By Matthew Don
Emmanuel Ogebe, a Nigerian lawyer and social crusader based in the United States of America has knocked Governor Atiku Bagudu for deliberately humiliating a former Acting Chief Judge of the state, Elizabeth Karatu which recently trended in video that went viral on social media.
Also calling out the governor is former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode who said the act was a shame on Bagudu.
Ogebe, of the United States Nigeria Law Group USA said there was a correlation between what Bagudu did and the recent ruling of the Suopreme Court that favoured the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Gboyeha Oyetola against his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
Ogebe wrote: “We are in a receipt of a video depicting the prevention of beleaguered Kebbi High Court Judge Justice Elizabeth Karatu from giving judgment in cases before her.
“The shocking incident comes a day after the Supreme Court in an ignominious decision, invalidated an election tribunal’s verdict, in effect nullifying the entire democratic votes of Osun state gubernatorial elections, on the dubious argument that one judge was absent from the trial.
“It is believed that possibly to avert such a travesty and miscarriage of justice, Justice Elizabeth Karatu, who was recently denied confirmation as Chief Judge of Kebbi State, came to deliver all her remaining judgments before her retirement.
“Sources we spoke to indicate that in addition to discrimination on the basis of religion, there were efforts by powerful political forces to force her to pervert justice in cases.
“From the video you can see Justice Elizabeth Karatu being prevented by a Civil Defense staff from entering the court. Her police orderly can be seen trying to reason with the civil defense agent who stuck to his guns.
“This latest development is the continuation of the rape and destruction of the judiciary under the Buhari administration. If the terrible precedent created by the Supreme Court on Friday in the Osun case is followed, poor litigants whose cases have dragged on for years will lose their rights simply because the judge was denied the opportunity to read her judgment before her retirement.”
For Fani Kayode, he said the Governor Bagudu should bury his head in shame over the incident.
He said: “Can you believe this? Shame on the Governor of Kebbi state! You refuse to confirm her as Chief Judge simply because she is a Christian and now you prevent her from delivering her judgement and humiliate her like this?The God of the Christians will judge you and repay you.”
Also, another rights activist, Deji Adeyanju said the treatment given to the judge was a sore point to Nigeria.
“This country is too sad and depressing. The governor refused to confirm her as Chief Judge of Kebbi because she is Christian then they humiliated her on her last day and stopped her from delivering a judgement,” Adeyanju said.
Bagudu was believed to have treated Karatu poorly because of her faith as a Christian.
The governor even refused to confirm her appointment when she was the most senior judicial officer in the state and next in rank to the retired Chief Judge.
A video at the weekend saw the woman being barred from the court room to deliver judgement in some cases even when she was not on retirement yet.
In the three minutes 34 seconds video, which was shot from a mobile phone, the judge is heard lamenting, “I am the most senior judge in this court and I am here deliver my judgement.”
But the NSCDC personnel blocked her from gaining access into the court.
Karatu’s police orderly was heard exchanging words with the Civil Defence personnel, saying, “Listen to me, you don’t have the right to talk to her…you can only talk to her through me.
“For now, she has not left this job. Today is the last day for her, and based on ethics, today is the last day that she is going to serve,” he said.
The NSCDC personnel was still adamant, and claimed that he was acting on the directive given to him by the management.