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Robbers Burgle Retired Nigerian Supreme Court Justice Dattijo’s Official Quarters In Abuja

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Robbers Burgle Retired Nigerian Supreme Court Justice Dattijo’s Official Quarters In Abuja

Retired Justice Muhammad Dattijo‘s official quarters at the Supreme Court, located in the Maitama district of Abuja, were burgled during the Christmas holidays in December 2023.

Sources informed SaharaReporters that the residence was thoroughly robbed, with the burglars reportedly “taking everything from the house.”

One of the source said, “The burglary took place at the quarters for Supreme Court justices in Maitama. It occurred over the Christmas holidays and Dattijo was travelling out of the country at the time.”

Dattijo, who retired from the Supreme Court on October 27, 2023, knocked his colleagues on his way out.

He described the apex court as rotten and characterised by filth.

He lamented that the apex court had been pervaded by bribery and perversion of justice, adding that it was dangerous for two out of the six geopolitical zones of the country to be excluded from the bench of the Supreme Court hearing appeals on the presidential election.

Lamenting that the appointments of judicial officers have been political, selfish and sectional interests, he said, “It is asserted that the process of appointment to judicial positions is deliberately conducted to give undue advantage to the children, spouses and mistresses of serving and retired judges and managers of judicial offices.

“At the Court of Appeal, it is asserted, presiding justices are now being appointed out of turn. And there is the further issue of the unpredictable nature of recent decisions of the courts as well.

“A number of respected senior members of the bar inter alia, citing Ahmed Lawan, the former President of the Senate and Imo governorship appeals, claim that decisions of even the apex court have become unpredictable.

“It is difficult to understand how and where, by these decisions, the judicial pendulum swings. It was not so before, they contended.

“In some quarters, the view is strongly held that filth and intrigues characterise the institution these days. Judges are said to be comfortable in companies they never would have kept in the past. It is being insinuated that some judicial officers even campaign for politicians. It cannot be more damnifying.”

According to him, some years ago, “appointment to the bench was strictly on merit. Sound knowledge of the law, integrity, honour and hard work distinguished those who were elevated”.

He continued, “Lobbying was unheard of. I never lobbied, not at any stage of my career, to secure any appointment or elevation. As much as possible, the most qualified men and women were appointed. That can no longer be said about appointments to the bench.

“The judiciary must be uniquely above board. Appointments should not be polluted by political, selfish and sectional interests. The place of merit, it must be urged, cannot be overemphasised.

“Public perceptions of the judiciary have over the years become witheringly scornful and monstrously critical.”

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Abia Judicial Panel orders arrest of Ikpeazu’s former Chief of Staff, Deputy

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Abia Judicial Panel orders arrest of Ikpeazu’s former Chief of Staff, Deputy

The Chairman of Abia State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the recovery of Government Property and Funds, Justice Florence Doruoha-Igwe (Rtd) has issued a Bench Warrant on Anthony Agbazuere and Don Ubani, who served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff, respectively, to former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

This is even as Don Ubani has said that he never received any invitation from the panel.

The Bench Warrant on Agbazuere according to Justice Duruoha-Igwe was because of his alleged failure to appear before the Panel to give evidence in respect to a Toyota Hilux Land Cruiser alleged to be in his possession since he left office.

Justice Doruoha-Igwe (Rtd) who adjourned the matter to January 24, 2024, directed that Agbazuere should be arrested and produced for further cross examination.

The Panel said that the Bench warrant on the former Deputy Chief of Staff to former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Don Ubani, was because of his alleged failure to appear before the Panel and his inability to file a response to a notice served him on 30th of November, 2023.

Speaking before adjourning the matter to 24th of this month, the Chairman Justice Doruoha-Igwe (Rtd) directed that Ubani should be arrested and produced on January 24, 2024, to defend himself.

But reacting to the development, the former Deputy Chief of Staff to former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Don Ubani said he was shocked to read that a Bench Warrant had been issued on him, saying that he was never invited by the Panel.

“I am shocked to read that a Bench Warrant could be issued on me without ever being invited to a Panel either by writing or even through a telephone call,” said Ubani who also described the arrest order as ‘false propaganda and political witch-hunt’.

But the former Deputy Chief of Staff also promised to appear before the Panel of Enquiry if he received an invitation.

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No date yet for inauguration of Supreme Court’s new Justices – NJC

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No date yet for inauguration of Supreme Court’s new Justices – NJC

The National Judicial Council, NJC, has clarified that no date has yet been fixed for the swearing-in of the newly appointed eleven Justices of the Supreme Court.

The Council said that the purported news by an Abuja based media organization suggesting Monday January 16 for the inauguration of the Justices did not emanate from it.

A statement by the NJC’s Director of Information, Barrister Soji Oye clarified that neither the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who is the NJC Chairman, nor the Council itself authored or endorsed the purported date.

While asking members of the public to disregard the news, the NJC said that the date for the swearing-in of the Justices would be made public at the appropriate time.

NJC’s statement read in part, “The attention of the National Judicial Council has been drawn to a trending story purportedly informing the public that the newly appointed 11 Supreme Court Justices would be sworn in on Monday 16 January 2023.

“The Council by this medium expressly denies the news as it did not emanate from the Council or the Office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Judicial Council, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.

“The date for the swearing-in of the Justices will be made public at the appropriate time. Members of the public should please disregard the trending news.”

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MACBAN demands probe of alleged extra-judicial killing of members in Kaduna

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MACBAN demands probe of alleged extra-judicial killing of members in Kaduna

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Kaduna State, has demanded a probe of alleged extra-judicial killing of their members.

WORLD WIDE GIST recalls that an online report alleged that 11 decomposing corpses of Fulani natives, from Tulde Fulbe, Ladduga Grazing Reserve in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State, were on Monday discovered in a forest.

They were alleged to have been killed by the Nigerian Army.

But the Headquarters, 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, in a statement on Thursday night, by Lt. Col Musa Yahaya, Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, denied involvement of the Army in the said killing.

However, in a statement by MACBAN Kaduna chairman, Haruna Usman Tugga, he insisted that the organisation as an umbrella body of Fulbe in Nigeria received with serious concern the information.

The statement condemned what they described as “extra-judicial killing of law-abiding Fulbe youths of Tilde Fulbe community and other areas of Ladduga Grazing Reserve in Kachia Local Government Area of the state by military personnel at Kachia, headquarters of Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.”

He said they called an emergency executive meeting of the association to get to the root of the matter and find out the remote causes, perpetrators and names of the victims.

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