Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike said the invasion of the residence of Justice of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Mary Odili, was a precursor to Federal Government’s infamous tactic of browbeating the Judiciary to a state of fear and conformity as the country enters next political season that would climax in the general elections in 2023.
This is even as the Rivers State Judiciary has confirmed that a total of 28,941 cases are pending at various courts in the state; while it has generated over N441million in the last 12 months preceding the new legal year in the state.
The governor said the Federal Government wants to continue to ride roughshod unchecked over the rule of law and the sanctity of the country’s electoral system, hence, the renewed attack on judicial officers.
The Rivers State governor made this assertion at a special court session to mark the opening of the 2021/2022 Legal Year of the Rivers State Judiciary held at the Chief Judge’s Ceremonial Court, Port Harcourt, yesterday.
“Although it is still early morning in our democratic match towards 2023, the attack on Justice Mary Odili is a prelude to many more and even worse political manoeuvrings we should be prepared to experience from the APC-led Federal Government, which having lost relevance and popular support is becoming more and more desperate over its dwindling political fortunes by the day.
“While cases with political undertones, including the constitutional validity of certain sections of the recent amendments to the 2010 Electoral Act, if assented to by Mr President, would necessarily come before our courts; what is important is the duty and capacity of our Judiciary to save our democracy and the country.”
He noted that it is the responsibility of the government at all levels to protect the Judiciary and accord the courts with such assistance as they may require to enable them to safeguard their independence, advance the rule of law and dispense justice equally and fairly to all citizens.
According to him, unfortunately, while the present Federal Government has been very weak in resourcing and strengthening the Judiciary; it has been very strong and readily predisposed to ridiculing the entire institution and subjecting individual judges to both physical and psychological trauma for its own self-interest.
“We all witnessed the infamous midnight raids on judicial residences and the subjection of some judges, to illegal raids, arrests and detentions by agents of the Federal Government purportedly carrying out a baseless sting operation back in 2016.
“Since then the intimidation of judges whose judgments, intellectual or moral disposition they are not comfortable with has continued unrelenting with the latest attack on a peaceful mother, wife of a former governor and Justice of the Supreme Court, our own highly revered Hon. Justice Mary Odili.
“It is important to emphasise that we allow these intimidations to become acceptable standards of behaviour and even become complicit in their unholy design to undermine the administration of justice when we all opt to keep quite in the face of these assaults.”
Wike, who commended the leaders of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Body of Senior Advocates, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and members of the public for promptly condemning the idiotic siege on Judiciary, said they must quickly move beyond the verbal protestations to unveil those behind the raid on Justice Odili’s residence and ensure that they all are held to account for their actions, otherwise this impunity would never cease to rear its ugly head in the country.
He challenged the Federal Government to come clean on this infamy with the names, identities and affiliations of those allegedly arrested for their roles or found to have been involved in the attack on the residence of Justice Odili, if it is not to be perceived as the primary mastermind.
Speaking on the proposed proliferation of law school campuses, the governor urged the management of the Nigerian Law School, the Council of Legal Education and the Federal Government to see the folly in the plan, and nib the idea in the bud before it causes more damage to a foremost institution that is already severely challenged for lack of adequate funding.
He explained that the Port Harcourt Campus of the Nigerian Law School being built by the state government was consciously demanded for and approval secured from the Council of Legal Education and ultimately from President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and named after late Nabo Graham-Douglas, SAN.
“Here again, some lazy and uninformed characters have criticised our law school development project with the unfounded and lousy allegation that it lacks budgetary provisions in our 2021 budget, even when they conceded to the propriety of the project and the optimal benefits it would attract to the state and the business community.”
Wike said in the last six years, his administration has continued to improve the welfare and wellbeing of state judicial officers, especially, the provision of new cars, comfortable and well-resourced offices, as well as the provision of life-long residences for all judicial officers, including those serving in federal courts and other jurisdictions external to the state.
In his remarks, Chief Judge of Rivers State, Hon. Justice Simeon Amadi said since assumption of office in May, 2021, he has administered the Judiciary with commitment in order to raise the bar of performance of judicial officers and staff that should reflect in speedy dispensation of justice.
According to him, training sessions have been organised for manpower capacity development in mediation practices, infrastructure improved, and the magistracy practice laws and rules revisited for purposes of review.
Justice Amadi stated that of the 30,227 cases, 11,719 cases were disposed of, and warned that no application from any lawyer for a transfer of cases would be tolerated if such case has already entertained at least two witnesses in court.
He also said that a total of 28,941 cases were pending at various courts in the state, just as he added that the Judiciary has generated over N441million in the last 12 months preceding the new legal year in the state.
Giving a breakdown, he said, “The grand total of fees and fines generated or realised by the project registry, deputy sheriff office, appeal registry, archives and records, the high court, magistrate court, mobile courts, and sanitation courts, within the period under review is N376,159, 369.74kobo.
“This is a positive difference of an increase in revenue of N28, 476,200.08kobo. The total fees and fine generated by Customary Court of Appeal is N55, 130, 750, over and above their last years IGR of N35, 444, 470.”
Justice Amadi, while giving the breakdown said that a total of 12,727 cases were disposed of, while 15,271 cases were filed in various courts, including customary courts from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021, and added that 32,927 cases were brought forward from the previous legal year as at October 1, 2020.
He further disclosed that the magistrate courts have the highest pending cases as at the period under review, with a total of 14,308 cases; followed by the high courts, with 9,898 pending cases; EPP court with 6,292 cases; customary courts with 3,617 cases, while the juvenile, revenue and sanitation courts have 116, 841 and 101 cases, respectively.
The state chief judge said that the high courts disposed of a total of 3,983 cases, the Customary Court of Appeal 148 cases, magistrate courts 7,142 cases, while the 23 customary courts in the state disposed of 446 cases during the period under review.
According to him, the remarkable performance shown by judges, magistrates and customary courts’ chairmen and members in the last legal year was attributable to the policies put in place by the management of the state Judiciary to allow judges and magistrates who are on transfer to conclude their matters that had gone far despite petitions from lawyers and litigants.
He appealed to lawyers and litigants to cooperate with the Judiciary to ensure it achieved its mandate to ensure quick dispensation of justice by shunning every act capable of delaying quick justice administration.
On the revenue, Justice Amadi said the high courts and the magistrate courts generated over N376million, while the customary courts generated over N65million within the 12 months under review.
According to him, the High Court has an increase of N28million against last legal year’s revenue generation, while the Customary Court has an increase of N35million over last legal year’s, adding that the positive increase in revenue generation was largely due to some stringent measures put in place to stop diversion of funds as well as stopping of affidavit racketeering.
Justice Amadi said that the special court session provided an opportunity for stock-taking, self-examination, exposition of problems, progress and achievements with a view to plan for the future in carrying out its constitutional duties in the administration of justice in the state.
In his speech, the Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, said it was imperative for members of the Bench and Bar to reaffirm their unwavering commitment to the effective, efficient and speedy administration of justice in order to continue to enjoy the confidence of Nigerians.
Adangor said that it was difficult to imagine Nigeria without the court system because the whole concept of the rule of law, and cherished constitutional democracy would have no meaning, if the needless attacks on the Judiciary that undermine civilisation were left unchallenged.
The former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Onueze C.J. Okocha, SAN, and the NBA Port Harcourt branch, Prince Nyekwere, respectively, condemned the attack on the residence of Justice Mary Odili, and demanded that the perpetrators be prosecuted.
Earlier, a rededication church service was held at the St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Port Harcourt, where Governor Nyesom Wike took the first lesson, while the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, took the second lesson.
In his sermon, Archbishop of the Province of Niger Delta, Most Rev. Blessing Enyindah, charged the Judiciary to remain committed to upholding the law and do justice to everyone equally despite their status.
He pointed out that Nigeria cannot be a great country if its laws that are reasonable and designed for the well-being of the people were skewed and violated by the Judiciary because it was unable to administer unbiased justice.
The Tide reports that there were goodwill messages from the NBA, SANs, and state attorney general and commissioner for justice as well as rededication service held at St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Rebisi (Garrison) in Port Harcourt.

By: Beemene Taneh & Akujobi Amadi