarly, the Chief Judge of Borno, Justice Kashim Zanna, reiterated Bello’s call, saying that it was quite embarrassing for lawyers to be unable to present their cases in good English language. Zanna also encouraged the NBA to quickly organise the training, saying that the continuous use of bad English by some lawyers in court was robbing off on all lawyers.