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Tag: Lawyers

  • Why kidnapping persists – Lawyers

    Why kidnapping persists – Lawyers

    Some lawyers in Lagos say the rate of unemployment, bad morals and inadequate security contribute significantly to the recurrent cases of kidnapping experienced in the country.

    The legal practitioners spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

    “There is no particular region today in the country that is free from kidnapping.

    “The economic reality today is that people are losing their jobs and a lot of people are not even employed.

    “The high level of unemployment should give the government serious concern, because if you are idle, you become the devil’s workshop,’’ Mr Monday Ubani, one of the lawyers, said.

    He said that unemployed youth could easily be recruited to carry out nefarious activities that were detrimental to the development of the country.

    “The government should ensure adequate employment is created to reduce the issue of kidnappers in the country.

    “The government should also ensure that the country is well policed with necessary equipment,” Ubani told NAN.

    The lawyer, who gave tips on how to avoid being kidnapped, said people needed to be more security conscious of their environment.

    “Watch the people you live with in your neighborhood and mind the kind of information you give out to people, because the information could be detrimental to your safety.“Also, watch how you boast. Know your relations well, because successful kidnapping cannot be complete without an insider,” he said.

    Another lawyer, Mr Kayode Ademiluyi, identified bad morals as part of the factors contributing to the rising cases of kidnapping.

    “Apart from the economy that is not too good, when children are not brought up with good values, they tend to join bad gangs,” he said.

    Ademiluyi called on the government to increase the level of security in the country and urged individuals to be security conscious and alert.

    Also speaking on the issue, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa urged the government to engage the youth and adopt the use of technology to stem the tide of kidnapping in the country.

    Mr Kayode Akinsola, another lawyer, urged the police to be more proactive and enjoined everyone to continue to pray for the country’s economy to be back in good shape.

    He, however, commended the government for its efforts at fighting kidnapping in the country.

    NAN reports that several states, in the face of increased cases of kidnapping, have enacted laws with stiff penalties for kidnappers.

    Lagos, one of the latest to do so, imposes penalties that include death for offenders, where a victim dies in the hands of his abductors, and life imprisonment for kidnapping for ransom.

  • Lawyers demand more courts in Ondo

    Lawyers in Ondo State are demanding for more court buildings across the state in the interest of justice. The Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association [NBA], Okitipupa local government branch, Mr. Anthony Oyibo has appealed to the state Governor-elect, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) to construct more court complexes in the state.

    The NBA Chairman said there are some judicial divisions in the state like Ore, Oka and Ifon, that lack these facilities. According to him, the provision of more court buildings will help the judiciary in the speedy dispensation of justice across the state. Oyinbo spoke at the 2016 NBA Okitipupa law dinner award programme, at the weekend.

    The outgoing Chief Judge of the State, Justice Sehinde Kumuyi, the Olugbo of Ugbo land, Oba Fredrick Akinruntan and the Abodi of Ikale Land, Oba Gabriel Faduyile, were honoured the event which also featured a  lecture titled; The courts, challenges of good governance and corruption, delivered by the Dean of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University [OAU], Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof. Ademola Popoola.

    “The area I think the incoming regime must work on is to provide more befitting court complexes. There are some judicial divisions that, up till now, do not have court complexes.  For instance, Ore sits at Ondo West local government, Oka-Akoko is sitting at NRC office in that community and Ifon in Ose local government also sits at the town hall of that community,” Oyinbo said.

  • Lawyers to Jonathan: your regime clamped down on rights

    Lawyers to Jonathan: your regime clamped down on rights

    The National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADL) has debunked claims made by former President Goodluck Jonathan that his administration did not detain journalists or clamp down on people’s rights.

    In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its President, Mr. Luke Aghanenu, the group accused the former president of being economical with the truth and insisted that many journalists and Nigerians were detained during his regime.

    The group, which claimed to have defended many journalists and other victims of human rights abuse under Jonathan, noted that the statement credited to him “is deliberately designed to distort our recent history”.

    The group contended: “In case ex-President Jonathan has forgotten so quickly, we are compelled to remind him that many journalists and media houses were subjected to attacks in a desperate bid to silence the Nigerian people.

    “Specifically, editors of The Nation and Leadership newspapers were arrested for allegedly forging the signatures of former President Obasanjo and President Jonathan respectively.”

    It added that the charge of forgery filed against editors of Leadership newspaper was prosecuted by external firms of lawyers until it was withdrawn by the Attorney-General of the Federation and dismissed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court.

    The NADL recalled that some foreign governments and international human right bodies condemned the abuse of human rights in the country from 2010 to 2015, emphasizing, “it was because President Jonathan failed to stop the reckless violations of human rights of the people that the Barrack Obama administration decided to ban Nigeria from buying war planes and military hardware from United States,” the lawyers said.

    The group noted that several vehicles and thousands of copies of several newspapers belonging to media houses were seized by the Nigerian Army in many parts of the country in April 2014 on the ground that they had published stories which were considered embarrassing to the prosecution of the war on terror by the former President Jonathan’s administration.

    It said the compensation paid to the affected media houses for the illegal seizures of copies of their newspapers were later recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after it was discovered that the fund was part of the money criminally diverted from the arms procurement fund by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) under Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.).

    NADL added that under the pretext of prosecuting the terror war, the administration of the former president engaged in systemic violations of human rights of innocent people, including children in the Northeast.

    “The members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) organization, who were demanding for the release of the abducted Chibok girls were physically attacked by hired thugs at Abuja. And when the organisation defied the attacks, the Jonathan regime proceeded to ban all rallies and public meetings in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The BBOG successfully challenged the ban on public protest at the FCT high court,” the group said.

    It noted that many radical staff and students of tertiary institutions were dismissed for expressing divergent opinions while  the Nigeria Governors Forum and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) were factionalised by his administration to pave way for their manipulation.

    It noted that during electioneering campaign for the governorship election in Ekiti State in 2014, three governors were prevented from participating in a political rally of their party in Ado-Ekiti, adding that while armed soldiers were used to manipulate the electoral process, many operative of the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) wore masks to hide their identities while terrorising voters.

    Conceding that the former president’s administration signed the Freedom of Information Bill into law, it said his administration refused to accede to requests for the supply of information made under the law.

    “For instance, when President Jonathan was requested to direct the Code of Conduct Bureau to make his asset declaration form available to the public, he refused and said he did not give any dam about asset declaration,” the group added.

  • Senior lawyers hail NJC’s decision on judges under probe

    Senior lawyers hail NJC’s decision on judges under probe

    The National Judicial Council’s (NJC) decision that judges under probe should step down has received commendation from some senior lawyer, who said it was the right step to take at the moment.

    Ahmed Raji (SAN), Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), Beluolisa Nwofor (SAN) and law teacher Wahab Shittu said the decision by the NJC would further strengthen public confidence in the judicial process and save the affected judges from unnecessary embarrassment.

    Raji said: “There is nothing wrong with that. I think it is to infuse public confidence in the judicial system. That they have been asked to step down did not mean they have been sacked or suspended.

    “What the NJC said is: ‘don’t sit.’ That is not suspension. And it did not mean that they have been sacked. It is a normal procedure in civil service. It is called interdiction.”

    Adedipe said: “Ideally, because the judiciary occupies a peculiar position in our society, there is a higher expectation of morality on its part.

    “So, if any judge, for whatever reason, is or even tangentially, accused of a conduct that is incompatible with his status as a judge, I think he should stay aside and have the matter investigated and concluded before starting to sit.

    “I believe that decision by the NJC is a correct decision. My view is that our society is in this problem because we have not been applying the right sanctions as at when due.

    “If a judge is accused of bribery or what have you, I think the proper thing for him to do is to recuse himself pending the resolution of the case. It does not mean that he has been found guilty, but you are setting a standard for the society.”

    Nwofor said: “To me the decision of the NJC on the issue is a right one. Never mind that the Senate President and some other politicians, who are accused of one offence or the other, have refused to step aside.

    “The Judiciary should show good example. It should be ahead of the other two arms in showing the proper way things should be done.”

    Shittu said the NJC’s directive would engender integrity, confidence in the judiciary and adjudicating processes.

    He said the decision of the council should, however, not be misconstrued that it was trying to protect the judges.

    He said: “The NJC’s decision has nothing to do with the presumption of innocence of the indicted judges in respect of their investigation and trials.

    “It is a correct decision to take in the circumstances because justice is rooted in public confidence. I don’t think it would be healthy for litigants to appear before justice who are under investigation.”

    Shittu added: “What the NJC has decided should not be interpreted as  amounting to suspending the judges, but it should be seen in the light of suspending the sittings of the judges because their remunerations and other prerequisites will still be  paid.

    “But what is suspended is not the person of the judges, but the sittings and other judicial functions, while they still retain their salaries and other entitlements.”

    The law lecturer advised that it was important and useful to maintain an open mind in respect of what was unfolding.

    “I think it would be prejudicial to rush into hasty conclusions about the guilt or innocence of the affected judges. What we should insist upon is that they should be treated fairly in line with the rules until we get to the root of this matter.

    “The trial process should be speedily and what the government itself is doing should not be misunderstood in the light of the fact that government is fighting corruption and not fighting the judiciary. Since corruption itself belongs to all human strata of the society, an attack on any institution should not be seen as a direct attack on that institution.

    “The judiciary will always remain and the principles that the judiciary subscribe to in term of fairness, impartiality, independence and all the fine attributes of the judiciary will remain. Those who are likely to collapse are those who are found wanting in the discharge of their functions. The judiciary can never be rubbished.”

     

  • Jonathan to lawyers: support democratic governance

    Jonathan to lawyers: support democratic governance

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has implored Nigerians to continue to support democratic governance.

    Speaking at the weekend in the United States at the Nigerian Lawyers Association’s annual dinner and merit awards ceremony in New York, he said: “I urge the Nigerian lawyers in the US and those in the Diaspora to do their best to support the democratic institutions we have built

    The speech, posted on his Twitter page, quoted Jonathan as listing his administration’s democratic credentials.

    “Under my watch not a single Nigerian was sent to prison because of anything they wrote or said about me or the administration that I headed. Nigeria had neither political prisoners nor political exile under my administration.

    “Diversity could remain a strength only when all interest groups in the society feel safe and secure,” Mr. Jonathan said while speaking on the theme ‘Diversity As Our Bridge to Tomorrow.

    “Most of my principal aides in government hailed from different ethnic nationalities,” Mr. Jonathan said. “We never placed ethno-religious interests above merits or individual values when making decisions.

    “Nigeria is for all Nigerians. We must resist the push of ego that may make us want to pursue a regional or narrow agenda.

    “We enacted the Freedom of Information Act and by that we tore the veil of secrecy covering governance.

    “We gave institutions unlimited freedom and ensured that the NBA, other professional institutions were devoid of any governmental influence.

    “We ensured that appointments to INEC were not based on personal relationships,” he said.

  • DSS has no power to try judges, say lawyers

    The Department of State Services (DSS) has no power to try suspected corrpt judges, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Sylva Ogwemoh, has said.

    He advised the DSS to allow the rule of law to prevail and avoid setting a dangerous precedent.

    “The Constitution is very clear on the institution that has the mandate to exercise disciplinary control over serving judicial officers. That institution is the National Judicial Council (NJC). The DSS should allow the Rule of Law to prevail and not set a dangerous precedent by its actions,” he said

    The learned silk, however, emphasised that his position on the matter did not mean that corrupt judges should be shielded from prosecution.

    He cited the case of Justice Auta of the Kano State High Court, saying: “The NJC did the right thing by recommending him to the Governor of Kano State for dismissal and at the same time requesting the Police to prosecute him after allegations of corruption and criminal infractions against him were investigated and found to be true.

    “Let us tread cautiously and not sacrifice the rule of law on the altar of fighting corruption.’’

    Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emeka Nwadioke urged the DSS to face its constitutional and statutory duties  and core mandate of  guaranteeing internal security.

    He said: “It is not its duty to conduct police investigations or arraign and prosecute cases of corruption. It is not its responsibility to conduct sting operations on judges for corruption or professional misconduct in the middle of the night.”

    Nwadioke argued that there are clear disciplinary procedures in the Constitution to deal with judicial officers who abuse their office through corrupt enrichment and sundry misfeasance. ‘’It needs no emphasis that the NSA Act cannot override the grundnorm, to wit the Constitution,’’ he said.

    He said: “Part I of the Third Schedule to the Constitution provides that the Federal Judicial Service Commission shall (13)(b) “recommend to the National Judicial Council, the removal from office of the judicial officers specified in subparagraph (a) of this paragraph.”

    He contended that the allegations made by the DSS against the judges fall within “judicial misconduct or misbehaviour”, which the NJC could handle, especially in light of Rule 3(F)(1) of the Code.

    He said it was only after they had been adjudged guilty and sanctioned by the NJC that the appropriate agency might step in to deal with those found culpable.

  • Senior lawyers fault NBA on fate of arrested judges

    Senior lawyers fault NBA on fate of arrested judges

    Some senior lawyers have disagreed with the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) that the judges arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) should proceed on compulsory suspension.

    NBA President Abubakar Mahmud (SAN), at a function in Abuja on Thursday, called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to act fast to save the ebbing reputation of the judiciary in the eye of the public.

    He suggested the suspension of the arrested judges pending establishment of their innocence.

    But NJC, in a statement on Friday, argued that the NBA was wrong in calling for the judges’ suspension, having earlier supported the council’s decision to condemn the arrest, which it described as an attempt to cow the judiciary.

    The NJC said, in the statement by its Acting Director of Information, Soji Oye, that it could only exercise disciplinary powers over judicial officers, where due process was complied with.

    Senior lawyers, including Professor Yemi Akiseye-George (SAN), Selekeowei Larry (SAN) and Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) agreed with the NJC. Norrison Quakers (SAN) agreed with the NBA.

    Akinseye-George said: “The allegation against the judges must be proved. You cannot just accept the words of the investigators, particularly that they have reasons to be unhappy with the judges.

    “For example, DSS has a case before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba (of the Federal High Court, Abuja, whose house, the DSS said, was mistakenly invaded by its men).

    “They have made allegations against Justice Dimgba, but which are not proved. So, would you now ask them to stop sitting simply because some people have made allegations against them? No!

    “A process must be put in place by the NJC to investigate those allegations. An independent committee must be set up by NJC to sit publicly (not secret committee) and investigate the allegations, in the full glare of the media, so that it will be obvious to Nigerians whether the DSS people were abusing their powers or attempting to intimidate the judiciary.

    “Some of the affected judges have written to the CJN, stating their sides of the story. So, it is an embarrassment for the NBA to say that the judges should stop sitting simply because allegations were made against them.”

    Larry said: “I don’t know where they (NBA) got that idea from. It is a wrong one.

    “There is no authority that can do that. Nobody can just wake up in the morning and say I have suspended a judge.

    “The procedure for appointing and disciplining judicial officers is contained in the Constitution. For the NBA, I think that was just an oversight. It was not a well thought-out position.

    Kehinde said: “The position of the NBA is grossly untenable. Because, it means that whenever you are presiding over a matter as a judge and any security agency that is not happy with the way you are handling it, the next thing is that they will arrange to put some money in your house and get television cameras to film it and claim that you have taken money. And as a consequence, you will have no choice, but to step aside.

    “This is a dangerous precedent that we want to set. I repeat, this is a very, very dangerous precedent. Why has NBA not advised all its members, who have been accused in the Harliburton fraud to step aside from practising? Why is the NBA president himself, whose election is being challenged, did not step aside until the matter is decided by the court?”

    Quakers said: “If the Bar has now informed the NJC, as the body responsible for the appointment and discipline of judges to suspend the judges, I think, as joint stakeholder in the administration of justice, the wise thing to do is for those judges to step aside.

    “How would you explain that a justice of the Supreme Court is being arraigned in a court for a criminal trial, and that same judge will now go back to his regular court to sit?

    “Where things are done properly, in such a situation, whoever is concerned, should step aside for the time being until the issue is determined.

    “Will a litigant have respect for a High Court judge, who is arraigned in court for criminal culpability or criminal trial? Even, for the psyche of the judge, it is not good.

    “For me, I believe that, yes the Constitution provides that everyone, who is charged with criminal culpability is innocent until proved guilty.

    “Mind you, if you are being investigated, part of the requirements, when you are

  • Lawyers: DSS can arraign judges not suspended by NJC

    Lawyers: DSS can arraign judges not suspended by NJC

    There is no law stopping the Department of State Sevices (DSS) from arraigning judges, who have not been suspended by the National Judicial Council (NJC), lawyers said yesterday.

    They stated that the NJC’s disciplinary process was neither superior to, nor the same as arraignment of a judicial officer by a law enforcement agency.

    The lawyers included Chief Ganiyu Adetola-Kaseem (SAN); former chairman, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch Yinka Farounbi; member, Ogun State Judiciary Service Commission Abayomi Omoyinmi; former welfare officer NBA Ikeja Branch Samson Omodara and Lagos lawyer Ugochukwu Ukamba.

    They argued that notwithstanding presumption of innocence in the judges’ favour, they could not rely on the NJC’s refusal to suspend them to avoid prosecution by a law enforcement agency.

    But Dr. Paul Ananaba (SAN) mulled over the practicability of arraigning sitting judicial officers in courts where the judges are supervised by the NJC.

    The NJC at its meeting in Abuja last week insisted that the DSS must follow due process in its handling of allegations against the judges.

    Of the nine judges, six are not the subject of any disciplinary procedures at the NJC while three had been recommended for suspension by the NJC for misconduct.

    The two Supreme Court Justices – Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro – who were among those arrested and amitted to administrative bail by the DSS, have gone back to their duty posts.

    Those under investigation, besides the duo, are the suspended Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, Justice Mohammed Ladan Tsamiya; Justice Adeniyi Ademola (Federal High Court); suspended Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice I. A. Umezulike; suspended Justice Kabiru Auta of Kano State High Court; Justice Muazu Pindiga (Gombe State High Court); Justice Bashir Sukola and Justice Ladan Manir of the Kaduna State High Court.

    Adetola-Kaseem said the initiation of a disciplinary process by or before an employer or a supervisory authority and arraignment before a court for a criminal complaint  ”are two  distinct processes”.

    He added: “Therefore, the latter can be go on before disciplinary process is initiated.  Once  a suspect has  been  successfully  arraigned, depending on  the  nature  of the offence  allegedly  committed, disciplinary  process  can  be  commenced  against him, at least  for  the  purpose  of  placing  him  on  interdiction  or suspension pending  the  determination  of  the  criminal  charge  against  him.

    “This is the  principle in the public service which I believe also applies to judicial service.

    “Applying  this principle  to the  case  of  the  judges, I believe that if they have sufficient materials upon which to ground a charge or charges, the  DSS, through appropriate  prosecution  agency, can arraign  any  of the  judges even before any  disciplinary  process  is commenced  against such  a judge or  judges.”

    Ananaba said he “completely” agreed that corruption must be fought and that “any judge that is corrupt must not be allowed to sit” and should face disciplinary proceedings but that the DSS should follow due process.

    “I believe that the DSS will read the NJC’s response and comply with it. I believe the DSS has a legal department which, along with the Office of the Attorney-General, will weigh into this matter and ensure that it follows the NJC’s response.

    “The NJC’s creation and powers are constitutional and not by an Act of Parliament, so it takes eminence over any agency, in this instance.

    ”Which courts are you going to arraign them? Are they not courts where the judges are supervised by the NJC?”

    Farounbi said the planned trial of the judges had become a matter of public interest and “it is therefore a welcome development that they are going to be formally charged.”

    ”The implication of this is that it will enable the DSS convince the public that its act is patriotic and afford the justices and judges to prove their presumed innocence”, he stated.

    Omoyinmi found nothing wrong in the planned arraignment.

    He said: “The arraignment of anyone accused of corruption is a normal procedure in our criminal litigation regardless of status attributed to such individuals.”

    “No one is above the law; the DSS can arraign the judges that allegations of corruption have been alleged against. There is no law or rules of practice that suggest that the judges must first be suspended before they can be tried.”

    Omodara, who “did not totally agree with the modus operandi of the DSS,” stated that although it was unusual, judges will not be immune from prosecution if evidence of corruption against them is found.

    “Though unconventional in the history of the legal profession to see judges arraigned particularly as it relates to corruption, they are not immune to such if actually there is prima facie evidence against such judges.

     

  • Protesters seek support for prosecution of judges

    Protesters seek support for prosecution of judges

    Hundreds of protesters Thursday stormed the Abuja headquarters of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), expressing support for the arrest of some judges by the Department of State Services (DSS).

    The protesters, under the aegis of Nigerians United Against Corruption‎ (NUAC) urged the NBA to withdraw its support for the arrested judges.

    They equally asked the umbrella body of lawyers in the not to support corruption in any form.

    The protesters were armed with placard, with various inscriptions, such as “a corrupt judge is worse than boko Haram; corruption must die in Nigeria; we support more arrest of corrupt Nigerians among others”.

    Comrade Ogenyi Okpokwu, who led the protesters, handed a letter meant for the National President of the NBA, Abubakar Mahmoud (NBA) to his representative, Ezekiel David.

    The protesters urged the NBA to set up an independent body to investigate issues of corruption in the profession, with a view to excluding the bad eggs among them.

    In its letter, NUAC demanded as follows:

    • That the NBA withdraws all form of support and sympathy for these corrupt elements which have most certainly tainted the image of one of the world’s most dignified professions.
    • That you set up an independent body to investigate issues of corruption amongst members with the aim of excommunicating same, as deterrent to others who may have been enticed by the flamboyant life styles of these judases.
    • All the judges so far indicted or arrested for corruption, should immediately resign considering the magnitude of the case that the DSS has built against them.
    • The cases of those that have been given lenient punishments, that amount to a slap on the wrist by the National Judicial Council (NJC), should be revisited with a view to dragging them before a law court.
    • The arrested judges should be charged to court within the shortest time possible to that they cannot claim their rights were violated”.

     

  • NBA to Magu: lawyers are not rogues

    NBA to Magu: lawyers are not rogues

    THE Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has faulted a statement credited to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, describing lawyers as rogues.

    The NBA, in a statement yesterday by its General Secretary, Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, demanded a retraction from Magu.

    Olagunju  accused Magu of sounding uncivilised by referring to lawyers, who are performing their professional and constitutional roles, as “rogues” and “vultures”.

    He advised the EFCC to get its facts correctly before reaching conclusions and making comments.

    “The inaugural address of the NBA president was a statement of nearly 30 pages, which set out the vision and direction of his programmes for the Nigerian legal profession.

    “He committed himself to leading a brave new Bar fully aligned with the aspirations of Nigerians in their quest for national development, which can only be anchored on the rule of law built on strong institutions.

    “In the paragraph of the statement dealing with corruption, the NBA president restated the commitment of the NBA in the fight against corruption.

    “He commended the modest achievement of the EFCC, but called for the reform of the agency to enhance its capability to deliver on its mandate on a consistent and sustainable basis devoid of political interference and on the basis of well-established institutional safeguard that demands proper regulation of the wide discretionary power involved in the investigation and prosecution of criminal matters.

    “The NBA condemns in the strongest term the use of abusive and uncivil language of ‘rogues and vultures ‘ and such structures by the public authority. Name calling and abusive language are not expected of any public institution. They are unacceptable. The NBA demands unequivocal withdrawal of these statements and unreserved apology from the EFCC,” Olagunju said.

    Magu was quoted as saying the body of lawyers was populated by rogues and vultures, in reaction to a suggestion by the NBA president, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), that EFCC be restructured.

    The EFCC chair, who spoke through the commission’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said the call by Mahmoud was self-serving.