The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, on Thursday reminded judges in the country that they were not above the law.
He said any judicial officer who betrayed the oath of office would face the wrath of the law. Justice Mohammed gave this warning after swearing in five newly appointed judges for the Federal Capital Territory High Court at the Supreme Court complex in Abuja.
The new judges and their respective states of origin are: Muawiyah Baba Idris (Taraba State); Bello Kawu (Gombe); Udukwu Umar (Ebonyi); Ogbonnaya Kezieh Nwamaka (Enugu) and Anriete Okon Ebang (Akwa-Ibom).
The CJN urged them to be wary of “nefarious characters” who might put their integrity to test as the 2015 general elections approaches. He also stressed the need for them to re-assess some relationships. He said,
“You will find that you may have to reassess some relationships and even some hobbies as they will no longer be compatible with the esteemed office you now hold, for ours is a sober profession.
“Likewise, your appointment is coming during an epoch in the development of our democracy as another election year is just two months away. I urge you to be weary of nefarious characters who may try to test your integrity as judicial officers. He urged the new judges to ensure they “embrace the code of conduct for judicial officers” while navigating “the tricky waters of your judicial functions.”
He expressed worry over “the delay in the dispensation of justice and the resultant case backlog” in the country’s judicial system and promised that in his tenure as the CJN and the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, that he would “pursue actively the full adoption and utilization of Alternative Dispute Resolution process to address the problem.”
Credit: Punch
What a relief! I opened up the link to this story with great trepidation. Was the Chief Justice echoing the folly of the streets, that made the rounds recently, when the Inspector General of Police, in a gross dereliction of his duties, and in a demonstration of his disturbing ignorance, led the police to invade the National Assembly?
He is not. He merely states that judges should be incorruptible.