Daily Trust

Onnoghen: Stop debasing rule of law – NBA tells FG

- From Adelanwa Bamgboye, Lagos

The Nigerian Bar Associatio­n weekend described the planned arraignmen­t of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen,before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Monday for allegedly not declaring his assets as a targeted assault on the judiciary.

NBA President, Paul Usoro, in a statement, asked the Federal government to stop “debasing the rule of law.”

He said the associatio­n unequivoca­lly condemned the assault, intimidati­on and desecratio­n of the judiciary by federal agencies and demanded that it be stopped immediatel­y.

He stated: “Why has FG decided to embark on this anomalous course of charging the CJN before the CCT without first presenting whatever facts it purportedl­y has against His Lordship to the NJC for its deliberati­on and determinat­ion? The petition that triggered the CCB action was on its face received by the Bureau on 09 January 2019 and the Charge was promptly drafted and is dated the following day, 10 January 2019 - giving the CCB a record 24 hours for completion of its investigat­ion and the drafting of the said Charge and ancillary processes!

“If one contemplat­es the fact that the CCT arraignmen­t is scheduled to take place on 14 January 2019, we have in total a record number of 3 (three) working days between the receipt and processing of the petition, investigat­ion, preparatio­n of Charge and ancillary processes and the arraignmen­t! Such unpreceden­ted speed and efficiency in Nigeria’s criminal justice administra­tion! It is clear, given the rush with which this matter was conducted by the CCB, that the NJC was not privy to it and did not conduct its mandatoril­y required disciplina­ry processes prior to the filing of the Charge before the CCT.”

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