The Judiciary is weak because Judges have lost courage - Agbakoba

opera.com

Jan 19, 2020 10:37 AM



Former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN, Olisa Agbakoba has traced the noticed weakness in the judicial arm of government to the lack of courage by the Judges. 

Agbakoba stated that the judiciary has lost itself to intimidation by the executive negating the oath of office taken by the Judges to discharge their duties without fear. 

According to him, the judiciary needs more Judges like Justice Ojukwu who granted Sowore bail against all odds.

"The judges take an oath of office and what we have always said in the jurisprudence of being a judge is that no matter the intimidation, the proper course of action a judge is faced with dealing with a decision is to be unconcerned about the consequences. If you don’t have that courage as Justice Ojukwu showed in the Sowore case don’t be a judge.

"Don’t go and start saying that because the government will stop your salary and all that stuff…that’s not the correct attitude and that is precisely why our judiciary is weak. If you like pay them five times their salary if the notion is that they are terrified of what the government will do, they will never live up to their oath." 

The Human Rights activist also blamed the NJC for not standing up to uphold the sanctity of the arm of government when it came under severe harassment by the Presidency. 

"When the DSS invaded judges’ houses what did the judges do? What did the NJC do? They just sat back and did nothing; they allowed themselves to be decimated. When the Onnoghen thing started what did they do? Nothing, but look at what the Pakistani Supreme Court did when the executive attacked their Chief Justice. So, I think it’s time we stopped this nonsense about always blaming the executives."
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This is what happen when the judiciary in its docility willingly subjected itself to the abuse, rascality and the subjugation of a tyrannical executive.The cascade was set rolling when;
-The DSS broke into revered judges houses @ midnight in an alleged search for ill gotten wealth.The judiciary simply cowed down.

-Then emboldened by that, the DSS committed democratic sacrilege with its siege & brigandage on the NASS, persons & houses of its principal leaders without any judicial sympathy protest.

-And then came Mr.President infamous "National Security supersedes the rule of law" speech during the 2018 NBA conference in Lagos while the judiciary simply cheered on.

-Trailing along is the despicable interference of the executive leading to the illegal removal & trial of a serving CJN-Justice Onneghen(even if guilty) without recourse to the NJC & intrigues surrounding the entronement of his,successor.

fear of efcc

If our fathers and mentors are too afraid to uphold justice and its sacred oat, how then do they tailor the minds of the growing ones on the right path?..

Yes, especially now that fmr General, M Buhari is in power. Judiciary appears to be in a state of subjugation.

Your favorite judge Onoghene is no more there , you find it difficult to win a case again