By Ebere Agozie
Retiring Supreme Court judge, Justice Ibrahim Saulawa on Tuesday warned judicial officers to refrain from accepting Greek gifts from politicians and litigants to protect the judiciary’s neutrality and impartiality.
Saulawa gave the warning in Abuja during a special court session at the Supreme Court to mark his retirement from the apex court’s Bench upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70 years.
According to Justice Saulawa, judicial officers must imbibe a culture of contentment, integrity, morality, and honesty to discharge their responsibilities without fear or favour.
“Gifts , especially from politicians can be tempting and irresistible but that judges must be firm in rejecting such offers because they are associated with dangers that can make one to fall into traps in the dispensation of justice,” he said.
He recalled his days on the Magistrate’s Court Bench in Katsina when a prominent fuel and motor dealer, Alhaji Ali Bagobiri donated a Peugeot 504 Car to him which he said, was bluntly rejected.
Justice Saulawa said that the motor dealer went to the extent of seeking the intervention of the Emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Kabir Usman and prominent indigenes with a view to persuading and influencing him to accept the car gift but which he flatly refused.
He added that in the later days, the same fuel and motor dealer and his accomplice ran foul of the law and were arraigned before him in the Magistrate Court.
Saulawa said that he later found the culprits guilty and they were sentenced to N7,000 fine each as punishment.
He, therefore, charged judicial officers not to succumb to accepting any form of gift in the course of performing their duties so as not to compromise or derail in the course of adjudication.
He praised his brother Justices on the Supreme Court bench for the love, affection and experience shared together in the discharge of their duties and encouraged them to continue to protect the integrity of the judiciary.
Earlier, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun commended Saulawa for his contributions to the development of the judiciary from the High Court in Katsina to the Supreme Court.
She also added that the firmness of the retiring justice would be greatly missed on the apex court bench.
“Today, we gather in this hallowed court to mark the retirement of a distinguished judicial officer, a respected jurist and, above all, a man whose life has been defined by service.
“It invites us to pause, reflect upon a career that has run its course and acknowledge the contribution of one who has shared in the demanding but noble responsibility of administering justice”.
The CJN reiterated that the judiciary will continue to celebrate the values that have characterised
the journey and example which Saulawa’s years of service have provided to generations of judicial officers and members of the legal profession.
“Its a celebration of a judicial career that has spanned more than four decades and has traversed virtually every level of the Nigerian judiciary,” the CJN added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Justice Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa was born on Sept. 29, 1956, in Katsina, Katsina State, Nigeria.
He began his educational journey in Katsina, attending both primary and secondary schools between 1965 and 1976.
He graduated graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree from the Bayero University, Kano and was called to the Nigerian Bar on July 2, 1982.
He was elevated to the Court of Appeal on June 10, 2006, his services culminated in his elevation to the Supreme Court on November 10, 2020.
NAN reports that the session was attended by two former Chief Justices of Nigeria, Justice Mahmoud Mohammed and Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Deputy Governor of Katsina state and eminent stakeholders in the judiciary sector. (NAN)
Edited by Sadiya Hamza
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