{"id":25033,"date":"2020-03-02T20:20:52","date_gmt":"2020-03-02T19:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=25033"},"modified":"2020-03-02T20:20:52","modified_gmt":"2020-03-02T19:20:52","slug":"fences-protectors-useless-if-masses-revolt-says-retired-judge-claiming-sss-trailed-him-two-years-over-judgment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=25033","title":{"rendered":"Fences, protectors useless if masses revolt, says retired judge claiming SSS trailed him two years over judgment"},"content":{"rendered":"

A newly retired High Court judge in Akwa Ibom State, Ifiok Ukana, said he was trailed by operatives of the Nigerian secret police, the State Security Service (SSS), for two years, after he delivered judgment on a particular case.
\nThe retired judge said he knows that times are bad in Nigeria and that he has paid for his casket, in case he was killed.
\nMr Ukana said this on February 25 in Uyo during a valedictory service organised for him by the Akwa Ibom state judiciary.
\nThe Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom, Godwin Abraham, was among the dignitaries present at the event.
\nMr Ukana said the SSS\u2019 action was one of the most agonising moments in his life as a judge.
\nHe said the state chief judge, Mr Abraham, whom he said is his friend and a born again Christian like him, refused to come to his aid when he reported the matter to him.
\nMr Ukana said Mr Abraham had, at some point when he was seeking for his intervention, retorted, \u201cWho will believe you that these men are after you?\u201d
\n\u201cThe last two and a half years for me has been one of great pain and regret,\u201d the retired judge said to a large audience which comprised judges, lawyers, politicians and ordinary Nigerians who came out to honour him.
\n\u201cI have shared with many of my learned brothers and they know my travails on the bench.
\n\u201cThe SSS was released against me from July 2017 up till this morning. If you come to my neighbourhood you\u2019ll see them there. What are they looking for? What is their mission?
\n\u201cI sit next to the chief judge, a believer, and a friend. But I regret to say in this moment of trial, he did not come to my aid.
\n\u201cSeveral learned brothers raised the issue pointblank, I complained (to the chief judge) but the retort he made at a particular occasion left me pained, he said, \u2018Who will believe you that these men are after you?\u2019
\nMr Ukana had put aside his prepared speech for the valedictory service and chose to speak extempore. Many people considered his remarks as being rare in the history of Akwa Ibom judiciary and an open rebuke on the state chief judge.
\nContinuing, Mr Ukana said, \u201cAsk anybody in my church, I don\u2019t belong to the group that fancy long life, particularly in a country like Nigeria.
\n\u201cIn this country, a serving attorney general was killed and nothing happened!
\n\u201cLet me reveal to you, I had to pay for my casket. I had to because these same men masquerading can kill me anytime,\u201d he said.
\nThe retired judge gave a little insight into the case he said prompted the SSS to trail him.
\n\u201cIf a matter is decided and the principal litigant did not like it, why did he not appeal? Why resort to guerilla tactics and abuse of state authority to intimidate, to harass and cause me sleepless nights?\u201d he said.
\n\u201cA judge cannot be subservient, there is only one oath of allegiance which is to dispense justice without fear or favour, with ill will to none. And if I have done that and somebody sitting somewhere believing he is connected politically and hide under the shadow of rehabilitation into a new caucus and do this to me, then he has failed.
\n\u201cThe rehabilitation is one thing, being fully in control is another thing.\u201d
\nThree persons who are knowledgeable about the case in question told PREMIUM TIMES that the retired judge was referring to a case in which a former governor of Akwa Ibom State allegedly had interest. They declined to provide further details.
\nMr Ukana said Nigeria was going through turbulent times and that lawyers must \u201cspend sleepless nights\u201d to think of how to salvage the country.
\n\u201cAll of us will not join the ruling party, all of us will not join the opposition either. But some of us will remain the conscience of the society \u2013 men who are driven by higher goals that will reform our society.
\n\u201cIf we are privileged to have three square meals, let us remember those living next to us who cannot afford one meal. High fences, iron gates, protectors are useless if the masses revolt,\u201d Mr Ukana said.
\nReport by Premium Times<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A newly retired High Court judge in Akwa Ibom State, Ifiok Ukana, said he was trailed by operatives of the Nigerian secret police, the State Security Service (SSS), for two years, after he delivered judgment on a particular case. The retired judge said he knows that times are bad in Nigeria and that he has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":16886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1185,1186,305],"class_list":["post-25033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-protector","tag-revolt","tag-sss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25033\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}