COSON v MCSN: Okoroji, Artistes Protest Alleged Bizarre Withdrawal of Case File from Judge
The Chairman of Copyright Society of Nigeria, (COSON), Chief Tony Okoroji, last week staged a protest against what he described as bizarre withdrawal of the case file of a suit it filed against against Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN) at the Federal High Court, Lagos.
COSON had dragged MCSN and the Attorney-General of the Federation before the Federal High Court, to challenge the approval of MCSN as a royalty collecting agency.
COSON had in the suit, asked the court to declare that MCSN is an illegal entity, with no right to collect royalties on behalf of musicians in Nigeria.
The case was assigned to Justice Ibrahim Buba and he has since been handling the matter, and had in fact fixed a date for judgement, until recently when he informed parties that the case file had been taken from him.
Worried by the delay and eventual withdrawal of the case file from the Judge as he was about to deliver judgement, COSON Chairman, began a one-man protest at the premises of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
The protest was however, joined by some artistes who are with COSON both in Abuja and Lagos the second and the third days respectively.
While alleging that the case file withdrawal was orchestrated by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN and MCSN syndicate, Okoroji said that it is worrisome that Judiciary should allow itself to be used in this manner.
He further stated that, his action has become necessary to draw the attention of the world to a new and dangerous attempt to destroy the Nigerian judicial system, by the blackmail of a Nigerian Judge to force him not to deliver a judgement written by him.
Okoroji appealed to all lawyers and judges in the Nigerian legal system, to insist that the case file in Suit No:FHC/L/ CS/1259/2017 which he said was taken away in bizarre circumstances from Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, be returned to the Judge.
“All we are asking for is for the case file to be returned to the Judge, so that he can deliver his judgement, and any of the parties dissatisfied with the judgement can proceed to the Court of Appeal.
“We also condemn the heavy-handed actions to harass, arm-twist, intimidate and blackmail a Federal High Court Judge, Ibrahim Buba, which actions twice aborted his attempt to deliver judgement in the case filed by COSON against MCSN and the Attorney-General of the Federation, to challenge the dubious approval of MCSN.
“We describe the intimidation of Justice Buba as a dangerously frightening effort to muzzle the Nigerian Judiciary, which development must be condemned by all lawyers, judges and every self-respecting Nigerian citizen", he said.