Kogi CJ urges lawyers to cooperate with the bench

The Chief Judge of Kogi state, Hon. Justice Richard Olorunfemi, has charged lawyers in the state to see themselves as critical stakeholders in the administration of justice.

He urged them to cooperate with judges in the state in order to effectively dispense justice to the people.
He gave the charge while presenting newly appointed judges for the High Court of Justice to the state’s four branches of the Nigerian Bar Association at the judiciary headquarters in Lokoja Thursday.


The newly appointed judges are Hon. Justice Abubakar Suleiman Ibrahim, Hon. Justice Sulayman Abdallah and Hon. Justice Aminu Ali Eri.


The chief judge said they are “highly cerebral, have the knowledge of the law and have demonstrated courage, candour and integrity while on the magisterial bench before their appointment.”


He said he had no doubt that they will remain an asset to the judiciary and charged them to discharge their duties within the stipulated law.
“The most important thing I will implore the lawyers who will be appearing before them from time to time is to please give them maximum cooperation. There cannot be judges without lawyers and there cannot be lawyers without judges. We are all stakeholders in the administration of justice.

So there is no need to do our work with rancour. We have to cooperate with one another,” he said.
He further admonished the lawyers on their relation with the judges and urged them to be sincere and honest in their dealings with the courts.


He added: “You are the ones that bring your application and all other processes before the court. You must be sincere in what you bring before the judges.”


Meanwhile, the chairman of the Confluence Bar, the Lokoja branch of the NBA, Ibrahim O. Alhassan Esq., who spoke on behalf of others, urged courts to be proactive in the defense of human rights.