Vanguard for the Independence of the Judiciary on Wednesday bemoaned the restriction of Lawyers and residents from the proceedings of Nnamdi Kanu, at the Federal High Court Abuja.
This was contained in a press statement signed by the Convener, Barrister Douglas Ogbankwa, which was obtained by PERISCOPE NIGERIA.
Ogbankwa noted that there was no way lawyers would be locked out without express approval of the court registry, decrying the empowerment of strong men instead of institutions.
The statement partly read, “Few Days ago, the Leader of the Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB)’-Nnamdi Kanu’s trial resumed and some Lawyers and some members of the public were locked out of the Court -one of the Courts of the Federal High Court, Abuja allegedly by the State Security Service (SSS) .
“There is no way , such could happen with out the connivance and active participation of the registry of the Court .Access of Lawyers to a Court facility at reasonable hours of day is inviolable and no directive of an individual or individuals on this issue , no matter how highly placed , can change the express provisions of the Constitution on this issue .We must build strong institutions and not strong men.
“Our Nigerian Bar Association whose motto is “promoting the Rule of Law” went mum and completely quiet on this issue This is despite the fact that Section 36 and other Sections of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , 1999 (As Amended ) , provides that Court sittings and trials must be held in Public and must be accessible to the public.Indeed , access of a trial to the public is a sure safe guard to fairness and Justice.”
Ogbankwa noted that laws are made not to meet the needs of men , but to protect the rights of men, adding that the hallmark of a Democracy is the presence of freedom and the abeyance of the rule of men .
“We fight for social justice not for anything else , but to protect the rights of men , including officers and men of the SSS and the Court itself .
“The day we lose our essence as a body of Lawyers is the day we start to die .Lay men are now activists , while Lawyers are now victims of human rights abuses .
“Beyond the companionship of our friends , the gains of our acquiescence and the assurances of our continuous patronage , we owe a duty to the Society to fight for the poor and the oppressed.
“That is the reason we are called to the Nigerian Bar.So , Law is not a business , but a calling .Just like a priest , our loyalty is to the Law and not to men..So we worship in the temple of justice and not in the private alters of men.
“The comments being made by the Public about our seemingly docility in the face of brazen injustice and a rape on the Constitution, leaves much to be desired .
“The Brazen impunity exhibited by the SSS and Court itself, in denying some Lawyers and the some members of the general public access to the proceedings of the Court in the Nnamdi Kanu trial, is completely unacceptable and should not repeat itself. We are in a democratic space, as such our conduct as individuals and institutions, must conform to democratic norms and tenets,” the statement added.
