A human rights organization, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Oluwakayode Ariwoola and National Judicial Council (NJC) to closely monitore Justices of the Nigeria Courts to checkmate allegations of corruption and compromises.
In a statement signed by its Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman on Monday, CHRSJ disclosed that if the nation’s judiciary could be manipulated as adduced by Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa, the hard earned integrity of judiciary as the last hope of common man would be in jeopardy.
It stated that, Bulkachuwa’s public revelation could not be taken with levity as it has exposed the rot in the judiciary which has to be addressed.
It could be recalled that, Senator Bulkachuwa had at the Valedictory session of the 9th Assembly claimed that, he had infringed on his wife’s independence when she was the President of the Court of Appeal which generated controversy.
He said, “”I look at faces in this chamber who have come to me and sought my help when my wife was the President of the Court of Appeal.
“And I must thank particularly, my wife, whose freedom and independence I encroached upon while she was in office, and she has been very tolerant and accepted my encroachment, and extended her help to my colleagues”.
His wife, Zainab Bulkachuwa had however denied any form of compromise from her part in a seven page statement.
CHRSJ noted that, Bulkachuwa and others like him, had destroyed the nation’s Judicial system with their illegal influence and interference of the outcome of the Court process in Nigeria.
The center therefore called for the immediate arrest of Senator Bulkachuwa for questioning because his revelation on the judiciary is weighty which must not be swept under the carpet.
According to the center, the arrest of Senator Bulkachuwa would make Nigerians know the level of damages his wife, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa had made on the nation’s judicial system.
It added that, the arrest would also give the opportunity to the NJC to curb excesses and compromises in the country’s judicial system in the nearest future.
While speaking on the denial by Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, the center stated that the damage control could not hold water.
CHRSJ stated,”This is absurd and wrong signal for our judiciary where the spouses, family members and friends would be interference in determining the outcome of the Court cases and this would make the populace to loss hope in the judiciary by resulting the society to anarchy State.
“In recent time, the common man in Nigeria, begins to wonder why judgments come out of Courts, are short of expectations and this is a pointer that the integrity of the nation’s judiciary has been compromised by the judicial officers by giving judgments to the highest bidder.
“The way and manner, the judiciary being influenced by the so called politicians. If the NJC does not stop it, they would stop the judiciary to function again and it would be a great disastrous for our democratic society and a stitch in time, saves nine”.
