Bribe Allegation: Kano Attorney-General Dederi Under Pressure As Group Demands His Prosecution
- A petition has been raised for the prosecution of Haruna Isa Dederi, the Kano state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice
- This demand follows Dederi's allegations of corruption directed at judges from the Court of Appeals
- It was gathered that Dederi made this allegation during a live telecast on Channels TV last week
Legit.ng journalist Segun Adeyemi has over 9 years of experience covering political events, civil societies, courts, and metro
FCT, Abuja - Advocacy for Justice and Good Governance (AJGG) has demanded the prosecution of the Kano state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Haruna Isa Dederi.
This call comes in response to Dederi's accusations of corruption against justices of the Appeal Court.
Source: UGC
In a statement released in Abuja on Saturday, November 25, Mr Francis Nzeoke, the coordinator of AJGG, emphasized the need for the commissioner to provide specific details about the judges he alleged were corrupt.
The allegation
Dederi made these allegations during an appearance on the 'Sunrise Daily' program on Channels Television last Wednesday.
Nzeoke highlighted the concerning trend in Kano, where government officials, amid election litigations, have been intimidating and maligning the judiciary.
The group statement reads:
“We are calling on the authorities to question Dederi so that he provides evidence of all the allegations he made on Channels Television. If he cannot he should be arrested and prosecuted.
“We are worried about the turn of events in recent times where politicians lose cases in the court and resort to dishing out threats on justices. It is a bad omen for our democracy and the rule of law.”
AJGG, alongside other NGOs, pledged to speak out against any attempts by politicians to discredit judges with untarnished legal records or subject them to bullying.
Additionally, the NGO called on the Nigerian Bar Association to take appropriate disciplinary measures against its members found to be violating.
Perspective of senior lawyers
Most recently, top legal practitioners have also questioned the potency and integrity of the Nigerian judiciary.
Former president of the NBA, Olumide Akpata, said:
“While I was president of the NBA, what I found out was that there is a deliberate attempt on the part of the political class in Nigeria to capture the judiciary.
“And that has very insidious consequences for rule of law in Nigeria. It is deliberate, and it is intentional. And it is achieving results for them.”
The debate over the selection of judges in Nigeria has sparked demands for changes, with individuals like Prof Chidi Odinkalu raising concerns about cases where court leaders appoint their relatives as judges. Odinkalu has labelled this scenario as “judicial capture.”
Reacting to the assertions of Akpata and Odinkalu, constitutional lawyer Festus Ogun said he shares their views without restraint.
In a phone interview with Legit.ng, he said:
"The judiciary needs an urgent reform. We need a judiciary that is fully independent.
"But the current way and manner the judiciary is constituted calls for a lot of concern."
He stated that judicial independence also entails the mode of appointment, as he stressed that a lawyer should be able to be a judge without seeking influence from high powers.
"Can a lawyer, who knows nobody but has that competence and knows nobody, become a judge in this country?" he questioned.
Kano: Gov. Yusuf, NNPP suffering from negligence of electoral law, coalition says
Similarly, more criticism has continued to greet the Kano state administration led by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Governor Abba Yusuf and his party have been slammed for their negligence of electoral and for resorting to judicial blackmail.
There is also a demand that the Kano state attorney-general be sanctioned for his attack against the judiciary.
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Source: Legit.ng
