FCT CJ: Many powerful people feared Justice Banjoko

The Chief Judge of the FCT High Court Justice Ishaq Bello yesterday said that because of her steadfastness several individuals approached him for reassignment of cases away from Justice Adebukola Banjoko.

Justice Bello said this yesterday in Abuja at a one-day interactive workshop with heads of courts and other stakeholders on the theme: “Specialized courts and the challenge of speedy dispensation of justice in high profile corruption cases”.

While commenting on a paper titled “Case Management in the trial of High Profile Corruption Cases” by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, the CJ said during cases handled by Justice Banjoko, including trials of former governors of Taraba, Jolly Nyame and Plateau, Joshua Dariye, there were pressures on his shoulder to transfer the cases away from her court, but he declined.

He said, “I have pressures from emirs, from powerful persons, unmentionable names. Just about two months ago, somebody whose relation was to be arraigned, the matter was filed by the EFCC, came to my court trying to capitalize on our long years of relationship.

“He told me, ‘I’m told that in this court, there is one crazy woman judge. Please don’t take that case to her court. Mere looking at your face she will send you to 23 years imprisonment.’ I changed my countenance and told him I am not sad but very annoyed. I told him I am also a crazy chief judge, get out of my office.”

He said he had to share the experience because heads of courts must know that there is need for them to exercise restraints in movement of cases, even as he said judges’ jobs are thankless ones that even attract negative stereotypes to them.

Daily Trust reports that Justice Banjoko is the judge that convicted and sentenced Nyame and Dariye to 14 years imprisonment each for corruption charges in May and June this year.