Supreme Court Vindicates Obono-Obla, Writes Him

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution and Chairman, Special Presidential Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla on Friday 8^th September, 2017 received a letter from the Supreme Court. In the letter the Supreme Court requested him to send a list of his cases both in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court which have not been listed for hearing. In the statement made available to TheNigerialawyer, the Senior Special Assistant said “I have been vindicated.” “It shows that we can effect a change when we speak out against societal ills. Apparently the Supreme Court was reacting to my statement earlier in the week lambasting the judicial system in the court for inefficiency and corruption”. He also gave a comprehensive story of his ordeal with Nigerian Court, he said “My wife used to work as Senior Legal Officer with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Then in March 2004 she was purported terminated. She did not commit any offense. The Obasanjo’s presidency just woke up and ordered a rationalization exercise of federal agencies in the aviation industry. She challenged her purported removal in the Federal High Court and after about seven years of litigation she won the case in 2011. The Federal High Court held that her termination was wrongful, illegal and unconstitutional and set it aside and ordered her reinstatement. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority appealed the judgment but till this moment the appeal is yet to be heard after nearly six years. She has still moved on. If she was not a lawyer she will still be languishing. Imagine since 2004 she is yet to get justice. This is the kind of injustice people suffer in Nigeria, because of a clumsy and chaotic court system. Justice is a mirage in Nigeria. The court system must reform” He further narrated another ugly story, his client who was even a privileged Nigerian passed through in the hands of Nigerian Court “My former client was a retired top civil servant, former deputy governor of Bauchi State and former senator. He was wrongly and unconstitutionally impeached by the Bauchi State House of Assembly died without his appeal heard in the Supreme Court. He was unconstitutionally impeached by the Bauchi State House of Assembly on the instigation of former Governor, Isa Yaguda because he refused to decamp from the defunct ANPP when Isa Yaguda changed camp from the defunct ANPP to PDP. He challenged his purported impeachment in the Bauchi State High Court and won. The defendants appealed to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal upheld the appeal and set aside the judgment of the Bauchi State High Court! My client, a courteous, noble Nigerian appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court keep on adjourning his appeal for one reason or the other till the man died in August 2017.  While on his sick bed he kept inquiring about his appeal. He was so anxious to have his name cleared but the Supreme Court was never bothered till the man died and carried the stigma to his grave what a travesty of Justice. It is unfortunate and sad. How can investor come to the country with such an unserious court system.” Chief Obono-Obla said “Lawyers know the truth but are not prepare to rock the boat. They don’t want to incur wrath of judges who always victimize lawyers that they perceive as bold, progressive and courageous! The lawyers think if they criticize the system judges will not support them when they apply to be SAN or judges or will not even win their case. But this is wrong.” To him “very soon lawyers will run out of business because people willl simply settle scores on their own terms! Nobody wants to go to court again to be bog down by a chaotic and disorderly court system.” The list of pending cases of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution and Chairman, Special Presidential Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla are:

• Dr Mathias Offobuche vs Cletus Offobuche (2007);
• Obono Egom vs Eno Omini;
• Chief Akin Ricketts versus Helen Eyo;
• Obono-Obla versus Federal Road Safety Commission

Below is the copy of the letter from Supreme Court of Nigeria to Chief Obono-Obla [pdf-embedder url=”https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/obolo.pdf”]]]>