The Muslim Rights Concern group has announced its support for the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Nkanu Onnoghen.
President
Muhammadu Buhari suspended Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice
of Nigeria (CJN) earlier today and swore in Justice Muhammed Tanko as
the Acting CJN. This followed an exparte motion granted by the Code of
Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on Wednesday 23rd January, 2019.
Reacting
barely two hours after the suspension of the former CJN, the Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC) described the suspension as timely and necessary
in order to safeguard democracy. MURIC’s reaction was contained in a
terse statement issued and signed by the director of the human rights
organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Friday 25th January, 2019.
According
to MURIC, “The former CJN has lost the confidence of Nigerians. He has
seriously tarnished the image of the judiciary. No serious government
can retain such a character at the helm of its judicial system. Those
who sit on the bench must choose between being gold merchants or agents
of the bureau de change and being lords temporal.
“It is too
dangerous to approach a general election with a character like the
former CJN breathing down the neck of Nigerian judges. A man who is in
love with bales of foreign currencies and wads of naira cannot have the
courage to look away if tempted again. Onnoghen can only benefit corrupt
candidates, opposition parties who have benefited and are still
benefiting most from corruption as well as unscrupulous litigants who
are hoping to get crooked court decisions.
“We therefore give his
suspension full backing and unreserved support. Mr. President has acted
in the interest of Nigeria and to preserve the good name of the
judiciary. Whoever thinks otherwise should have a good explanation of
where those strange lodgements into Onnoghen’s accounts came from. The
fate of the former CJN should serve as a lesson for Nigerian judges. The
judiciary must be fully integrated into the war against corruption if
this country is going to be rid of corruption”.”
Source:- Politicsngr
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