Recently, All Progressive Congress’s ( APC ) thugs identified to be from Okene Kogi State, went all the way to the venue of Kogi Election Tribunal, Wuse II Magistrate court Abuja to attack PDP ‘s Loyalists in order to prevent those loyalists from giving testimonies before the Court. In the said attack, distinguished Senator Dino Melaye, Former Ofu Local Government, Mr Ameh Isah, Pastor Enejoh Sani among others were attacked with high degree of injuries and scars unleashed on them. PDP’s Loyalists ( Pastor Enejoh Sani, Ameh Sani) Attacked By APC’s Thugs This attack which took place at the Nation’s Capital, Abuja has raised dust on the Nation’s security apparatus as no arrest was made neither the authority has shown commitment to bring the culprits to book.
While Nigerians and the rest of the world continue to lament over this ugly development, the recent reaction comes from Nigerian legal Icon, Jibrin Sam Okutepa ( SAN ). In his reaction, Jibrin Sam Okutepa decries over the ugly development as he says, Politicians fraudulently rigged their way to power and also try to rig justice by causing mayhem at the law Court.
Let us read his full reaction:
In my few years of legal practice, court premises and the hallowed chambers of judicial officers have always been accorded respects by all. When a court or Tribunal is sitting nobody is allowed to horn or make noise. No matter how stubborn you may be you don’t dare do anything to disturb the proceedings of court or Tribunal. When anyone does anything that is calculated to interfere with judicial process, the person is dealt with seriously as that amounts to contempt of court or the Tribunal. But the awe with which our courts and Tribunals were held in the past seem to have vanished especially in political cases. Politicians have now chose to invade Tribunals or courts with political thugs to interfere with proceedings.
On the 25th of March 2020, political thugs invaded the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Wuse 2 Abuja attacking my witnesses in the petition No: EPT/KG/Gov/06/2019, Musa Atayi Wada vs INEC and 20rs. They wounded the witnesses and others within the premises of Court in the presence of security agents and lawyers.
These security agencies looked the other way while these hooligans held sway. No arrest was made and all my witnesses where forced to flee out of the Tribunal. The Tribunal was forced to adjourned to enable us get back our witnesses. Again on 27th March 2020 when the matter came up our witnesses again where whisked away by these thugs that were brought from Kogi State. Again the Tribunal was forced to adjourn. We are heading towards dangerous end in Nigeria. Political class rigged election to force themselves on the people of Nigeria. Again they are using thuggery to rig justice.
Election petitions are time bound and these politicians know that once they rigged elections they will use all antics to kill the cases against them. If really we are interested in democracy then something must be done to stop these dangerous trends. In my few years of legal practice I have never seen this kind bizarre conduct. The whole world is watching us