Romanus Okoye
There was a mild drama yesterday at the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, Domestic and Special Offences section, when the enforcement team of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) entered the court to monitor the two-day boycott order by the association.
The efforts of the branch, led by its chairman, Dele Oloke, led to a heated argument between him and Justice Sherifat Solebo.
“I would not entertain any interruption. We know the rules of court, Mr. Oloke, be properly guided. The National Judicial Council (NJC) has not directed that judges should not sit. The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has not shut the door. I am still in charge of this court, Mr. Oloke. What you are doing is contemptuous,” Solebo said.
Following the judge’s outburst, the chairman told lawyers who were in the courtroom to obey the boycott directive of the NBA and leave.
The NBA took the decision to condemn what they termed impunity and an affront on the judiciary, following the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, and to appoint Justice Tanko Mohammed as CJN, in acting capacity, without following due process.