Justice Danladi Umar, Please Step Aside

The corruption stories around Justice Danladi Umar, Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal are mind-boggling.  More are still filtering through. Some would probably say the corruption stories are coming up because he is the one handling the Bukola Saraki case. My reply to this is very simple: This is the standard in sane societies. Nigeria should join this league for us to make progress. The integrity of the judiciary must not be compromised. Justice Umar should simply step aside and allow someone else to continue with the Saraki case.
In one of the cases against the CCT chairman, he was recommended to the EFCC for prosecution by the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adokie for allegedly collecting N10 million bribe from an accused in his tribunal. The letter written by Adokie is all over the place. The justice minister’s recommendation was based on the report of the EFCC into allegation by a retired Comptroller of Customs, Mr Rasheed Taiwo, that Umar demanded N10 million bribe from him to quash the case against him.

That Justice Umar is being investigated by the EFCC is not in doubt. Yes, these are allegations, but Justice Umar needs to step aside, at least for now, to protect the integrity of the CCT. I agree with the position of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria that “It is wrong for Umar to be presiding over cases of corruption allegations while he is being investigated for similar issues,” and that “he who goes to equity must do so with clean hands devoid of allegations of fraud.”
In another case against Justice Umar, Registered Trustees of Mission for Peace and Development Initiative dragged him before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over allegations of money laundering and bribery. The group is asking the Federal High Court to sack Umar over the allegations.

The group, through its counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), is asking the court to determine whether Justtice Umar “is a fit and proper person to sit in judgment over Nigerians and preside over the affairs of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and dispense justice to all manner of people who appear before it, without fear or favour, malice or ill will, having been investigated by the 3rd Defendant, (EFCC), and adjudged to have fallen foul of the provisions of the code of Conduct for judicial Officers and other extant provisions.” Justice Umar was also accused of having “fallen foul of the provisions of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, by holding secret meeting with an accused person standing trial before him exparte, without the presence of the Prosecution, or Court Officials.”
Early this week, the House of Representatives also began investigating Justice Umar for allegedly misappropriating N16.6 million. The probe was as a result of a petition by an NGO called Anti-Corruption Network. Speaker Yakubu Dogara referred the petition to the House Committee on Public Petition for further investigation. The NGO accused the CCT chairman of awarding fictitious contract for the supply of office furniture and fitting in the sum of N11.4 million, misappropriated N4.2million for external light bulbs and N1 million for his wedding. The corruption allegations against Justice Umar are growing daily. He should be courageous enough to step aside until all corruption issues around him are resolved.
YEMI ADEBOWALE