Police send out CJN Onnoghen’s office staff

*CCT adjourns case indefinitely

Andrew Orolua, Abuja

Some Supreme Court administrative staff working at the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen were on Monday barred from entering their offices. Probably in attempt to eliminate the possibility of Onnoghen accessing his office after his purported suspension, last Friday, by President Muhammadu Buhari some policemen barred the staff as early as 7 am on Monday. Onnoghen spokesman Awassan Bassey who later confirmed the incident, however said that the staff were later briefed and asked to return to their office. Our correspondent who visited the CJN Onnoghen office observed that the entrance and offices attached to CJN main office was not seal. Justice Onnoghen was however not in office in compliance with Code of Conduct Tribunal order. Meanwhile, at the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal Danladi Umar and the second member, Mrs Juli Anabor who issued the ex- parte sat, while the First member of the panel, Williams Atadze, was absent. Atadze had given a dissenting ruling on January 22 holding that the tribunal ought to obey the orders of the Federal High Court, FCT High Court and the National Industrial Court on grounds that a valid order of court must be obeyed until it was set aside. When the matter was called, counsel to the Federal government, Musa Ibrahim, drew the tribunal’s attention to the appellate court order and applied for adjournment pending the ruling of the Court of Appeal slated for January 30. Defence counsel led by Chief Kanu Agabi SAN, however did not oppose the request for adjournment but, however complained bitterly of the challenges faced by defence in obtaining the records of the tribunal. Another defence lawyer, Chris Uche SAN, who was mandated by Agabi to speak with journalists outside the court disclosed that the defence is already probing the circumstances in which the tribunal issued the exparte order directing President Muhammadu Buhari to place the CJN under suspension pending the determination of the charge against him at the CCT. He said the defence was surprised on how the order was made, served and implemented even when the matter was already adjourned till January 28 for hearing of all pending motions. He said with the suspension of the CJN it appears the complainant had already achieved its aim and the case looking lifeless but that the defence is hopeful that justice will still be done in this matter. Buhari had announced the suspension of Onnoghen as CJN. Buhari also immediately swore in the next in line to Onnoghen, Justice Tanko Muhammad in acting capacity as CJN and head of the National Judicial Council (NJC). The President based his action on a purported exparte order by the CCT obtained on January 23. The CCT in the said ruling of January 23 had ordered Buhari to suspend Onnoghen pending the determination of the charge of non declaration of assets pending at the CCT. It also ordered Buhari to swear in the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court to Court as Acting CJN and adjourned till Monday, January 28 for the hearing of the motion on jurisdiction. Tribunal Chairman Umar yesterday adjourned the matter sina die, awaiting the decision of the Court of Appeal who will tomorrow hear Justice Onnoghen appeal on earlier decision of the tribunal.