Massive protest grounds Abuja over Benue judiciary crisis

• Coalition petitions NJC, demands Tinubu, Kekere-Ekun’s urgent interventions

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

Protesters, numbering in the hundreds, grounded activities at the Federal Secretariat axis of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in the early hours of Monday, disrupting human and vehicular movements.

The conveners of the protest, under the auspices of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria, also petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, President Bola Tinubu, and the National Judicial Council (NJC) to intervene in rescuing Nigerian democracy, which they claim is clearly in danger.

Bearing several banners and placards with inscriptions such as “Enough of crooked court orders,” “We want independence of the judiciary,” “NJC must act now,” “Save the Nigerian judiciary, the time is now,” and “Corrupt judges must be expunged from the system now,” the protesters marched through the road linking the Federal Secretariat Complex to the precinct of the Court of Appeal to register their grievances over the alleged abuse of the judiciary.

The coalition’s Chief Convener, Comrade Igwe Ude-Umanta, who submitted a petition on the issue to the NJC, singled out the controversial decisions of courts in Benue and Rivers States as instances where judicial officers have allegedly made politically motivated decisions in breach of established rules and regulations.

“We are here as concerned Nigerians who believe in the rule of law. Our democracy is in clear danger, and the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, must save it. The strength of every democracy is the judiciary. The court of law is supposed to be the arbiter of justice where the constitution is interpreted without bias, but today, the reverse is the case.

“The court in Nigeria has become more politicised than registered political parties. How on earth could a Chief Judge of a state flagrantly abuse his office by flouting state laws while the NJC remains quiet? Justice Maurice Ikpambese, the Chief Judge of Benue State, unilaterally granted a waiver to petitioners of the Local Government Election Tribunal, exempting them from paying the security deposit—a constitutional prerequisite for any valid petition—and he has not been sanctioned.

“On the strength of the NJC’s refusal to punish him, he again violated the Electoral Laws of Benue State when he relocated the Local Government Elections Petition Tribunal to Abuja, which is clearly outside its territorial jurisdiction and in clear violation of the Benue State Electoral Law, yet the NJC is just watching.

“In an attempt to protect the constitution of Nigeria and the laws of Benue State, the Attorney General of Benue State approached the Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi, which granted an order on 7th March 2025 restraining the Tribunal from sitting anywhere outside Benue State, including the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) House in Abuja. This order was granted to the admiration of Nigerians.

“Surprisingly, on Friday, 14th March 2025, an FCT High Court 34, presided over by Justice M.M. Adamu, frivolously issued another order compelling the Benue State Local Government Election Tribunal to conduct sittings in Abuja, specifically at the NBA House,” he said.

The convener queried: “The question is, can Benue State laws be applied in the FCT or any other state besides Benue State? If the answer is no, it is also clear that the Benue State Local Government Election Tribunal cannot sit outside Benue State.

“Justice M.M. Adamu is a saboteur in the judiciary who has abandoned his oath of office. Therefore, he is no longer fit to be a judge anywhere in the world. There is no justice near M.M. Adamu for granting a court order against the electoral laws of Benue State,” he said.