Chief Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has praised the National Judicial Council (NJC) for reinstating Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia as a Federal High Court judge.
The NJC deserves praise for the “uncommon act of observation of due process and the rule of law,” according to a statement by Ozekhome
The Akpakpa vigi vigi of Edo Land chastised an NGO, Access to Justice-A2J, for criticizing the NJC’s decision to reinstate Justice Ajumogobia, noting that since the judge had been tried and found not guilty by courts of law, the NJC had done the proper thing by doing so.
Ozekhome stated: “My humble take on this is that instead of the NJC apologiSing for doing the right thing and obeying valid court orders as A2J appears to suggest, it is the organization that ought to apologise to both the NJC and Justice Ajumogobia, for allowing itself to buy into frenzied ‘mob’ sentiments.
“Justice Ajumogobia has been tried in courts of law, discharged and given a clean bill of health. She has had her day in court. She has been vindicated. Whoever is aggrieved by her well-deserved exoneration and reinstatement should give her – and the NJC – a total break; and move on” Ozekhome noted.
Justice Ajumogobia was suspended by the NJC following allegations of corruption leveled against her by the EFCC and her arraignment at the Lagos State High Court on a 30-count charge filed by the anti-graft agency.
The trial court however discharged Justice Ajumogobia.
Dissatisfied with the decision of the trial court, the EFCC re-arraigned her before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, who in a ruling delivered on the 19th day of November, 2021, quashed all the 18 counts charges against her.