Ademola, Tokode’s sack: Has judiciary cleansing really commenced?

 

KEHINDE OSASONA interrogates the recent sack of Justices Adeniyi Ademola and Justice O.O Tokode, both of the Federal High Court, and asks if this is truly the beginning of the reform in the nation’s judiciary
In 2016, out of nowhere, the State Security Service, invaded the residences of Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, arrested and detained him alongside seven other judges. And penultimate week, he was compulsorily retired from service, under what can be described as controversial circumstances.

Earlier notice
Prior to that time, the judge had, via a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter
Onnoghen, proposed April, 2018 for his voluntary retirement from service in March, 2018.
In the communication, dated December 6, 2017, Ademola explained that the latest letter “supersedes an earlier notice of retirement dated 25/09/2017.”

Buhari approves retirement
Curiously , the news of his letter came after President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the jurist’s compulsory retirement, and the dismissal of Justice O.O Tokode, following the recommendations by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
Commenting on the decision, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Malam Garba Shehu, said the actions were in pursuance of section 292(1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as (amended).
And with the forceful exit of Ademola, the question now is; has the cleansing of the judiciary really begun?

Many questions
A retrospection into rots in the nation’s judiciary and its effect on the polity, as well the nation’s fledgling democracy, reveals that there is indeed a lot of atrocities going on that must be tackled to salvage the situation once and for all.
An evaluation of the grounds upon which the judges got acquitted by the NJC in the first place, leaves more questions than answers when tied to the current developments panning out.
Was a thorough investigation carried out afterwards by the NJC? Could it be that the CJN is succeeding already in his onerous task of cleansing and repositioning the third arm of government for effective and efficient delivery? Questions, questions, and more questions.

NBS, UN rating of judiciary
A survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes last year, indicated that in Nigeria, the police was
considered the most corrupt institution, closely followed by the judiciary (judges and lawyers).

NJC counters
Defending the judiciary however, the NJC, led by CJN Onnoghen, described the report as speculative.
In a statement by its director of information, Soji Oye, the Council said: “The attention of the Nigerian Judiciary has been drawn to the Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in conjunction with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) titled
“Corruption in Nigeria; Bribery: Public Experience and Response – 2017.”
“There is no denial of the fact that there are few bad eggs in the Judiciary, like in every other arm of government; at the same time, there are many honest and hardworking judicial officers and magistrates making the judiciary and the country proud.
“The question that should agitate the minds of the people is the criteria used by the UNODC and the NBS to measure the level of bribe-taking in the Judiciary to grade it as the second largest receiver of bribe.
“For instance, what is the percentage of Judges caught receiving bribe out of a total number of One Thousand and Fifty-Nine Judges in both the Federal and State Judiciaries? “What is the percentage of Magistrates caught taking bribe from an estimated total number of Four Thousand (4,000) in the country?” the NJC queried.
Describing the judiciary as the only arm of government that investigates and disciplines its officials, Oye said the Council had made several recommendations for dismissal of judges found culpable following investigations into allegations of crime.
“It should be noted that the Judiciary is the only arm of government that has been investigating its judicial officers and dealt appropriately with those found guilty by dismissal or removal from office, subject to approval for such recommendation from the President or the Governor of a State as the case may be, and publish such in electronic and print media for the consumption of the public.
“Members of the general public are also aware that the NJC has been recommending Judges found guilty of corrupt practices to the appropriate security agencies for prosecution.
“President Buhari had, during his working visit to Kano, told religious leaders in the state that to strengthen judicial integrity and the rule of law, the proposed special courts by the Federal Government must be manned by “incorruptible judges.”
Could this statement emanating from the Presidency an indictment in the real sense of it, or mere speculations as the CJN Onnoghen described it?
With the ignominious sack of the duo of Ademola and Tokode from the bench, one can definitely risk the conclusion that the task of reforming the judiciary has taken off in earnest.

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