Judicial Independence: NBA Says FG Depriving Judges, Lawyers Of Working Independently - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Publisher (J.T)
June 22, 2019
TheNigerian Bar Association on Friday bemoaned the “pervasive insecurity of livesand property in the land” and what it described as “systematic erosion” of theindependence of the judiciary.
Theassociation said judges and lawyers had been so intimidated and blackmailed bythe Federal Government that they nursed the fear of being visited with“inquisitorial terror” should they rule against government or take briefsconsidered to be anti-government.
TheNBA President, Paul Usoro (SAN), said this in a speech he delivered andunanimously adopted by the National Executive Committee of the association atits meeting held on Thursday.
The speech was made available to journalistson Friday.
Usorosaid the level of insecurity in the country and the attack on the independenceof the judiciary and the legal profession constituted a threat to the rule oflaw, and by extension the country’s democracy.
Hesaid, “Without  the  rule of  law  and security  of  lives and property,  society  gradually descends  into a  state  of anarchy  and  democracy becomes a  mere  pretension. Democracy itself cannot survivewithout the rule of law.