An Abuja based lawyer, Vincent Adodo, has called for more
stringent response from the NBA leadership on the way judges are
being harassed in the country.
Reacting to the humiliation against the Chief Justice of Kebbi
State, Justice Elizabeth AsabeKaratu, Vincent Adodo commended the
national leadership of the NBA under the Presidency of Mr. Paul
Usoro, SAN for speaking up in the matter.
According to him, the situation calls for more stringent
response from the NBA leadership, especially given the frequent
recurrence of similar cases, in recent times, of shabby treatment
of Chief Judges.
“No State Governor or even the President of the Federal Republic
has the temerity to desecrate the temple of Justice or its officers
unless such acts of lawlessness are endorsed or even suggested by
the Attorney General of the state or Federation as the case may
be.
“Unless we begin to hold people responsible for this kind of
actions, we will not but continue to sing recurrent tunes of woes.
The Bar and Bench are Siamese twins, what affects one affects the
other.
He further showed displeasure on how the judiciary has been
unwarrantedly and recklessly bastardized.
“Our judiciary is being daily desecrated, ridiculed and trampled
upon by politicians. It is high time we lawyers came to the rescue
of the judiciary since it is well known that the judiciary does not
have a voice. The Bar is expected to defend and speak for it.
”It is in the light of this that it is imperative to call on the
President of the Bar, Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, FCIArb to set up a high
powered committee to investigate the incident surrounding the
prevention of Hon. Justice Elizabeth Karatu of the Kebbi State High
Court from accessing her court to discharge her constitutional
duties. This is with a view to filing a petition before the Legal
Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) against all dramatis
personae involved in this execrable conduct.
He also added that it is also important to call on the NBA under
the leadership of Paul Usoro, SAN, to investigate the role of the
Attorney General of Kebbi State in the whole saga with a view to
initiating disciplinary proceedings against him before the Legal
Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) if necessary.
“I equally call on all young lawyers like myself to speak up
against this desecration of our profession. Our professional
prosperity as lawyers depends on the existence of a virile
judiciary. If the judiciary is cowed and rendered incapacitated,
our future in the profession must have been substantially
jeopardised.The time to speak up is now,” he added.