Justice John Tsoho, Chief Judge (CJ) of the Federal High Court (FHC), says the process for appointment of judges to the court, under his watch, will prioritise competence and merit.
Justice Tsoho stated this on Thursday during a valedictory court session in honour of Justice Ibrahim Buba (rtd.) in Abuja.
The CJ, who described Justice Buba as one of the finest and highly cerebral judges the court has produced, said: “It is hence my thinking and desire that his calibre of judges should be replaced with equally qualified and brilliant minds.
”Buba’s intellectual ability with broad and sound knowledge made him admirable to many.
“The valedictorian has successfully navigated the Bench unblemished.
“He is an accomplished and erudite judge cum lecturer.
“He is amiable and meek and relates well with serving and retired judges,” he said
Yakubu Maikyau, President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said Buba was a courageous and fearless judge.
“He is not only a judge but a teacher and he is one of the high-profile jurists in criminal law,” he said.
Maikyau, who said Buba’s contribution to the justice system would continue to be remembered, said the NBA was concerned about judges’ welfare.
Representative of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN), Rafiu Lawal-Rabana, SAN, described Buba as a brilliant judicial officer.
“We can see this in his various judgments and this makes him unique and outstanding,” he said.
Lawal-Rabana, who urged fellow judges to emulate Buba, said where public officers treated court orders with contempt, judges should be courageous to commit such officer to prison.
“This will bring sanity to this country,” he said.
He also said that where frivolous cases are brought before them, judges should be assertive in their rulings without disregard to rule of law.
“The survival of our democracy rests squarely with the judiciary and we urge you to always demonstrate courage and fairness in discharging this responsibility,” he said.
Buba, who was happy for his successful retirement, called on the judges to be committed to justice delivery.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Buba, who retired from the Bench of the FHC and federal judiciary on Jan. 1 upon attainment of 65 years statutory retirement age, was born on Jan. 1, 1958.
He took his oath of office as a judge on Jan. 7, 2004 and hails from Njawai on the Mambilla Plateau, Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba.
