'Retired Judges As "Agberos"' By Adesina Ogunlana

Vol 1 No 3 2nd April 2001

THE LEARNED SQUIB

‘Retired Judges as “Agberos?”’ By Adesina Ogunlana

Last week I witnessed a rather shameful fight involving seven old men courtesy of The Guardian newspaper of 27/3/2001. Six of them were on one side and only one on the other side.

The first side is officially called BODY OF RETIRED JUDGES OF LAGOS STATE ORIGIN (BORJOLSO) but it is legit to call them the BAAHOO. (this sounds so alarmingly close to YAHOO though). The following ‘sons of the soil’ are members:
Honourable Messers. Justice Bada, Adeoba, Adagun, Hotonu, Oluwa and Olorunnimbe, all retired.

The ‘second’ side is the one and only incumbent Chief Judge of Lagos State, Honourable Mr. Justice Christopher Olatunde Segun, a.k.a. C.J Baba.

What is the bone of contention between these groups of elders? It is who should be appointed as judge in Lagos State.

In the said fight, many dangerous weapons were freely used, including blackmail, intimidation, senior boy “yabbies,” etc. From the dexterity displayed by the BAAHOO in the handling of their weapons of war it is clear that these retired judges are (a) not tired and (b) are born politicians or have successfully received special intensive courses in POLITICAL SCARE TACTICS AND CONTROL from NADECO (AGBAKO) and AFENIFERE generalissimos.

In attacking C.J Baba the BAAHOO:
(a) Procured sensitive documents:-
(Letters of C.Js of other states to C.J Baba as well as C.J Baba’s letter to the N.B.A Lagos).
(b) Bared their minds and fangs in no uncertain fashion.
(c) Used a credible medium with very wide coverage to market their views.
(d) Threatened or hinted that except their position is accepted there will be crisis and chaos in the Lagos State Judiciary after C.J Baba’s tenure.

If this is not vintage NADECO tactics, what is? Just tell me.

If by now you are already pitying C.J Baba, that means you do not know His Lordship very well. Suffice to say that he gave as good as he got if not even more.

He made us know that the BAAHOO group was acting out of frustration having lobbied him (I should think unsuccessfully) to nominate some of their children judges. He also asserted that it was too low of the BAAHOO to be advertising for judges on the pages of newspapers. Some swell sword play there!

My sympathies lie with C.J Baba though I do not agree with his shocking position that non indigenes would not be appointed as judges. See, while the BAAHOO group was emphasizing the factor of LAGOS STATE INDIGENESHIP as the basic parameter to use in appointing judges here, C.J Baba was busy trumpeting the virtue of using merit as the proper yardstick.

If there are competent and responsible Lagos State indigenes fit to be judges, such should be appointed, and same should go for non indigenes of Lagos State who have long been working or practicing in the state.

But reasonable preference should be given to indigenes. To me, the BAAHOO group missed it in comparing LAGOS STATE with other states. My Lords retired and temporal, let us observe the principle of true justice which states that:
Treat LIKE things LIKE
And UNLIKE things UNLIKE. Coooourrrttt!


Related link: http://www.learnedsquib.blogspot.com