JUDICIARY
Group Seeks Disciplinary Actions Against Lawyers Over Misconduct Towards Benue CJ, NJC.
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
A group known as Benue Arise Network, on Monday, called on the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA), to as a matter of urgency, institute disciplinary actions against the team of lawyers led by Uwem U. Umoanwan over their alleged infamous conduct against the Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese and the National Judicial Commission(NJC).
The publicity secretary of the group, Mr.
Joseph Igbudu, in a statement he issued and made available to newsmen in Makurdi, their attention has been drawn to media reports on a suit by a group,Optimum Media Limited, seeking the court to compel the Governor of Benue State, Reverend Fr. Hyacinth Alia, to request the Benue State House of Assembly to investigate the Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese.Mr. Igbudu said, according to the report, the suit which is filed by a team of lawyers led by Uwem U. Umoanwan, Esq, is marked FHC/MKD/CS/56/2024, before the Federal High Court Makurdi Division.
He stated that, it would be recalled that, on February 12, 2024, the Benue Arise Network(BAN), drew the attention of the world to a malicious, frivolous and ill-fated petition to the National Judicial Commission(NJC), by a group under the umbrella of Benue Diaspora Vanguard(US Chapter ),
against Justice Ikpambese, dated November 30,2023, bordering on alleged judicial misconduct, gross disobedience of court judgment, abuse of power and financial mismanagement.
Parts of the statement read: “We also informed the public that,same petition was served on the Governor of Benue State, calling on the governor to investigate the allegations against the Chief Judge of Benue State by the same group.
“As expected, that petition was decided by the NJC, and it met it’s ill-fated status as it was dismissed. The NJC under the chairmanship of Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, at it’s plenary on May 15th, 2024 and May 16th, 2024, resolved all pending petitions/issues, and Justice Ikpambese was not amongst the three judges disciplined by the NJC.
“These facts are still in public domain and can easily be verified by media reports or just by visiting the website of the NJC, njc.gov.ng.
“We find it strange and embarrassing on the integrity of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, that a lawyer will file a suit on issues already decided by the NJC.
“Interestingly, the same petition dated November 30th, 2024, addressed to the NJC and was dismissed by the NJC is marked as Exhibit ‘A’, while the letter to the Governor, urging him to investigate the CJ of Benue State are annexed and marked as and Exhibit ‘B’ in the suit before the Federal High Court in Makurdi.
“We wish to state that the lawyer who filed the suit praying the court to order the Governor of Benue State to request the Benue State House of Assembly to investigate the Chief Judge of Benue State ought to know as lawyers that the disciplinary body for judges is the NJC and not the Governor of Benue State or the Benue State House of Assembly.
“The team of lawyers led by Uwem U. Umoanwan ought to be ministers in the temple of justice and should know the appropriate disciplinary body for judges.
“It is our believe that the suit is accentuated by malice and the conduct of the lawyers is infamous and worthy of disciplinary actions”.
The group therefore called on the respective NBA branches of the affected lawyers to sanction the affected lawyers.
“We equally call on Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee(LPDC) of the NBA to immediately commence disciplinary action against the team of lawyers that filed Suit No:FHC/MKD/CS/56/2024, as the issues before the court have already been decided by the NJC.
“If the plaintiffs/lawyers were not satisfied with the decision of the NJC, they would have taken the NJC to court and challenged the decision of the NJC and not urging the court to compel the governor to request the Benue State House of Assembly to investigate the CJ of Benue State.
“The suit is also an invitation to a gross violation of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which has already made provisions for the procedure for disciplining judges”.
The Benue Arise Network further cautioned those sponsoring attacks on Justice Ikpambese to desist from such as they are ready to mobilize spirited individuals and well-meaning citizens of Benue State and Nigerians to counter any plot against the CJ who has done nothing other than to offer meritorious service to the Nigerian judiciary and Nigeria as a nation.
They however urged Justice Ikpambese not to be deterred or blackmailed to give into the whims and caprices of those who are bent on discrediting his hard-earned reputation and that of the Nigerian judiciary at large.
Three men, Olufemi Faleti, 59, Ayoade Adewale 41 and Idowu Yusuf, 41, on Friday, were brought before an Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court Ibadan charged with breaking into a bank and stealing laptops.
The defendants,whose addresses were not provided, were charged with conspiracy, house breaking and stealing, to which they pleaded not guilty.
The Prosecutor, Insp Elisha Tellang told the court that the defendants allegedly committed the offences on March 24, at 7:30 p.
m, at First Bank, Asogo, Oyo.He alleged that the defendants broke into the bank and stole two laptops worth N800, 000.
Tellang said the offences contravened Sections 516, 413 and 390(9) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
The Magistrate, Mrs Moyosore Atanda granted each defendant bail in the sum of N300,000 and with two sureties each in like sum.
She adjourned the case until Sept. 8, for hearing. (NAN)
An Ota Magistrate’s Court in Ogun, on Friday, sentenced a 21-year-old ex-convict, Habeeb Jimoh, to two years imprisonment for stealing a Zealot speaker, Infinix mobile phone and other goods worth N595,000.
In her judgment, the Magistrate, Mrs O.
O.
Fadairo, sentenced the convict to two years imprisonment without an option of fine.Fadairo said that the prosecution counsel had proven beyond reasonable doubt that he was guilty of the charge preferred against him.
The convict, of no fixed address, had pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. E. O. Adaraloye, told the court that the convict committed the offence on May 28, at about 3.
00 a.m. at Singer area, Ewupe in Sango-Ota.Adaraloye said that the security guard identified him after stealing a Zealot speaker, an Infinix phone and other items, worth N595,000, after which he fled.
According to him, the offence contravenes Section 390 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun, 2006. (NAN)
A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a 24-year-old man, Emmanuel Chekwube, to seven years imprisonment for drug trafficking.
Justice Lewis Allagoa sentenced the convict after he had pleaded guilty to the four-count charge of drug trafficking.
Allagoa, however, gave the convict an option of five million naira fine.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had arraigned Chekwube on charges of conspiracy, illegal storage of restricted drug, unlawful use of premises to store banned narcotics and unlawful deal in narcotics.
He had pleaded guilty to the charges.
Following his plea, the Prosecutor, Ms M.
I. Erondu, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered several exhibits before the court, such as: a statement of the defendant, a drug analysis form and packaging of substance form.Also tendered were: remnant of the narcotics, request for scientific aid form and transparent pouch, among others.
The prosecutor then urged the court to convict the defendant based on his plea as well as the evidences adduced.
Consequently, the judge convicted the defendant as charged.
Before the sentence, the defence had prayed the court to tamper justice with mercy, saying that as his client was a first time offender and that he would turn a new leaf.
Delivering his verdict afterwards, Allagoa sentenced Chekwube to seven years imprisonment on each count, which, he said, would run concurrently.
He, however, gave the convict an option of five million naira fine.
In the charge, the convict was said to have committed the offences on May 7 at Amukoko, Ijora area of Lagos.
He was said to have used the premises to engage in illegal storage of 56.2 kg Tramadol Hydrochloride, 1.2 kg Nitrazepam and 72g of Swinol
All the substances are said to have been listed in the NDLEA schedule as banned narcotics, thus contravening the provisions of Sections 12 and 14(b) of NDLEA Act, 2004. (NAN)
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