I agree with the common man when he says that justice is for the rich, because in its design it is meant to create a peaceful society, a society where man and beast, as it were, can live together. But now the law is being executed to protect the beast from the man, the beast here as a man who has links, a man who goes into government coffers and removes funds, stealing in broad daylight and believes that he enjoys immunity because of his cleverness to the power that be. Because of money, the law is an ass. A very very deleterious ass, salubrious, if you like.

 

When you look at classical views of the law, for example, Jesus Christ took a look at the practices of lawyers and pronounces a woe on them for holding the key to knowledge, not going in there and preventing others from going in. When does it ever get better?

 

However you do it, it gives me serious concern, that if you are a lawyer, you wear the gods a burden of curse, but if a lawyer could learn, do things with a humane face, not about money and also give, I believe a lawyer can pull himself away from that curse once the lawyer is trained to give and protect justice. In practice, eighty per cent of lawyers try to perfect how to keep the status quo, they seek to perfect their instructions and briefs. Even if it causes grave injustice to the legal society. So with Jesus Christ, one can truly say woe to some lawyers.

People often come up with stories and allegations against you, that you collected money and refuse to meet up with expectation on such transaction. Are you guilty as charged?

 

Who are these people? What allegations? These allegations are baseless and borne out of share mischief but I am not perturbed, I have Jesus Christ. Let me tell you, in the course of this growth to the stage that I am now, I have been vilified, a lot of mud –slinging, even from people who have never met me. They allege that I am a land grabber, most probably because my primary focus is litigation based on land issue. But sometimes I do arbitrary and reconciliation wherever I can. What is very common, and I must emphasize that now, is that the aggrieved party often thinks the best person to attack is the lawyer on the issue of someone collecting money and not doing the job that he has been paid for. I feel sorry for such people.

Let's say for example, a man has a murder case hanging around his neck, his relations come around, they pay me five hundred naira, plus or minus I succeed in getting him conviction for four, five years. Do you know his people, instead of appreciating the efforts of the learned counsel would say, “oh, he is the bread winner of the house, why is he not out?” My duty as a Lawyer is to do my best, not to work the impossible.

The matter in court has to do with a bunch of irresponsible gang in the police. Apologies to some policemen that are decent. But this case is very pathetic. The police report even indicted the police officers themselves that their officers received a bribe of N4 million to destroy the case file. And some of them who have embarrassed Nigeria are still serving. They come to court, a murderous gang. I was thinking that the IG or Lagos Commissioner of Police Mr. Marvel Akpayibo would have sought to discontinue the case from the court because of its embarrassing nature. Highly embarrassing! If their own report contained the information and the reason why the alleged complainant wanted the remains of the ritual victim, in order to kill the mother of Pemu-Amuka and also to kill the second wife of her husband, were is their motive?

Look there is purpose. This is a woman who lives abroad; she came to the country, went to Ajegunle, got an Alfa, and went to Ibadan in furtherance of her persistent search for human blood. According to the police report, from Ibadan, they went to Ikorodu where they were finally arrested . Anyway like I said before, the matter is subjudice, I don't want to talk about the conclusion.

 

Mr. Igho Akhregha, the interim president I have known for a while, I have trusted his competence. I trust that we share the same vision. It is about that the CLO sanitizing itself and sensitizing the average Nigerian to his rights. It is not about criticizing government every day. Human right law is not just about criticizing government, so that you don't end up criticizing a good government. It is not about criticizing a government of the country. It is about fighting the shenanigans of bad governance and not for their own self-aggrandizement personal upliftment. So that, if that is a fight they want to pursue then I am arming them. Let them go into the field. It is not a donation, it is empowerment. It is in their possession by virtue of arming them to go into the field.

 

So can you explain the Stephen and Solomon foundation that you recently established in honour of the late law icon chief Gani Fawehinmi?

 

Yes, that foundation is not named after Chief Gani Fawehimmi. It is only carrying on his ideals, because I do not have the consent of his family to set up a foundation on his behalf. But the ideals of Chief Gani Fawehimmi, for which he lived and died, are going to live on in the Stephen and Solomon foundation.

 

So you had a privileged background?

 

No. My father was a common policeman. He was the first Assistant Superintendent of Police in Nigeria.

You tackle the police with passion, is it something personal against your father?

 

My father couldn't tolerate so many things. He never subscribed to child abuse. Ironically, the first slap I got in my life was from a policeman. He was a corporal, and I was just seventeen then. From then on, I had this apathy for the police. These are a set of people you run to when you need them to help sort out problems concerning security of your life and rather than help you out, they will further compound issues. Some of them who are confronted with marital problems at home transfer that aggression to the civil populace. They reinforce the apathy the common man has for them. Everything the policeman does is aimed at building anger against him from the society.

I was surprised that a man I had never met greeted me warmly at a police station the other day, and I said well glory to God, but until we see them changing their total psyche, the last person I want to see is a policeman. I must say that, and I have no regret.

What else did you do before setting up legal practice?

 

I worked briefly in Cross-Rivers State during my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). I was in the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).It was when I left Cross-River State that I joined the Law firm of my brother in Benin City.

Would it be safe to say you cut your legal teeth at your brother’s chambers?

Well I wouldn't say so, because when I obtained a diploma in law from Kwara State College of Technology, I was made an area court judge, an area court Judge is equivalent of the customary court judge and that was even before I went to Ekpoma for my degree.

I see you have good Law books and a rich library, how did you get the money to set up law career?

Like I said my brother, the late Solomon Giwa has played a very important role. I took a loan of fifty thousand naira, which I fully paid up. I owe him that much. He always told me not to despise good books .I love cars. He would say like the cars first, get the books. I grudgingly learnt all that from him.

 

And when Gani came on the scene, he made things easier for us. Growing up in the legal world, we could easily afford law reports. Only senior and experienced lawyers could afford those books at that time in Nigeria. Only lawyers like Chief Rotimi Williams, Kehinde Sofola and G.O.K.Ajayi could get the Supreme Court law report at the point of delivery. He is the law lord. He is a man who even in death, I doubt, if any legal practitioner can trivialize his existence. He came, he saw and he conquered. If you hate him o.k. But you cannot fault his achievements.

If you love him, well, good for you, it is your personal emotions; it can only edify what we can build upon. The man made people like us .We cannot walk into the High Court library. You know the man drafted his law reports to the High Courts in each State free. Tell me how many other Senior Advocates in Nigeria have printed even one book. I don't want to be direct, but the one they call.....Let me stop, never wrote a book in his life. Look at Chief Gani Fawehinmi, even when cost of production was high, he ensured that they were made available. If I could spend one thousand naira a week to buy a book, that could give me N500, 000 victory on a single report on a vital law matter and rest the case. He contributed to my law practice in no small measure. I beg God Almighty to forgive all his sins and give him good rest.

 

blog comments powered by Disqus