The
fate of 12 Nigerian judges, who recently left the country in the wake of the
January 19 political brouhaha, is seemingly in the balance, and it is not clear
whether they would return to the country after the departure of Chief Justice
Emmanuel O. Fagbenle.
According
to Judiciary sources, the High Court and Court of Appeal judges had their
contract renewed during the last General Legal Council (GLC) meeting presided
over by the erstwhile Chief Justice Fagbenle.
“The
judges had their contract renewed effective from January to December 2017, but
with the change of events, the judges have to wait for the appointment and
arrival of a new Chief Justice and meeting of the GLC to confirm as to whether
the GLC would maintain the status-quo or appoint new judges,” our sources said.
“It
is only Justice Kumba Sillah Camara and Justice Amina Saho-Ceesay High Court
judges, Justice Awa Bah and Justice Edrissa F. Mbai of the Court of Appeal, all
Gambian judges, presently in the country.”
Meanwhile,
the Gambia Bar Association (GBA) has lifted the boycott of the courts, and
urged all its members to return to court yesterday.
However,
the superior courts were not fully functional due to the lack of judges.
