Justice Ibrahim Musa Saulawa of the Supreme Court has warned judges in the country to refrain from accepting Greek gifts from politicians , litigants and to protect judiciary’s neutrality and impartially.
Justice Saulawa gave the warning in Abuja on Tuesday at the Supreme Court on the occasion of a special court session marking his retirement from the bench of apex court on attaining mandatory retirement age of 70 years.
He said Judges as judicial officers must imbibed the culture of contentment, integrity, morality and honesty to be able to discharge their functions without fear or favour.
He said that gifts, especially from politicians could be tempting and irresistible but that Judges must be firm in rejecting such offers because they are associated with dangers that can make one to fall into traps in the dispensation of justice.
He recalled his days on the Magistrate’s Court Bench in Katsina when a prominent fuel and motor dealer, Alhaji Ali Bagobiri donated a Peugeot 504 Car to him which he said, was bluntly rejected.
Justice Saulawa said that the motor dealer went to the extent of seeking the intervention of the Emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Kabir Usman and prominent indigenes with a view to persuading and influencing him to accept the car gift but which he flatly refused.
In the later days, he said the same fuel and motor dealer in Katsina ran foul of the law when he and his servants beat one of his workers, Ahmad, to comatose simply because the worker begged to be lent money to eat due to hunger,
Justice Saulawa said that the fuel and motor dealer along with those who beat the labourer to comatose were arraigned before him in the Magistrate Court, found guilty and sentenced to N7, 000 fine each as punishment.
Besides, he revealed their victim who was placed in the Intensive Care Unit of the General Hospital for two weeks was awarded N10, 000 as damages.
Justice Saulawa recalled that the victim later became a proud house owner and a trader while the principal culprit, Ali Bagobiri ended his life as a wretched person adding that N7, 000 fine was a huge amount at the time.
He therefore charged judicial officers not to succumb to accepting any form of gift in the course of performing their duties so as not to compromise or derail in the course of adjudication.
Justice Saulawa praised his brother Justices on the Supreme Court bench for the love, affection and experience shared together in the discharge of their duties and encouraged them to continue to protect the integrity of the judiciary.
Earlier, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun had congratulated Justice Saulawa for his contributions to the development of the judiciary from the High Court in Katsina to Court of Appeal and later to the Supreme Court.
The CJN said that the firmness of the retiring Justice would be greatly missed on the Supreme Court bench.
The valedictory session was attended by two former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmoud Mohammed and Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Deputy Governor of Katsina state and eminent stakeholders in the judiciary sector,