Date Published: 07/13/09

Sex, bribery scandal rock Supreme Court

…Justices get $20,000.00 as christmas gift

Justice Oguntade	Justice Idris Kutigi, Chief Justice of Nigeria	Justice Mahmud Mohammed

A ring of corrupt, bribe taking and extortionist Supreme Court Justices have been exposed with one of them alleged to have been caught pants down in an extra marital sex with the wife of a retired Justice.

At the center of the alleged scandals are Justices G A Oguntade, Tanko Muhammed, Mahmud Mohammed and Retired Justice Samson Uwaifor.

Highly placed sources hinted Pointblanknews.com that Justices Oguntade, Mohammed and Mahmud are alleged to have collected $20,000.00 (Twenty Thousand Dollars) each from Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State as Christmas gifts. Governor Obi was only recently cleared of any wrong doing by the Anambra State House of Assembly over an allegation that one of his aides was found in possession of N250 Million in a brief case.

An inside source who prefer anonymity has since confirmed to Pointblanknews.com that Governor Obi was not the only politician who dolled out state funds to oil the palms of Justices of the Supreme Court. “Do your check very well; our Governor is not the only one involved. A lot of Politicians have done something for the Supreme Court people so don’t crucify only us, we are only trying to be safe too,” the source said.

Pointblanknews.com gathered that the trios Justices of the Supreme Court are notorious for mounting pressures and intimidating Governors and Politicians who have cases at the Supreme Court with the intent of extorting monies from them and assuring them of favorable rulings.

Justices Tanko Muhammed and Mahmud Mohammed are the duos who are alleged to have done the leg work alongside Justice Aloysius Kastina-Alu in the $30 Million alleged bribe to Justices of the Supreme Court to uphold the election of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Although, Justice Oguntade had disagreed with the verdict, informed sources told Pointblanknews.com that his disagreement stemmed from an argument he was said to have had with the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa over how and who should be responsible with the alleged $30 Billion bribe money. His sharing formula was said not to have gone down well with the notorious Attorney General and other Justices and he vowed to back down in support of the verdict.

Justice Oguntade, who is said to be building a multi-million naira hotel in Lekki area of Lagos State, was said to have used a prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, based in Lagos to demand and receive about N20 Million from a politician in 2007. He is said to have assured the embattled politician that the money would be shared among Justices Tanko Muhammed, Mahmud Muhammed and other Justices we could not ascertain. He had also promised to co-opt the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Idris Kutigi.

The Lagos state born Justice is not only alleged to be in the bribe taking business. He is also alleged to have been caught in an extra marital relationship with the wife of retired Supreme Court Justice Samson Uwaifor.

Sources told Pointblanknews.com that Justice Uwaifor and Oguntade served together at the Court of Appeal and had became family friends. Their friendship blossomed and Oguntade was allowed to mediate during disputes between Uwaifor and his wife. Unknown to Justice Uwaifor, Justice Oguntade had developed feelings for Mrs. Uwaifor and had secretly visited when he (Uwaifor) is away. The two also started meeting at secret places. No sooner than later, news started reaching Justice Uwaifor and he swiftly started mouthing surveillance.

Pointblanknews.com was reliably informed that retired Justice Uwaifor eventually caught his wife and Justice Oguntade pants down and since then, the one time good family friends have been enemies.

The illicit affairs was said to have been kept under wraps but was reopened when Justice Oguntade’s name was forwarded to the Senate for confirmation as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2004. Pointblanknews.com gathered that it took the intervention of President Olusegun Obasanjo who persuaded the then Senate, led by Senator Adolphus Wabara to get his nomination cleared.

It would be recalled that a group called Derivation Front had in 2005 alleged that Justice Uwais, former Chief justice of the Supreme Court took N250 million bribe to refuse a request that Governor Ibori should not be sworn into office on May 29, 2003 on account of a pending legal action challenging his eligibility to contest Delta gubernatorial election. He was also accused of collecting a N5 billion bribe from the same governor for sharing among his brother justices of the Supreme Court to order a denovo trial in the Governor Ibori’s ex-convict case in order to buy time for him in government.