Cross River House of Assembly rejects Ikpeme as CJ for the second time

For the second time, the Cross River State House of Assembly has turned down the letter from the National Judicial Council. The letter is requesting the confirmation of Justice Akon Ikpeme as the substantive Chief Judge of the state.

Through a voice vote, the House said it could not reverse itself on the issue of who became the chief judge of the state after it had “exhaustively” deliberated on it three months ago and settled for Justice Maurice Eneji.

The rejection succeeded a second letter from the NJC which was transmitted to the House by Governor Ben Ayade, requesting a second confirmation of Justice Akon Ikpeme as the Chief Judge.

The governor had, in a letter dated May 29, 2020 and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Tina Agbor, urged the House to treat the attached letter from the NJC with “urgency and ensure that there is no vacuum created in the judiciary.”

Immediately the Clerk of the House, Bassey Ekpeyong, read the correspondence from the governor, the House Leader, Peter Odey, representing Ogoja State Constituency, moved a motion. He said, 

“Having read the letter from the NJC via the governor, I move that we accept it as a working document of the House, but maintain that we cannot reverse ourselves in this matter.”

The House did not debate the matter further, and through a voice vote, rejected NJC’s request again, settling for Justice Maurice Eneji, whose tenure as Acting Chief Judge ended on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. He became acting chief judge on March 2, 2020.

The House, in a resolution No. 45 sent to the government of Cross River State and signed by the Clerk of the house, Ekpeyong, had rejected Justice Ikpeme as the substantive chief judge after acting for three months.

In rejecting her confirmation, the House alleged that throughout the period Ikpeme acted as chief judge, she was more concerned about the politics surrounding her confirmation and other issues to the detriment of other official matters.

In his reaction, the Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Public Petition, Public Service Matters and Conflict Resolution, Efa Esua, said, 

“The letter from the governor was not referred to my committee. So, my position and a few others remain that Ikpeme be sworn in and I have not changed.

I had expected my colleagues to be on the side of the law. But you saw what happened. So let us see how it plays out because Justice Maurice Eneji’s tenure as acting chief judge ends today.”

Activist exposes Chief Judge's involvement in child trafficking

Human rights activist, Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho, has accused the Chief Judge of Delta State, Marshal Umukoro, of victimisation by evicting him from his house over child trafficking allegation he levelled against him.

Aghogho alleged that he was unlawfully evicted from his rented apartment on Friday in the Abraka area of the state by court baliffs, members of Abraka vigilante and Divisional Police Officer of Abraka Police Station, Hassan Jimoh, on the orders of Justice Umukoro.

Reports uncovered how the Chief Judge was working in conjunction with Emmanuel Dolor in trafficking children from the state.

He said in a bid to silence him and sweep the allegation under the carpet, the Chief Judge decided to hijack his case with suit number UNACC/384T/18, which bordered on tenancy matter at Ughelli North Area Customary Court in the state.

The activist alleged that Justice Umukoro forwarded all his petitions calling for the probe of child trafficking allegations by the National Judicial Commission to Chairman of the Area Customary Court, Attienie Harrison, and Department of State Service in Asaba. He said,

"The case upon which the unlawful eviction of 22/5/2020 was relied upon is still pending at NJC with a petition dated 7/10/19 and another dated 26/11/19 at the Code of Conduct, Abuja, with the said Ughelli North Area Customary Court Chairman among the subjects.

Same case is still pending at the High Court of Justice, Ughelli, with suit number UHC/63/2020 where both the CJN and Delta State CJ are parties.

This is a ploy by the CJN/NJC to silence me in order to permanently kill the allegation of child trafficking levelled against the CJN/NJC and Delta State Chief Judge."

Aghogho alleged that all adoption procedures in the state were in gross violation of the Child Right Act 2003 vis-a-vis the Delta State Child Right law 2008 and the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015.

He added that the Ministry of Women Affairs in the state under the supervision of the Delta State Judiciary headed by Umukoro was using the following bank accounts: ECO Bank 2152023855, Zenith Bank 1011047631, for the purpose of child trafficking/illegal adoption of children in the state.

The activist also said that his life was in danger as he had been threatened with arrest. He therefore called on Nigerians and international community to come to his aid in safeguarding the life of innocent children being sold by government officials.