Senate to probe petition by Supreme Court Justices

The Senate, yesterday, mandated its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, to go ahead with the probe of the crisis in the Judiciary by looking into the complaints raised in the petition by the justices of the Supreme Court. The Senate took the decision,

 

notwithstandingtheresignationfromofficebytheformer Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Mohammed Tanko.

 

TheapexlegislativechamberalsoaskedtheCommittee to interface with the three arms of government as well as at the Bar and the Bench, to collate aggregate views and positions on the short-term, medium-term and long-term measures needed to decisively address the crisis currently facing the judiciary.

 

It noted that such measures must include the immediatefiscalinterventionas wellas long-term andsustainable budgetary allocations, required for the optimal performance of the judiciary in linewithglobal bestpractices.

 

 

The Senate passed the resolution following a motion brought to the floor by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central). Bamidele, who cited order 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders 2022, as amended, recalled that the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, last week, drew the attention of the chamber to media reports on the state of affairs in the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

 

Henotedthatpoorwelfare of judicial officers would adversely affect the output of judiciary in service delivery.

 

According to the lawmaker: “The Judiciary, which is the epicentre of the temple of justice, shouldbepreserved by the Senate through appropriate legislative measures in ordertosafeguardthishighly revered institution and prevent it from being ridiculed.”

 

He stated that the committee, in taking steps to look into the matter as directed by the President of the Senate, had started the process of making arrangementtointerfacewith relevant stakeholders both at the Bar and on the Bench.

 

Hesaidthattheresignation of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed, on June 26, 2022, “will not prevent the committee from going ahead with its assignment in the questtofinda probable lasting solution to the matter.

 

“Even though Mohammed has stepped down as CJN, mostof theIssuesraisedbythe justices of the Supreme Court andotherstakeholderswithin the Judiciary, still remain and need to be addressed urgently to prevent an eventual shutdown of the Judiciary.”