Auta Blames Lawyers for Misleading Judges, Says it’s an Offence

•  Charges Judges to Take decisions they can defend before God

Alex Enumah in Abuja

As the judiciary gets set to commence the 2016/2017 legal year, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (FHC), Hon. Justice Ibrahim Auta, has blamed the controversies the court was enmeshed in on the activities of some lawyers who, according to him, misled judges by filing cases which were already pending in another court of coordinate jurisdiction.

According to him, while a case is pending in one court, a lawyer would rush to another court of coordinate jurisdiction and file the same case without the knowledge of the judges. “We will take this very seriously and even discuss it during our conference because it is an offence and it is not good for the administration of criminal justice.

advised judges of the Federal High Court to always adjudicate on matters before them with the fear of God and their conscience, noting that their job is one that requires high trust and confidence.

The advice is coming on the heels of conflicting judgments from courts of coordinate jurisdiction, which to some extent, Auta said, marred the successes recorded by the judiciary in the last legal year.

The Chief Judge of the FHC was speaking at a special court session to mark the commencement of the Federal High Court Legal Year 2016/2017 which held at the court’s headquarters in Abuja, monday.

Auta said, “The work of a judge the world over is not easy. It is even more difficult in our society where cases are prosecuted on the pages of newspapers. However, the work of a judge is the highest position of trust and confidence that God can give to any human being. Trust that
you sit to judge your fellow human beings and their activities.

“I therefore urge my brother judges to search their conscience before taking any judicial decision. You do not have to know all the law but your decision must be one that even the party who lost will have cause to appreciate your intellect, scholarship and call to duty. You must
therefore take decisions that you can defend before God”, he said.