Taraba Community Protests Senate Clearance of Justice Galumje

By Nseobong Okon-Ekong

The people of Kurmi in Kurmi Local Government Area of Taraba State have expressed shock and utter dismay over the clearance of Justice Adamu Paul Galumje of the Appeal Court, Sokoto Division as one of the two new Justices promoted to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

In a petition made available to our correspondent, the community was shocked that despite their protests and petitions to the Senate President, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters, National Judicial Council, NJC, Department of State Security, DSS and other agencies of government, Galumje was cleared as the Supreme Court Justice nominee.

The spokespersons of the community, Ibrahim Ishaya Etsu and John Tobi Yarafab said they were utterly surprised that such an individual had been cleared to administer justice at the highest level.

In a petition dated 17 October, 2016 to the Director-General, DSS by the Ishaya Etsu/Tobi Yarafa Chieftaincy Family, Galumje was accused of abusing his office.

“Since May 2016, we wrote a petition to the National Judicial Council complaining about Justice Adamu Paul Galumje using his position as a judge of Appeal Court, Sokoto Division to pervert justice by manipulating the court process”, stated the petition signed by Messrs Ibrahahim Ishaya Etsu and John Tobi Yarafab.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on 6 October nominated Justice Galumje and one other judge as Justices of the Supreme Court. The president has asked the Senate to consider and confirm their nomination.

Immediately, the community submitted their petitions against Justice Galumje to the Senate Committee on Judiciary chaired by Senator David Umaru.

“We were surprised to read in some newspapers that the committee said they didn’t receive any petition against Justice Galumje.

“Even the Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, representing our district, Taraba Central, reinforced our petition to the Senate Committee and called their attention to it but the committee headed by Senator Umaru was hell-bent on clearing the judge”, said Ishaya Etsu.

They however expressed disappointment in the Senate Committee on Judiciary who treated their petitions with levity by not bothering to invite them to shed more light on the allegations against Justice Galumje before clearing him to be promoted to the Apex court in the country.

For some time now, the once peaceful Kurmi community has known no peace following the imposition of someone not qualified for the throne as the king by the kingmakers.