A retiring Justice of the Supreme Court, Ibrahim Saulawa, yesterday cautioned politicians against attempting to sway judicial officers with what he described as “Greek gifts”.
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Retiring from the bench on reaching the mandatory age of 70, the jurist insisted that action must be taken against the practice of politicians gifting cows and rams to judges, adding that he had previously raised the matter with the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
“Why should a politician send a ram, cow or other items to a Supreme Court Justice? It is unheard of in other countries.
“I am calling on the CJN to do something about this. I once raised the issue. It is demeaning and equally frustrating,” added Justice Saulawa, who bowed out of the bench after a 44-year journey in the legal profession.
He spoke at a valedictory court session the apex court held in his honour.
While urging judges across the federation to embrace a culture of integrity, honesty and morality, the retiring Justice recalled a case in which an influential person he later convicted had tried, before judgment was delivered, to influence him through proxies after he declined a gift of a car.
“Prior to the case, the Alhaji had donated to me a brand new Peugeot motor vehicle, which I flatly rejected.
“He went to the extent of seeking the intervention of some prominent personalities, including the Emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Kabir Usman, the District Head, Alhaji Balan Goggo, et al., with a view to influencing me to accept the ‘Greek gift,’ but to no avail,” Justice Saulawa added.
Only six Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and 13 other lawyers attended the jurist’s valedictory session on Tuesday, in contrast to similar ceremonies in the past that attracted serving and former governors and other eminent personalities.
A representative of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BoSAN), Mr. Damien Dodo, SAN, who declared that he was embarrassed by the poor attendance of lawyers, blamed it on miscommunication, saying it was not a reflection of the personality of Justice Saulawa, who, he said, served the country “with granite integrity.”
The outgoing jurist disclosed that, while in service, he had, in a bid to safeguard his principles, turned down several invitations to attend social gatherings.
“But some of my learned friends are always there, even if they didn’t need to be there,” he noted.
Recalling the crisis that led to the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Justice Saulawa said that, as the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal at the time, he took steps to stem the tide of conflicting court orders which, he said, were orchestrated by the military.
He noted that while the FCT High Court issued two interim orders that restrained the Professor Humphrey Nwosu-led National Electoral Commission (NEC) from conducting the presidential poll and from announcing the results, some state high courts issued conflicting orders directing that the results be announced.
Insisting that the legal confusion was masterminded by the military, Justice Saulawa said he acted on the directive of the then President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice M. Akanbi, by swiftly moving to Kaduna to take control of the appellate court’s registry.
“Appeals were filed at the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, by the NEC. As the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, and the only spokesperson thereof, I flew from Lagos to Kaduna and took effective control of the Registry and supervised the registering of the appeals and the issuing of the appropriate court processes to the respective parties to the appeals.
“I equally issued a press release regarding the circumstances surrounding the two appeals and motions relating to.
“Later in the evening, I flew back to Lagos and briefed the PCA, Hon. Justice MMA Akanbi, a man of unquestionable integrity and unwavering courage. Upon my advice, the Hon. PCA called for an emergency meeting of the Hon. Presiding Justices over the crisis,” he added.
He said it was after every effort the military made to infiltrate the judiciary “was frustrated by myself and Justice Akanbi” that the then Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, annulled the outcome of the presidential contest on the excuse that he was saving “the judiciary from self-destruction.”
While faulting the military for engaging in “forum shopping,” which he said led to all the conflicting court orders, Justice Saulawa insisted the judiciary at that time deserved “a gold medal.”
“We actually did all we could do to frustrate the military,” he added.
Meanwhile, the CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, in her address at the valedictory court session, extolled Justice Saulawa’s virtues, describing him as “a man whose life has been defined by service.”
The CJN recalled the time the retiring Justice was serving as the Presiding Justice of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, saying: “There was, during that period, a particular moment which has remained with me, because of what it revealed about the values we both held dear.
“A situation arose which called for a clear and principled response to an attempt, however discreetly made, to place a matter of personal benefit in the path of judicial duty.
“Without hesitation, we each took the position that the integrity of the judicial office admits of no compromise and that even the appearance of impropriety must be guarded against.
“What followed was a quiet but unmistakable affirmation of a principle that needed no elaborate expression: that the honour of the judicial office is preserved not merely in our judgments from the Bench, but also in the choices we make when no judgment is being written.
“I believe that moment deepened my appreciation of my Lord’s character and, in its own quiet way, helped to define the mutual respect and understanding that have characterised our relationship since,” the CJN added.
