Justice Ademola back in the courtroom

Justice Adeniyi Ademola
Federal High Court Judge

Following the decision of the National Judicial Commission lastweek to recall judges who were not charged, even after being suspended to allow the course of the law to be upheld, Justice Adeniyi Ademola  Wednesday resumed sitting.

Justice Ademola was among the six judges earlier asked by the NJC to stop sitting, shortly afterthe State Security Service searched his house and other judges’  in October last year.

The  NJC through its Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, issued a statement  on Saturday that Justice Ademola should resume his judicial duties on the basis that the court had cleared him of the charges preferred against him by the Federal Government.

Also based on the failure of the office the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to levy charges against five other judges who were suspended alongside Justice Ademola, after the minister requested that they be suspended  pending the outcome of the cases against them since October last year, the  NJC has  asked the 5 judges to resume.

  

The NJC had said the development had led to backlog of cases in the various courts where the judges presided.

All the judges were therefore asked to resume sitting on Wednesday.

Justice Ademola commenced sitting after 9am on Wednesday.

Seven cases were listed for the Wednesday’s court session.

Mr. Joe Agi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria,SAN, with whom Justice Ademola was tried on corruption allegations but later discharged, had his case come up before the judge on Wednesday.

Agi, being the only Senior Advocate of Nigeria, his case, although listed as number six, was heard first.

as at the time the case was mentioned, the defence was not represented in court.

Agi, who was representing the plaintiff,  asked for the withdrawal of the case on the grounds that it had been overtaken by event.

The application was granted by the Judge and  the case struckout

The SAN took his leave from the court immediately after the case was struck out.

He declined to speak with journalists waiting outside the courtroom.

But a lawyer, Mr. Femi Morohundiya, who was in th court, addressed journalist and welcomed Justice Ademola back.

Morohundiya also justified the recall of the judge, following the judge’s acquittal by the trial court earlier this year.

The lawyer said, “It is a welcome development. The Senate President is being tried by the executive, yet he is still sitting as the Senate President. This judge has been cleared.

“So it is a welcome development that he is back to the judiciary to continue his work.”