A SINNER CONVICTED A SAINT

By Onumajuru Onyekachi MacSantos

Edited By Chidi Aloysius Chidi

It is globally known that Nigerian Judiciary is a clog in the wheel of progress in the country and incessantly frustrating the realization of the noble goals of the country due to the endemic corruption. Only in the contraption called Nigeria that a sinner convicts a saint or even Satan prosecute Jesus Christ.

Once again Nigerian Judiciary has displayed another show of shame and also recorded notorious history on judiciary based on the trial of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice, Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen. The current code of conduct tribunal chairman Justice Danladi Umar who is struggling with bribery and corruption charges hanging on his neck was politically used to convict the former Justice of the Country with unproven false asset declaration and bribery scandal. Let's briefly and transparently analyze these two judges;

Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, GCON was born on December 25th 1950, a judge in Cross River state and later Justice of the Appeal Court. He was appointed the Chief Justice of Nigeria in 2017 by the current vice president, Yemi Osinbajo when Muhammadu Buhari, the president travelled to battle with brain cancer. He was adequately screened before being sworn in as the Chief Justice of Nigeria but only ended up with illegal removal. There were legal mixed reactions and feelings on the dismissal and illegal conviction of the former Chief Justice without the normal judicial process or procedures. 

While Justice Danladi Umar was born on August 19th 1971, he is a jurist from Bauchi state in North Central. Before becoming chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (C.C.T.) of Nigeria, he was a chief magistrate in his state. He was appointed as the C.C.T. chairman on July 11,2011. Danladi Umar replaced Justice Murtala Adebayo Sanni who died on January 24th, 2011. He was involved in two different bribery scandals of Ten million Naira and 1.8 million Naira in the same year. The anti-corruption Agency accused him of receiving 1.8 million Naira, which he indirectly collected through his personal assistant Alhaji Gambo Abdullahi. EFCC also accused him of demanding the sum of 10 million Naira as a graft from a defendant, Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo standing trial before the C.C.T. in 2012 with the case marked, CR/109/18.The offences were said to be contrary to section 12(1)(a) and (b) of the corrupt practices and other offences act, 2003. This same C.C.T. chairman with double criminal charges convicted Walter Onnoghen on Thursday, April 18th 2019. 

As against the Constitution that the next qualified senior judge after Walter will replace the ousted C.J.N., they planned and brought a Sharia judge, Justice Tanko Ibrahim because he will quickly do the bid of the northern Cabal who want to use him to swear in the man in Aso Rock whether he wins the election or not. Now his position as the acting C.J.N. has been renewed by the presidency, It was a calculated intention to hijack the seat of the presidency and also to cover long suspected secret of an impostor in Aso Rock.

In the other hand, with the ongoing corruption charges surrounding the C.C.T. chairman, he is not supposed to handle any legal matters especially the high profile case like that of the former Chief Justice until he is legally rectified and acquitted as stipulated by Constitution.