The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Chief Okoi Obono-Obla

  • Obla faults Reps over sack call, goes to court

     

    The Chairman Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono Obla has dismissed calls by the House of Representatives for his dismissal as a ploy to derail investigations into corrupt practices.

    Obla said recent attacks against him over an alleged forged WAEC certificate since he commenced investigations into the activities and finances of some senators and members of the House of Representatives were premeditated.

    He said: “The call by the House of Representatives on Mr. President to sack me for alleged certificate forgery is hogwash, balderdash and absolute rubbish!

    “It is a hatchet job by agents and merchants of corruption and graft that have looted the country for the past 19 years to intimidate, hound and harass me.

    “They are agents of looters that I have investigated. Is the house of representatives the police?” he queried in a statement in Lagos.

    On the allegation of certificate forgery, Obla stated that he graduated from the university over 30 years ago.

    “I left university 30 years ago. I graduated and went to law school. I left Law School in 1990 and was called to the Bar in June 1991.

    “The university screened me and awarded me a degree after deeming me worthy and after fulfilling the entry requirements.

    “I wrote JAMB and scored excellent grades in all the subjects I wrote.

    “It is a blackmail contrived by looters and their agents using the House of Representatives.”

    Obla has already filed a lawsuit against the House of Representatives over the matter.

    He is challenging the power of the House to conduct such an investigation, adding that the report is a hatchet job with a premeditated mission, illegal and unconstitutional.

    The call for his sack, according to him, is  a reaction to the information released by his panel forwarding the names of those under its investigation to the Nigeria Immigration Service.

    He said the information required the Service to implement the travel ban stipulated by the Executive Order No 6 of 2018 for those under trial and investigation for corruption and abuse of office.

    “I must be a genius to pass through University and Law School, practice law for more than two decades without a school certificate.

    “The whole issue is really laughable but it is sad the extent to which corruption can fight back,” he said.

     

  • Judiciary: Corruption, inefficiency killing system

    Judiciary: Corruption, inefficiency killing system

    The Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, said on Monday a case he filed at the Supreme Court 10 years ago is yet to be assigned a date for hearing due to corruption and inefficiency.

    He said lawyers and litigants “pay through their noses” to have cases assigned or court papers served.

    The judiciary, he said, was averse to reform and should learn from the Kenyan example where every stakeholder worked towards an efficient justice system.

    Obono-Obla, in a statement, said: “Why is the judicial system in Nigeria adverse to change? Look at Kenya and how it has reformed its own system!

    “See how effective and efficient the judiciary is in Kenya. See how audacious, bold, courageous and fearless judges in Kenya are.

    “See how an election petition was heard within dispatch just three weeks after it was filed.  See how lawyers work together with the bench to deliver a landmark judgment.

    “In Nigeria lawyers would devise all manners of legal maneuverings steeped in crass legal technicalities to frustrate justice. The judgment would be leaked several weeks before delivery,” he said.

    According to him, the appellate courts are chaotic and have refused to adopt technology despite increased funding.

    “Before I was given an appointment while in law practice, I have appeals I have filed in the Court of Appeal for the past six years but till now have not been heard. I also have several appeals I filed in the Supreme Court since 2007 till now no date have been given for hearing of these appeals.

    “To obtain a court ruling you must pay through your nose; to obtain a certified true copy of judgment you must pay through nose; to cause a court bailiff to serve a court process you must pay through your nose.

    “To get a case to be assigned after filing you must pay through your nose. Even in the Supreme Court to get an appeal to be assigned for hearing you must pay through your nose.

    “The registries in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court respectively are a study in chaos, disorderliness and confusion. They have refused to embrace Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to organize their registry in line with international best practices,” he said.

     

  • Corruption, inefficiency killing judiciary – Presidential aide

    Corruption, inefficiency killing judiciary – Presidential aide

    Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, on Monday said a case he filed at the Supreme Court 10 years ago is yet to be assigned a date for hearing due to corruption and inefficiency.

    He said lawyers and litigants “pay through their noses” to have cases assigned or court papers served.
    The judiciary, he said, was averse to reform and should learn from the Kenyan example where every stakeholder worked towards an efficient justice system.
    Obono-Obla, in a statement, said: “Why is the judicial system in Nigeria adverse to change? Look at Kenya and how it has reformed its own system!
    “See how effective and efficient the judiciary in Kenya! See how audacious, bold, courageous and fearless Judges in Kenya are!
    “See how an election petition was heard within dispatch just three weeks after it was filed!  See how lawyers work together with the bench to deliver a landmark judgment.
    “In Nigeria lawyers would devise all manners of legal manoeuvrings steeped in crass legal technicalities to frustrate justice! The judgment would be leaked several weeks before delivery,” he said!
    According to him, the appellate courts are chaotic and have refused to adopt technology despite increased funding.
    “Before I was given an appointment while in law practice, I have appeals I have filed in the Court of Appeal for the past six years but till now have not been heard! I also have several appeals I filed in the Supreme Court since 2007 till now no date have been given for hearing of these appeals!
     “To obtain a court ruling you must pay through your nose; to obtain a certified true copy of judgment you must pay through nose; to cause a court bailiff to serve a court process you must pay through your nose!
    “To get a case to be assigned after filing you must pay through your nose! Even in the Supreme Court to get an appeal to be assigned for hearing you must pay through your nose!
     “The registries in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court respectively are a study in chaos, disorderliness and confusion! They have refused to embrace Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to organize their registry in line with international best practices,” he said.
    Obono-Obla said judges hate progressive and forwarding lawyers who do not parley with them to institutionalise corruption.
    He said Kenyan Judiciary was notorious for corruption and underhand dealings but was reformed with the cooperation of all stakeholders.
    He said efforts to reform Nigerian judiciary have been frustrated by judges and lawyers.
    “The judicial system is just not working! Looking at how judges are frustrating trial of corrupt politicians despite the provisions of Administrations of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 (ACJA.) Section 396 (3) says matters must be heard day to day but Judges are not enforcing it.
    “This government increased the budgetary allocation of the judiciary for the first time in 50 years, yet no reciprocation on the part of judges to reform the system! They are not interested! Otherwise why would the judiciary allow it registry system to still remain the way it was one hundred years ago?
    “Why is it not possible to get a ruling or judgment as soon is delivered? Why can’t we use ICT in filing of court processes? Why are appeals delaying in the Court of Appeal? The Court of Appeal is just a court of review; no evidence is adduced at that stage, so what is responsible for the delay?” Obono-Obla said.
    He also faulted the process of judges’ appointment, saying it was not based on merit.
    “The appointment of judges is a lesson or study in corruption and nepotism! To be eligible to be appointed a judge you must be well connected; you must be a crony or lackey of a senior judicial officer or a relative or son or daughter of a senior judicial officer!
    “You must be seen to be a plaint or conformist or Yes man! You must be ready to hobnob or kowtow to influential senior lawyers!
    “No wonder the recent survey carried out by the UNODC and National Bureau on Statistics named the judiciary and the Police as the most corrupt public institutions in Nigeria,” he said.
  • FG not detaining Dasuki indefinitely

    FG not detaining Dasuki indefinitely

    Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecution, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla said Friday in Abuja that the Federal Government was not detaining Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) indefinitely.

    He dismissed as media propaganda suggestions that the Federal Government has refused to release Dasuki on bail.

    “I can assure you that nobody is detaining Dasuki indefinitely,Obono-Obla said.

    “There has been a lot of manipulation, media propaganda giving the impression that the Federal Government has refused to release him on bail.

    “It is not true; what happened was that he has several charges against him.

    “The first charge was unlawful possession of firearms which he was arrested and arraigned in the Federal High Court.

    “He was granted bail and he met the bail conditions, but before he was released, the SSS arrested him for an offence that is unrelated to that one of unlawful possession.”

    Speaking on the alleged detention of suspects without trial, Obono-Obla said detaining suspects for more than 48 hours without trial amounted to a breach of the provisions of the Constitution.

    “In civilised countries, people go to lawyers when they are arrested.Immediately they would tell you they want to talk to their lawyers.

    “Basically that is the law and that is the constitutional provision which is superior to any other law.”

    The Presidential aide said counsel to defendants are fond of resorting to  frivolous motions to delay trials because judges are  sometimes not firm.

    He added:“If you look at the Administration of Criminal Justice Act there is supposed to be collaborations between the Courts, the Law Enforcement Agencies and persons and authorities.

    “If you look at Section 1 (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015 to ensure that there is compliance of that law.

    “And what is the essence of that law, the essence of that law is to protect society from crime, to protect the rights and interests of defendants, suspects and society.

    “The lawyers take advantage of the fact that they are senior members of the bar and the judges are not firm on them, so they come out with all manner of excuses to get adjournment to prolong the matter.

    “So if the lawyers are alive to their responsibilities as ministers in the temple of justice then they cannot do that because the law is very clear even if it would adverse to your client’s interest.”

    Obono-Obla stated that the President is depending on the National Prosecution Coordinating Committee to improve the standard of prosecuting public officers that have looted the country’s treasury.