ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER. [ A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja.] { VOL. 2. NO 38. 04-05-14.} CORRUPTION IN THE JUDICIARY! WHERE RESTS THE LAST HOPE OF THE COMMON MAN? Three quarters of Nigerian prisoners are AWAITING TRIAL DETAINEES, most of whom have spent over 15 years in detention! Comptroller General of the Nigerian Prison Service [NPS], in a shocking revelation, recently said, “….of 50,601 inmates in the various prisons, 36,934, are awaiting trial.” Majority of the detainees, not including those held in the various Police cells across Nigeria and who have been refused bail, are charged with capital offences, such as armed robbery and many have since died incarcerated! A Committee set up by the Interior Minister recently, also reported that the Nigerian Prisons are congested because they house more than a triple number of inmates specified, adding, “the slow process of trial of inmates by the courts is also responsible for more than 90per cent of prison population in urban centres.” The Committee concluded that Nigerian prisons are unfit for human habitation as most detainees were usually ill because they are kept under inhuman conditions, shackled and manacled like condemned dangerous criminals! These awaiting-trial detainees are the poor masses of our societies, as no rich man or woman ever waits for any trial since favourable and pre-determined judgments are courier-delivered to their homes, in some cases, by crooked judges! The Rule of Law specifies that every suspect is presumed innocent until found guilty by a competent court of jurisdiction, but what obtains in Nigeria’s prison system is “the RUSE of LAW”, where suspects, with the deliberate connivance of the COURTS are refused bail or prosecution, and are condemned to dungeons and early graves! Judicial powers of the Nigerian State, both at the Federal and State levels, are vested in the JUDICATURE, which consist of the superior courts of record, established for the Federation, according to Section 6, subsection(5)(a) to (i) of the 1999 Constitution. These consist of the following: the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the court of Appeal, the Federal High Court, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, a High Court of a State, the Sharia Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, a Sharia Court of Appeal of a State, the Customary Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and a Customary Court of Appeal of a State. A search-light into the activities of some of these COURTS has revealed dirty, sordid and gruesome manipulation and perversion of the course of justice by corrupt judges! According to an insider, a retired President of the Court of Appeal, the Nigerian Judiciary harbours corrupt elements who are politicians and government apologists who attend all manner of social gatherings and frolic even with litigants with pending cases before their courts! How can judges decide cases against their political parties and people they wine and dine with? As a guest speaker at a recent lecture titled, “Nigeria at Centenary: A Nation In Bondage”, the retired President of the Court of Appeal said that the noble efforts of the incumbent Chief Justice of Nigeria, to sanitize and rid the judiciary of corrupt elements were being frustrated by “the crop of people calling the shots at the Nigerian Judicial Council[NJC],” adding that some dishonourable people, “not fit to be judges and senior lawyers, get into the system, make it to the highest level of the judicial career and subsequently frustrate the common man’s quest for justice and equity!” He also claimed that it was an open truth that, both serving and retired judges act as the “arrangees” or couriers, who reach out to “purchase justice on behalf of crooked litigants” and concluded that the problems with the Nigerian Judiciary might be compounded or unresolved for a long time because Nigerians naturally hate the truth and whoever dared voice the truth was marked for destruction! We salute the courage of this fearless retired President of the Court of Appeal whose entire professional career at both the Bar and the Bench, remained untainted and impeccable like the likes of Justices Chukwudi Oputa, Bobakayode Eso, Ayo G.Irikefe, John Idowu Conrad Taylor, Ovie Whiskey, Chiefs ‘Tunji Braithwaite and Gani Fawehinmi etc; because what we have today are judges who have made Nigeria’s justice system by itself very criminal. We have this official statement also by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC], that some serving judges are deeply immersed in corrupt practices. This high-profile revelation should alarm all Nigerians, especially the down-trodden whose last hope is rested on the judiciary as their final ARBITER! It was a divine miracle that the EFCC, which was notorious for not respecting the Masses Petitions, decided to probe the myriads of petitions levelled against the said judges and traced into their accounts, hundreds of millions of naira! These fraudulent judges who also possess multi-million naira worth of assets are alleged to have adopted unconventional methods, such as accepting VALUE CARDS and PIN NUMBERS from criminal litigants, who approached them for FAVOURABLE JUDGEMENTS in order to beat the various anti-corruption agencies! This current malaise which has dented the image of the Judiciary, is no doubt an indictment on the present administration, which had always encouraged corruption in all its ramifications through the under-staffing and under-funding of anti-graft agencies which should check-mate any form of fraudulent venture by any citizen of this great nation! At the Federal level, Mr. President appoints the judges, while the Governors perform this exercise at the State levels according to some constitutional principles, but the fact remains that the judges’ remunerations are bound to the whims and caprices of their EMPLOYERS who hold the REMOTE CONTROL for the judgement of litigations which must favour them and their cronies! As a people who should insist on the rule of law for justice, equity and fairness to all litigants, poor or rich, this unholy development at the Bar and Bench, should be of great concern to us because fraudulent court proceedings could neither pass through the “needle’s eye” nor the forensic tests to arrive at the truth! In February 2014, the NJC under the pay- roll of Mr. President, merely retired two Justices of Federal High Courts and one of the Plateau High Court of Justice, who were indicted for professional misconduct, instead of apportioning very strict penalties and they smiled home to enjoy their ill-gotten loots! What are the expectations of GOD in respect of Judges’ ethics when conducting themselves in office? (a)They should be capable and God-fearing.[Exodus.18:21; 2Samuel.23:3; Ezra.7:25]. (b)Truthful.[Deuteronomy.16:19]. (c)Must have hatred for covetousness. [Exo.18:21]. (d)Must be of a disposition to refuse bribes.[Exo.23:8]. (e)Wise and understanding.[Deut.1:13]. (f)Articulate and impeccable.[Deut.1:13,16]. (g)Having love of justice and judgment.[Deut.1:16,16:18-19,27:19,Zechariah.7:9-10]. (h)Without respect of persons.[Deut.1:17;16:19;25:1;Isaiah.5:23]. (i)Fearless.[Deut.1:17]. (j)Conscientious.[Deut.1:17]. (k)Strong and courageous. [Joshua.1:7]. (l)Obedient to the law.[Josh.1:7-8]. Nigeria has in the past produced decent, brave, fearless, intelligent, impeccable and incorruptible judges, who avoided filthy lucre, treaded the path of integrity and lived above board! The story was told of Late Justice John Idowu Conrad Taylor, a Chief Judge of Lagos State during the military administration, who turned down his Governor’s official invitation to a State Dinner on the following grounds: “ Lagos State Government has several pending cases before me…… I find it inappropriate to honour the invitation”. At his demise, Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon eulogised him for his sterling qualities. Do such Nigerian judges exist in today’s 21 century universe? The Federal Government should be more pro-active in funding the EFCC to pursue to its logical conclusion, all vital allegations of graft against these judges and publicly bring them to justice in order to purge and cleanse the judiciary, restore her reputation and establish a deterrent to others of their ilk! Of the late Supreme Court Judge, Bobakayode Eso ,(1925-2012), were the following WORDS ON MARBLE crafted: “He was an Icon even in death; Nigeria may never have his replacement – a very rare breed. Justice Eso was an untainted Judge with high integrity; one of the great Nigerians, incorruptible, academic, intelligent, serious-minded patriotic, scandal-free. A courageous judge and a consistent advocate for an independent judiciary whose long and exemplary life was dedicated to the service of law and order and the dispensation of true justice, equity and fairness to all.” We need more of the Eso’s, Conrad Taylors, Gani Fawehinmi’s, Oputas in our modern judiciary to re-build and restore the lost confidence of the COMMON MAN in Nigeria’s judicial system. We have a crop of patriotic legal minds, men and women of proven integrity who are ready to serve our great nation without soiling their hands and names! Will the corrupt politicians at the helm of affairs give them the opportunity to serve their Fatherland? Let Nigerians be assured that if they fail to make the necessary RESTITUTION now, GOD WILL REMOVE AND REPLACE THEM ACCORDING TO HIS SOVEREIGN WILL! AMEN. If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations. Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access,to this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch & Zfbbc1.blogspot.com]. I am, Yours sincerely,Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor.08058436756 08098194390.g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com . st