HeadlineJudiciary Under Threat; Judges Are Accused Of Corruption Without Evidence - CJN...

Judiciary Under Threat; Judges Are Accused Of Corruption Without Evidence – CJN Laments

BEVERLY HILLS, May 21, (THEWILL) – The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, has decried the manner in which judicial officers in the country are being accused of corruption without having the opportunity to defend themselves, asserting that the nation’s judiciary is under threat from the Executive arm of government.

He however called on Nigerians to pray for the survival of the Judiciary, pointing out that the leadership of country can only get it right when it is guided by the constitution and rule of law.

The CJN spoke on Sunday during a thanksgiving service held at Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese, Zone 3, Abuja, where he thanked God for seeing him through his delayed emergence as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria.

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He regretted that judicial officers in the country are being castigated and accused of corrupt practices by agents of the Federal Government and politicians without giving them an opportunity to be heard.

Onnoghen, who was accompanied by his family members, his brother Justices of the Supreme Court, past governors and other senior members of the legal profession to the Church service, thanked God for seeing him to the pinnacle of his career.

According to him, “I did not set out to be a Judge but today, I am a judge by divine intervention. It’s the Lord’s doing, mine is to follow.

“My prayer is that God should help me and should not let me down. “I thank Nigerians for attending this event. It is supposed to be personal thing between me and my God but I have no hiding place. I thank God for fulfilling His promise to me.

“The Judiciary is under threat. Judges and judicial officers, including myself are being castigated without giving opportunity to be heard, but God knows our heart,” he stated.

Onnoghen cited the case involving Anambra Central Senatorial election where Senator Uche Ekwunife had accused the judiciary of robbing her of her mandate.

In a related development, the CJN has called on Nigerians to take advantage of the existence of the relevant institutions by reporting corrupt judges to them rather than smearing the image of the judiciary through making unsubstantiated allegations in the mass media.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the CJN on Media, Mr. Awassam Bassey, made this call in reaction to a newspaper publication in which a former senator, Uche Ekwunife, “accused the judiciary of robbing her of her mandate in the 2015 Anambra Central Senatorial Election through nullification.”

The statement read, “Justice Onnoghen says Nigerians should learn to take advantage of institutions that have been established to handle allegations of corruption and unprofessional conduct by judicial officers, including cases of judicial fraud which the senator cited as the reason for the loss of her mandate in the law courts.

“The Honourable Chief Justice advises against individuals dragging the name of the Judiciary in the mud through unsubstantiated allegations in the mass media and advises such individuals to employ well-established institutions and avenues to petition any judicial officer who engages in corruption and unprofessional conduct.

“Therefore, in the interest of the generality of Nigerians, and the ongoing war against corruption, the Chief Justice of Nigeria calls on Senator Ekwunife to petition the judges she accuses of corruption and unprofessional conduct.

“The Honourable CJN assures Nigerians that if anyone has evidence against any corrupt judicial officer, and such a person brings forward the necessary documents before the National Judicial Council, the concerned judicial officer or officers will be investigated and where found liable, dealt with in accordance with the law.”

Bassey further reports the nation’s chief judge as warning politicians to desist from smearing the image of the judiciary in the media, while also assuring law-abiding and hardworking judges that they have nothing to fear.

“At the same time, the Chief Justice of Nigeria wishes to use this medium to warn politicians to desist from using the mass media to smear the good image of the nation’s Judiciary in general, and the hardworking and honest judicial officers in particular.

“His Lordship the Chief Justice calls on all law-abiding and hardworking judicial officers to go about discharging their duties without fear or favour,” Onnoghen said.

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