Nobody Will Be Allowed To Toy With Court Judgments: CJN Tanko

Justice Tanko Muhammad
CJN Tanko Muhammad

Nigeria’s Chief Justice, Tanko Muhammad, has said that he would ensure that he would not tolerate disobedience to court orders under his watch.

The CJN noted that the judiciary will uphold the tenets of the constitution as the supreme law of the land.

Speaking on Monday at the special session to mark the beginning of 2019 to 2020 legal year, said:

“The rule of law must be observed in all our dealings and we must impress it on the governments at all levels to actively toe the path.

“The right of every citizen against any form of oppression and impunity must be jealously guarded and protected with the legal tools at our disposal.

“All binding court orders must be obeyed.

“Nobody, irrespective of his or her position, will be allowed to toy with court judgments,” he said.

He called on all to collectively show the desired commitment to the full enthronement of the rule of law in Nigeria.

“As we all know, flagrant disobedience of court orders or noncompliance with judicial orders is a direct invitation to anarchy in the society.

“Such acts are completely antithetical to the rule of law in a democratic environment, and will not be tolerated under my watch as Chief Justice of Nigeria.

“We must work together to make Nigeria one of the frontline countries that observe the rule of law and rights of the citizens in all ramifications”.

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“We have automated our library with Liberty5 software, our classifications and catalogs are now done online.

“We have also subscribed to Westlaw which has content of over 6000 law books and journals, and access to the library will soon be made available to everyone that is entitled to browse,” the CJN said.

“Similarly, the court considered 759 appeals, comprising of 215 civil, 156 criminal and 388 political.

“A total of 324 judgments were delivered in the year: this scorecard is impressively fascinating.

“I attribute this tremendous success to the doggedness and team spirit exhibited by my brother justices and the general staff,” Mr. Muhammad added.