Onnoghen: Lawyers Boycott Courts In Enugu, Ekiti

Absence of lawyers at various courts in Enugu on Tuesday stalled
court proceedings following the directive by the Nigeria Bar
Association (NBA) of Federation to boycott courts for two days.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the boycott order by
the NBA was based on what it termed the `unconstitutional
suspension’ of the former Chief Justice of the Federation, Walter
Onnoghen.

NAN Correspondents, who monitored the situation at the
customary, Magistrates, High, Federal and Appeal Courts as well as
the National Industrial Court report that there were no proceedings
in the courts.

The agency observed that few lawyers seen in the courts came to
take new dates for their matters scheduled to take place on Jan. 29
and 30.

At the Appeal Court and National Industrial Court, lawyers were
not seen within the premises as only administrative staffs were
busy at their various offices.

Reacting to the development, the former state Chairman of NBA,
Mr Nnamdi Otukwu said that boycotting court proceeding was the
right thing to do to protect democracy and allow the rule of law to
take its place.

“There is nothing wrong with the boycott, we are in a democracy
and the rule of law should be allowed to take its place and not
dictatorship.

“Even if the Chief Justice of Nigeria committed an offence, his
removal should follow due process.

“We will not allow dictatorship take over democracy,” he
said.

At the Federal High Court, Mr Raymond Nnaji, a legal
practitioner, said that NBA boycott order came at the appropriate
time when it mattered a lot to the Judiciary and the masses.

“What we are observing is the two day boycott order and more may
follow if the Federal Government failed to redress her steps.

Nnaji said that boycotting sitting was the primary constituency
with respect to the arbitrary decision of the Federal Government to
suspend the CJN `unlawfully and unconstitutionally’.

“How can President Muhammadu Buhari suspend the CJN with a
flimsy excuse relating to ex parte order of the Code of Conduct
Tribunal even when the jurisdiction of that court is being
challenged?

“Therefore, we must have to obey and ensure that this rascality
and unnecessary use of powers were called to order because we
should not allow these things to be happening,” he said.

Mr Joe Obiasi, a lawyer said that the president had no right to
suspend the former CJN.

According to Obiasi, it is the responsibility of the Nigeria
Judicial Council (NJC) to carry out an investigation on the
allegation leveled against the CJN.

He explained that if after the investigation by the NJC and the
CJN was guilty of the allegation, then he would be sacked and
arraigned for prosecution.

He pointed out that the provision of 36 (5) of the 1999
constitution as amended stated that an accused person remained
innocent until proven otherwise.

“It is unethical and as well a calculated plan to remove
Onnoghen from office and it is unacceptable,” he said.

Mr Frank Agbomuche, another Lawyer said that it was a judicial
coup d’etat which should not be allowed in Nigeria.

Agbomuche stressed that Onneghen’s suspension was an issue of
anarchy, adding that Nigeria should not be allowed to go the way of
Libya.

Mrs Uju Obasonya, a female Lawyer, said there was need to follow
due process for fairness and justice while carrying out
constitutional functions so as to get things done rightly.

Obasonya called on Federal Government to urgently do the needful
as it concerned the judiciary, saying that the NJC should be
allowed to perfume it constitutional duties.

Meanwhile, some clients at the courts were stranded as a result
of the boycott.

One of the clients, Dr Christian Akpata said that he came to the
court for his matter slated today only to find out that the court
was not seating.

Akpata, who came from Akama-Oghe in Ezeagu Local Government of
the state, said that his matter was supposed to come up at the
Federal High Court but no judge was present.

“We are still waiting to know why the court is not sitting
before we can then find our way back home.

“I do not know that the court will not sit. I just found out
that there will be no sitting,” he said.

Meanwhile, Joint EKITI STATE Bar taskforce committee ensured
total compliance in all courts including Court of Appeal,
Federal/State high Court and magistrate court.

Though the decision did not go down well with some judges for
reasons known to them attempted to sit but lawyers did not appear
before them as those who got to court before getting the notice
departed from the court.