Nigerians Want Justice In Our Courts — J. S. Okutepa, SAN

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Jibrin Samuel Okutepa, has called for justice in courts in Nigeria. The learned silk expressed concern that there is delay in justice delivery in the country masterminded by some legal practitioners and courts.

Okutepa further gave instances of how cases are adjourned for years particularly in the Supreme Court of Nigeria and further stated that there is difficulty I getting hearing dates for non political cases.

He therefore called on the Bar and the Bench to do something about the issue. He said, “As we entered in 2022, Nigeria and Nigerians want justice and just justice in our courts in Nigeria.That, there is delay justice in most of our courts in Nigeria is no more news.

“That adjournments of cases take as long as two years or more in our courts, particularly in the Supreme Court, are facts too notorious to be debated.

“Indeed, in most cases, cases are intentionally delayed by some legal practitioners, and some courts. These are facts that people may not agree with, but are dangerous practices going on in our jurisdictions in Nigeria.
In most cases, getting hearing dates for causes and matters without political colouration is as excruciating and as difficult as carmel passing through the eyes of needle.

“As we entered 2022, the Bar and the Bench must do something about delayed justice in Nigeria. The executive and the legislature must do something about delayed justice in Nigeria.

Sometimes ago I said: In any society where people don’t get justice from the institutions that are created to give justice, there are always strives and insecurity. The legal profession is a profession that has the onerous responsibility to give justice to Nigerians and others within the territory of Nigeria. That is why section 6 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria created the judicature for adjudication.

“To attain these lofty goals of justice, the legal profession was established. The legal profession is made up of Bar and Bench. It is this profession that people look unto for justice. Many things seem to be wrong with the way we as members of the profession ditched out decisions or proffered opinions that don’t seem to take into account the need to do substantial justice. The other day, a colleague told me justice is relative. I feared at that statement.”

The learned silk described justice as what is fair and just with undiluted purity. He advocated for determination of cases without regard to technicalities

“Justice is what is fair and just with undiluted purity. Anything than that is unjust and can not be justice.

I am looking forward to the days when we as lawyers in Nigeria will decide to focus on attaining substantial justice than the current trends where the Bar and Bench have become jurisdictional experts without examining the merits of causes and matters in most cases.

“We throw away evidence on many technical grounds. We refused to see injustice even when injustice stared us on the face. We ignored facts and issues on the basis of many archaic and anachronistic terms that do not promote justice according to common sense and logic. In all of these , society breeds insecurity and injustice.

“We have become jurisdictional experts with technical victories to the prejudices of fairness and equity.

“While I agree that decisions are that jurisdiction is the blood and life whire of litigations and where courts lacked jurisdiction proceedings conducted thereby is a nullity, we need to be careful not to use this as instrument of injustice.Whether or not a court has jurisdiction is a matter of law and decisions of the judex.

“We must do all we can to see that cases are heard and determined on the merit rather that being thrown out at infancy as we see these days.

“When judgments are given we again as members of the legal profession are the ones at the forefront of frustrating the enforcement by resorting to many jurisdictional obstacles. I think the Bar and Bench must come together to fashion out how best we can attain good justice in Nigeria.

I think I still stand by this view. We need to change in 2022.” Okutepa, SAN said.