A civil society organization, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), has said the National Judicial Council (NJC) has no role to play initially in the arraignment of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen before the Code Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
CACOL’s coordinator, Media and Publications, Adegboyega Otunuga on Wednesday said if a judicial officer commits theft, fraud, murder or manslaughter, arson and the likes, which are crimes committed outside the scope of the performance of his official functions, he may be arrested, interrogated and prosecuted accordingly by the State directly without recourse to the NJC.
The CACOL boss said: “The truth is that the NJC has neither the technical ability nor the constitutional power to investigate assets declaration matters.
“It is only the CCB that was constitutionally vested with such powers and technically equipped for same purpose.
“Aside this, Justice Onnoghen is not being arraigned as a judicial officer but as a public officer and he enjoys no immunity not to be so arraigned.
“On the timing of the arraignment which some are insisting makes it smell of political undertone, we hasten to add that though this issue first cropped up almost two (2) years ago, there is no such time limit for a criminal offence and only the prosecution could determine when enough proofs and investigation have been gathered to try such cases.
“We could only plead that as Nigerians who have been adversely affected by the ravaging effects of corruption by those at the various levels of government, enough discretion should apply in responding to such issues, irrespective of whose ox is gored.”
Daily Trust recalls that the CJN is facing trial over alleged false assets declaration at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
