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Wike Urges Judges To Be Courageous To Achieve Independence
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has called on judges to be courageous in order to achieve independence of the Judiciary.
Wike, who made the call on a Live Television interview, Monday, in Port Harcourt, said judicial independence would be hard to achieve if judges are not courageous and determined to uphold the tenets of the profession.
“Independence of the Judiciary does not mean to have more money to go on vacation. It is the freedom to attend to legal matters without fear or favour.
“It is not to be tele-guided on how to deliver judgement. Heads of courts must be able to protect fellow judges instead of succumbing to intimidation.
“Such intimidation has gone far. Now, they use petitions and excuse of insecurity to transfer cases out of a state or from a judge.
“I have told my Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to write to the Chief Justice of Nigeria that such excuses should not be tolerated. If they are saying that it is because of corruption it is for them to protect their own.
“But to use insecurity to transfer a matter out of Rivers State will not be accepted. In fact, we will sue any person who raises such an excuse and demand a proof.
“We cannot operate like that. Courts sit regularly in states like Borno, Kaduna and Plateau where insecurity is high.
“If cases cannot be heard here, then they should close down the Port Harcourt Division of such court”, he stated.
On the Edo Governorship Election, Wike said the deployment of over 300 policemen with Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to his hotel in Benin City was to provoke a shootout with his security aides.
He said the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, knew the nature of the assignment he was to discharge as chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Campaign Council.
“They wanted that provocation to cause a shootout so that they can target me and blame it on the crisis.
“The Inspector General’s action was premeditated because of our resolve to legally challenge the deduction from our revenue for the Police Trust Fund.
“He was also angry over my intervention in the attempted abduction of the former chairman of the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Joi Nunieh by some police officers at her residence by 4am”, he said.
On the Ondo State Governorship Election, Wike stated that while the fight in Edo was against godfatherism, that of Ondo, will be a vote against failed promises by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“To gain freedom, sacrifices will be made. Intimidation will come but the people should be firm to defend their votes,” he stated.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.