Nigerians Lost Hope In Judiciary When CBN Got Court Order To Freeze #EndSARS Promoters’ Accounts – NBA President

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata, on Tuesday said that Nigerians were losing hope in the judiciary following the granting of a court order to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to freeze the accounts of some persons and organization believed to be associated with the EndSARS protest.

Akpata made this known in Abuja during the Special Court Session to mark the commencement of the Federal High Court Legal Year 2020/2021, which is headed by Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, Chief Judge of Federal High Court of Nigeria.

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Recall that the CBN had stated that it froze the accounts of those it suspected to engaged in suspicious transactions.

But the NBA president stressed that courts’ verdict in matters affecting people (like EndSARS) can influence society’s perception.

“My Lords, as I conclude this address, I must remind us of the dwindling hopes of the common man in the judiciary. Following the #EndSARS protests, this Honorable Court was involved in the press, in a rather uncomplimentary manner on account of the freezing of the bank accounts of individuals and organizations believed to have bankrolled the process.

“Whilst that matter remains sub-judice, it has once again put in the front burner the lingering distrust of the masses in the justice process. While your Lordship are bound by the text of the law, judicial activism put your Lordships in good stead to shift the frontiers of the law, particularly where they appear draconian…,” he said.

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He also advised judges to adopt technological innovations in handling proceedings.

“It is rather worrisome that Your Lordships continue to take down Court proceedings in long hand due to absence of the requisite technological devices to aid that process,” he said.

In his welcome address, Justice Tsoho said that “the covid-19 pandemic has taught us not to take for granted the necessity of employing legal technology to achieve access to justice.”

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