The National Treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association Mercy Ijato Agada, has disassociated herself from the alleged statements purportedly credited to her by a senior member of the Bar, Supo Ojo.
Mercy queried why Supo should involve her in a matter that had nothing to do with her.
This was contained in her statement on Friday, made available to The Lawyer.
She said, “It has come to my notice that there is an article written by one Mr. Olasupo Ojo of the NBA Ikeja branch dated the 4th day of August, 2022, where he claims that I, Mrs. Mercy Ijato Agada, the National Treasurer of the NBA, purportedly exposed a plan to hijack and destroy the legal profession in Nigeria, to stoke “rebellion among the Body of BENCHER” and to employ the NBA in “scattering the table”. In the said publication, the said Olasupo Ojo further alleges that in this publication, I threatened that “NBA AGC will witness daily protest”.
“The entire publication by Mr. Ojo would have been totally ignored but for the fact that it is imperative that I set the record straight!”
She further refuted all the allegations against her by saying that she was not aware of, neither was she part of any plan to hijack and destroy the legal profession in Nigeria, to stoke “rebellion among the Body of BENCHERS” or to employ the NBA in “scattering the table”, (whatever that means)!
“I never issued any such statement attributed to me and one wonders why a senior member of the Bar whom I have never met or remember ever speaking to, will condescend to issuing blatant falsehood against my person!
“If Mr. Olasupo Ojo had only bothered to get his facts right, he would have realised that the statement he has attributed to me is not mine but part of a publication of the online blog ” Kubwa Express” published on the 27th of July, 2022 with the title: ” *GROUP CALLS ON OLANIPEKUN SAN TO EMULATE THE CJN AND RESIGN IMMEDIATELY AS CHAIRMAN, BODY OF BENCHERS”.
“The said article by the blog can be found here: https://kubwaexpress.com/2022/06/27/group-calls-on-olanipekun-san-to-emulate-the-cjn-and-resign-immediately-as-chairman-body-of-benchers/
“This publication of the 27th of July, 2022, was circulated on several legal whatsapp groups by the author himself, Mr. Felix Ashimole and several lawyers read it! A cursory reading of the said article (a screenshot which I have reproduced below), will reveal that I am not the author, neither have I ever laid claim to writing same. It is therefore shocking that a man I have never met will condescend to this level to tell outright lies about my person!
“As the author of the said article displayed his name very boldly on his article and distributed it himself, one wonders why Mr. Ojo has refused to respond to the author directly, but instead has chosen to make me the butt of his vituperation!
“I use this medium to express my deep displeasure at this attempt to drag me into the author’s personal wars, Moreso as Mr. Ojo is a senior member of the Bar! Mr. Ojo is respectfully enjoined to refrain from further assault on my person.”
