A lawyer, Mike Ojiako has threatened to sue the National Judicial Council
(NJC) if the judicial officials’ disciplinary body fails to rescind the
order it made that he should be investigated by the Police and Nigerian Bar
Association (NBA).
The NJC had last week among others, recommended to the Abia State governor,
Okezie Ikpeazu the dismissal of Justice Ugbor Ononugbo of the state high
court over a matter involving the estate of a deceased businessman, Chief
Dike Udensi Ifegwu (DUBIC) she handled. NJC further recommended that one of
the lawyers to the children of Dubic; Ojiako be investigated by the police
and NBA.
Ojiako who expressed shock over the NJC’s directive stated that earlier
this year, one of the brothers of Dubic, Orum Ifegwu Udensi wrote a
petition against him to the national body of NBA over the same matter NJC
adjudicated.
He said after investigation into matter, it was dismissed as NBA saw no
merit in the petition.
The fiery lawyer said even when the petitioner had dragged him to the
Department of State Security (DSS) on the same matter, that the children of
the late Dubic in a letter dated September 8, 2014 and signed by the
surviving eldest son, Mr. Okafor Dike Udensi exonerated him of any wrong
doing, stating that whatever he did with regard to their father’s estate,
was authorized by them.
Ojiako stated again, “When they took Justice Ugbor Ononugbo to NJC, they
invited us as witnesses; that we should state our case, we forwarded our
defence for her (not for us because we were not under trial). When we
appeared, we wanted to adopt our case, but they refused, saying they don’t
have jurisdiction over us.
The lawyer said he was shocked to learn that after asking the governor of
Abia State to dismiss the Judge, NJC said that he should be investigated
when in the real fact he was not under them and when NBA had already done
their investigations and set him free.
“The NJC has tarnished my image. I was not a party to the petition, they
don’t have jurisdiction over me, I was only a witness in that petition.
Since NJC has no jurisdiction over me, they don’t have powers to make
consequential order against me. I am going to write NJC to reverse the
order because it has spread everywhere across the world and if they do not
do that, I will take them to court at least to clean my name. And all the
lawyers that tried me in the internet over this matter if they don’t recant
them, I will take all of them to court, I know that the court will
vindicate me”, he said.
Meanwhile, a constitutional lawyer, Ebere Uzoatu has condemned the action
of the NJC.
In an interview, Uzoatu said it was wrong for NJC to have made the order
without first hearing from Ojiako, more so when NBA that was
constitutionally empowered to investigate lawyers had done so and found him
innocent.
“Before making that order, NJC should have tried him, but in this instance,
he was not. The people that can make that order is NBA, they have did their
investigations and found him not guilty.”
He accused NJC of dabbling into a matter it has no constitutional powers