The Civil Rights Realization & Advancement Network (CRRAN); has raised the alarm over the threat to kill Judges of Election Petitions Tribunal in Kano State, Nigeria.
This was contained in it’s monthly human rights update entitled: “A Nation Marching Towards State of Barbarity; Re: Icrease in threat and attacks on Nigerian Judge’s and the recent death threat on the lives of the members of Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Kano State, ” copied to CJN and NJC and made available to Journalists.
The statement signed by it’s President, Olu Omotayo Esq, reads in part: “If the current wave of increase in the attacks on the members of the bench are not urgently checked, the nation may be plunged into a state of barbarity by some diseased minded litigants and there counsels who believe that without judgment going in their favour the alter of justice should be desecrated and burnt down.”
The rights group, however, acknowledged that there have been attacks on the Judiciary all over the world in recent times as could be seen in the paper presented by the Honorable Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG, at the American Bar Association Section on Litigation Winter Leadership meeting Maui, Hawaii.
“In the United States the founders of the Constitution over 200 years ago already saw this problem and adequately strengthened and strongly protected the Federal judiciary from any onslaught by any diseased mind but this could not be said in relation to protection of judges in Nigeria.
“The dangerous trend has now gone beyond media attacks and cyber bullying of judges as it has degenerated to actual threat to kill judges in the course of the performance of their judicial function as could be seen in the threat allegedly issued by the Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning in Kano State, Mr. Adamu Kibiya, who on Thursday the 14th September 2023, threatened to kill judges of the State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, if they upturn the election of Governor Abba Yusuf, of Kano State.
“This is a very dangerous development which should be resisted by every right thinking members of the society.
“Judges are at liberty to perform their duties without fear or favour and where a litigant feels unsatisfied with a judgment, he or she has the right of appeal up to the Supreme Court, ” CRRAN said.
Omotayo said that lawyers in the US have been consistent in the defence of the Judiciary to ward off unwarranted attacks of the politicians.
He regretted that in Nigeria, the reverse is the case: “as every failed lawyer supported by the litigants resorted to media attacks and blackmail of judges. Even very senior lawyers are not left out of this infamous conduct.”
“This is why we call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria who is also the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, and the Chairman Body of Benchers to rise up on this occasion, defend judges in the performance of their duties, condemn this evil threat that emanated from a member of cabinet of the Kano State government and henceforth take appropriate disciplinary steps against lawyers, who in conjunction with litigants continue to issue threats to judges in the performance of their duties, ” he said.
