Justice Onnoghen: Why CJN must appear before CCT – Muslim group
has insisted that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Walter Onnoghen,
must face trial.
According to the group, the evidence was too overwhelming and the onus
was on the CJN to prove his innocence.
More than 45 legal luminaries represented Onnoghen, at the Code of
Conduct Tribunal on Monday, 14th January 2019.
The CJN himself refused to appear before the Danladi Umar-led CCT as
he faces allegation of false declaration of assets.
MURIC stated this in a statement sent to DAILY POST on Friday, signed
by the director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
"The question Nigerians want the CJN to answer is 'Did you do it or
not?' He needs to clear himself. This grandstanding is not reassuring.
"We have lost faith in the CJN as the symbol of justice in this
country. Instead of answering that simple question and defending
himself at the CCT, the CJN is resorting to technical escapism.
"The ordinary man in the street may not know law, but he knows about
morals. He can distinguish between decency and moral debauchery.
"He knows the difference between integrity and immorality. The CJN
should know that this is not a matter for playing around with legal
entanglements.
"He occupies a position of trust. The Nigerian people entrusted him
with the whole judicial system. He has betrayed their trust. A million
SANs defending him cannot prove otherwise unless he can convince us
that those extremely scandalising lodgements were not in his bank
accounts.
"He must step down because this issue is not about him personally but
about his hallowed office and about Nigeria. It will continue to be a
stain on the judiciary as long as he insists on remaining in office.
He has to save that office by stepping down or staying put and
staining it forever.
"Those who argue that the CJN should first appear before the National
Judicial Council (NJC) have failed to realize that the composition of
the NJC where more than 60% of the members were appointed by the same
CJN makes that option illogical and unacceptable to the Nigerian
people. The CJN is the chairman of the NJC and it is morally wrong for
him to sit in judgment over his own case.
"Should we then say that every Nigerian worker who commits a criminal
offence should first appear before the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)?
"Should we also rule that such a worker shall not appear in court
unless NLC pronounces him guilty? Should every teacher be tried first
by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT)?
"Should every nurse who has a criminal case be tried first by the
Nursing Council? What kind of protectionism is that? This is a policy
that will never earn professionals a scintilla of respect from members
of the public.
"Why do you think the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities
(ASUU) stood aside and allowed a whole professor to face a case of sex
for marks and to go to jail without intervening?
"It is outstanding sense of decency. Your colleague is part of you as
long as he observes the ethics of the profession. He must be allowed
to face the music the moment he behaves unprofessionally. We must not
get involved in unholy camaraderie.
"It is only in Nigeria that we insist that a known thief is being
victimized because we worship in the same shrine. We threaten hell and
brimstone that the country will be made ungovernable whenever our
kleptomaniac kinsman is caught red-handed.
"We idolize the demons among us yet we expect things to work. We are
suffering from massive pathological obfuscation of all sense of
justice, fairness and equity.
"As far as ordinary Nigerians are concerned, 45 SANs defending the CJN
is meaningless to them because they know that what those SANs are out
to achieve is to use the technicalities of law to shelter the CJN,
being one of them. This is one of the major problems with us in
Nigeria.
"If a thief is one of us, did he steal for us? Did we send him to go
and steal? We must allow him to defend himself if we know nothing of
his crime. The law profession is a noble one. We should not allow
Nigerians to impugn the integrity of highly revered SANs.
"That courtroom show of numerical strength is sheer judicial
intimidation. They were not out to prove that he did not do it. It was
a show of impunity. Unfortunately Nigerians are more interested in
whether he did it or not. If he did it, he should quit.
"If he did not, we are not keen on punishing an innocent man. The
honourable thing for the CJN to do therefore is to go to CCT and
defend himself. We will take nothing less in the face of overwhelming
evidence. Only those who have something to hide refuse to face trial.
"Neither do we have any modicum of respect for any individual, group
or political party that stands up to rationalize massive stealing. It
is interesting that the only political party that is showing interest
in prosecuting the CJN over suspicion of judicial graft is the ruling
party. It is equally interesting that the party's main manifesto is
fighting corruption.
"The main opposition party appears to be on a familiar terrain in its
defense of the CJN. It all boils down to one thing: Nigerians will be
judged by whose interest they promote and by who they protect. It is
either you stand with stealing and looting or you pitch your camp with
decency and integrity
"However, if it is all about restoring faith in the judiciary and
returning Nigeria to the comity of sane nations, we have no choice
than to ask President Muhammadu Buhari to do everything within his
power to ensure that the rule of law prevails. The president must
protect poor Nigerians from the looting cabal.
"If indeed Nigeria is practicing democracy, then nobody, including the
CJN, must be above the law. Onnoghen must face trial at the CCT."
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