Tragedy was averted in Aba as lawyers in the commercial city almost beat up a High Court Judge, Justice Teresa Uzokwe over her insistence to preside over the special court session for the late former chairman of the Aba branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Simeon Ihekwoazu.
Trouble was said to have started for Justice Uzokwe when she made moves to preside over the special High Court session on the grounds that he was a friend to the late lawyer. A member of the branch who overheard her alerted his colleague who vowed to beat her up if she did not leave the venue before the commencement of the special session.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that despite the presence of dignitaries like Justice K.C Nwankpa who represented the Acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Stella Nwakanma, Leader of the Bar in Aba, Chief Obiora Obianwu , Chairman of NBA Aba, Chief Chidozie Ogunji as well as other High Court Judges and eminent personalities from the bar, a group of young lawyer threatened to disrupt the sitting and beat up Justice Uzokwe if she does not disappear from the venue.
A member of the local branch of the NBA told our correspondent that the young lawyers only backed down when the embattled Judge secretly left the venue.
We have continued to picket her court, she doesnt attend our functions but I dont know what brought her around to insist that she must preside over the special session. If she didnt leave the venue, we would have beaten her up. We dont want her anywhere near our functions until she is transferred out of Aba Judicial Division, one of the young lawyers told Pointblanknews.com
After being led out of the venue by her colleagues, Justice Uzokwe was said to have gone to High Court 2 located within the High Court complex to sit over cases while the special session for the late Ihekwoazu was still on.
Pointblanknews.com further gathered that Aba NBA had in 2012 passed a resolution demanding the transfer of Justice Uzokwe out of Aba Judicial Division over what it described as conducts unbecoming of a judicial officer.