Boycott stalls court proceedings in Ebonyi

The Nigerian Bar Association’s order to lawyers to boycott courts nationwide from Tuesday, January 29, was complied with in Ebonyi.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the NBA ordered its members nationwide to boycott the courts for two days to protest the suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnogheni.
When NAN visited some of the courts, most judges reported for duties, but when some cases were called, there were no legal representations and no reason was given for the absence of counsel.
Lawyers deserted the Ebonyi High and Magistrates’ Courts, except for some judicial workers who were at their duty posts.
However, visitors to the complex were thoroughly screened by its security personnel at the gate.
Chairman of Abakaliki branch of the NBA, Festus Nweke, said that the action was in compliance with the NBA’s National Executive Committee directive on the matter.
Nweke said: “The action taken by the Federal Government on Onnoghen is an invitation to anarchy as the government was not the appropriate body to discipline a judicial officer in Nigeria.
“The courts will remain closed because the FG’s action is an aberration of the law that would not stand.
“We do not want a lawless society and we are monitoring our members in Afikpo and other places to ensure total compliance to the directive.”
Chief Basil Njima, a political analyst, however, faulted the NBA’s decision, noting that no judicial officer is above the country’s laws.
Njima said: “Onnoghen erred in law having admitted that he forgot to declare over N1billion as assets and therefore cannot remain as the country’s chief judicial officer.
“The Chairman of the National Judicial Council is the nation’s Chief Justice, so it is morally wrong for him to preside over his own case.”