The Civil Society Network Against Corruption, which is a coalition of over 150 anti-corruption organisations and individuals, has urged the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to institute investigation and disciplinary action against one Dike, who is the counsel of Senator Hope Uzodinma in suit no FCT/HC/M/8767/18.
In a petition forwarded to the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee and signed by CSNAC’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, the Network said Dike exhibited flagrant display of improper and unfit conduct, unbecoming of a legal practitioner.
The petition reads: “We write to humbly urge you to use your good office to carry out an investigation of one Mr. Dike Esq., the Applicant Counsel in SENATOR HOPE UZODINMA & 2 ORS AND HON. ABDULWAHAB MOHAMMED ESQ. & 2 ORS SUIT NO. FCT/HC/M/8767/18′
“The said counsel who represents Senator Hope Uzodinma and 2 ors in the aforestated matter which bothers on Certiorari assigned to Justice Y. Halilu’s court on the 17th September, 2018, following which an application for leave vide motion exparte was moved and granted, then the substantive matter adjourned to the 24th September, 2018 for hearing.
“In a flagrant display of improper and unfit conduct, unbecoming of a legal practitioner, the said Mr. Dike Esq. allegedly went to town with the ill-fated news that the procedural interim order earlier granted by the Honourable Justice Halilu was procured using monetary inducement and further bragging boastfully that the Honourable Justice Halilu was his boy.”
CSNAC noted further that the court’s attention was drawn to the said misconduct by the learned counsel for the respondent, O. Oluwatosin, and the court’s Legal Assistant, Affiku Kuje, also confirmed that the said Dike called him and wanted to give him money for the Honourable Judge, an attempt which was resisted by Kuje.
It added: “The Honourable Judge reacting to the said development wrote to the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court in a letter date the 25th September, 2018 stating that he was most unsettled by the said development and as such will not be able to handle the matter, thus requesting that same be reassigned to another judge. Kindly find attached to this petition, a copy of the letter to the Chief judge.
“The judge also stated that the said Mr. Dike Esq. had admitted to the attempt to give money to the judge’s legal assistant and pleaded for the court’s forgiveness.
However, we believe as a civil society organization that lawyers like Mr. Dike Esq. need to be appropriately disciplined and reprimanded for his reprehensible conduct in other to protect the sanctity and integrity of the legal profession and the judiciary and to also serve as a deterrent to lawyers of his ilk.
“The above request is necessary in line with the glamour for legal profession to stamp out corruption of all forms from the legal profession and most importantly the judiciary, which is the much-hyped last resort of the common man.”
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