Updates:

Akwa Ibom Chief Justice Godwin Abraham Retires amids massive scandals

• Judges, Magistrates, ors boycott valedictory activities
• describe the Retiring Chief Judge as high handed, despotic
• Chief Judge won’t join issues with allegations – AIDE

Judges, Magistrates, Dispute Resolution Officers (DROs), Chairmen of District Courts (CDCs) and several lawyers in Akwa Ibom State Judiciary have showed continued disagreement with the retiring Chief Judge, Justice Godwin Abraham, over what they describe as abuse of office, high handedness, financial misappropriation as well as vindictive characteristics exhibited by the Chief Judge during his four years tenure.

The most recent action taken against the retiring Chief Judge by the Judges which THE INK understands may require divine intervention for the Chief Judge to recuperate from, is the boycott of the dinner and special thanksgiving service to mark his retirement by Judges of the State Judiciary.

The Dinner and Special Thanksgiving Service held during the weekend took place at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Uyo and Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Dominion Mega Parish, Akwa Ibom Province 1 Headquarters, Ibesikpo Asutan, respectively.

The absence of judges hours into the dinner, it is learnt, had sent bad signals of a looming public show of shame of the Chief Judge whom many have noted lacked the moral strength and character to put the judicial house in order since he assumed office in 2017 or at least even days to his retirement event.

THE INK reporter gathered that it only took the intervention of some top Government officials begging judges to at least register their presence at the dinner which was organized by the State Government. Despite the various pleas, only few judges later turned up.

Similar scenario played out at the church service as most Judges and staffers of the Judiciary did not show presence at the Special Thanksgiving Service and the subsequent reception which took event at Emerald Event Centre, Edet Akpan Avenue, Uyo.

Justice Abraham was also reportedly stoned, yelled at and publicly humiliated when he went for commissioning of the new High Court in Mkpat Enin as the Commissioning of the empty ”Court building” eventually did not hold.

Investigation on the state of the Judiciary under the leadership of Justice Abraham during his four years tenure by THE INK Newspapers reveals that the retiring Chief Judge had been locked in a war of trust by judicial officers, lawyers and staffers of the judiciary who eventually accused him of falsifying some documents to allow him remain in office till 29th June, 2021.

Some members of the Judiciary who spoke with our reporter quipped that Justice Abraham had no business remaining the Chief Judicial Officer of the State till this time as he was meant to have retired since June, 2019, stressing that the maximum age provided for a judicial officer who is either State Chief Judge or Judge of any State Judiciary to hold office is 65.

They maintained that Abraham whose notorious leadership style had been to play fast and loose with rules or laws of operation had deliberately ignored and suppressed calls from different quarters to hand over office by virtue of his birthday which is June 29, 1954, upon attainment of due retirement age in 2019.

Trouble started for the retiring judge in 2020 when a former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the State, Barr Ekpenyong Ntekim filed a brief on behalf of his clients who were already defendants in a case with suit no: HU/LA.1/2018 filed before the Chief Judge’s Court.

Ntekim at the resumed hearing on the matter had prayed the court to declare that the Chief Judge, having clinched his retirement age, has no power to hear and decide on their case. Media investigations shows that Justice Abraham had to hands off the case involving Ekpenyong Ntekim as a result of his age, fearing that the former Attorney General may petition the NJC and follow up the petition to a logical conclusion.

Apart from the issue of age falsification to stay longer in office, our reporter who monitored the retirement service of a former judge of the Akwa Ibom State Judiciary, His Lordship Ifiok Ukana Rtd reports that Ukana had no kind words for Justice Abraham.

While making his speech, Justice Ukana informed the audience that he was maltreated under the watch of CJ Abraham now retiring. Narrating how badly he was treated under the CJship of the Chief Judge, Justice Ifiok Ukana who remains one of the most sought after judges in his time, felt forced into a position that was rather too emotional for any well accomplished High Court judge as himself.

Similarly, another judge of the State, Justice Ekerete Ebienyie who retired in March this year, rather than heap encomiums on the Chief Judge, was pouring cold thoughts on him.

He enthused that the Akwa Ibom State judiciary under Justice Abraham was brought to her knees as there have never so much division and discontent among brother judges as there have been under Justice Godwin Abraham. Justice Ekerete Ebienyie is quoted to have stated that Judges, magistrates, Chairmen of District Courts, Dispute Resolution Officers and other lawyers were treated with so much disdain and contempt.

According to Justice Ebienye, Akwa Ibom State Judiciary was a shadow of herself as the corporate dignity of that Arm of Government was dragged into endless controversies and disrepute.

Beyond the allegations of bad treatment meted out on Heads of Courts, the retiring CJ was also fingered in fraud of high proportions.

The retiring Chief Judge is said to have fingered the funds released by the State Governor for the allowances paid to heads of courts and heads of directorates.

Our reporter gathered that Justice Abraham in the most the embarrassing manner fingered the allowances meant for Judges, Magistrates, DROs as well as the CDCs.

One of CJ Abraham most embarrassing moment is said to have set in when he deducted the allowances of Judges to make up for the sum of Twenty million Naira (N20,000,000.00) allegedly stolen from the judiciary in a single robbery operation.

The affected judges stood up to Justice Abraham, challenging his authority to make judges pay for money allegedly stolen under his own nose.

The INK gathered that it took some external interventions to rescue Justice Abraham from the quagmire that was about swallowing him up.

Revelations made to THE INK reporter by some officers in the Judiciary show that a sum of money amounting to about N814, 980,000 (Eight Hundred and Fourteen Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira) due for 94 Chairmen of the State Customary Courts also known as Chairmen of District Courts as fuel allowance was hijacked by a cabal allegedly led by the retiring State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Godwin Abraham.

It is reported that all efforts to get the retiring Chief Judge to act within good conscience and release their complete allowance to them met a brick wall as he is said to have ignored all treaties to that effect.

Sources from the Judiciary Headquarters reveal that when the Chairmen of District expressed displeasure over the handling of their entitlements by the Justice Abraham’s administration, Justice Abraham immediately ordered proscription of the Chairman’s Association rather than hear them out.

When our reporter visited the Finance Department of the Judiciary, handlers of the funding initially refused to cooperate but on further probing, our reporter was made to sight a document that agrees with the submission of the Budget and Economic Planning that the sum of Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200, 000.00) is budgeted as fuel allowances for Magistrates, DROs and CDCs.

Our reporter was also told that although CJ Abraham pays some ranks of magistrates their full fuel allowances, he keeps back 85% and 25% of the entitlements of CDCs and DROs, respectively. While in the main, retiring the full sum of Two Hundred thousand naira only as budgeted.

This is said to have opened this category of judicial offices to serious financial hardship as they struggle to keep up with the demands of getting to their various courts some of which are located in interiors of the state and in very difficult terrains.

Invariably, it would mean that in one month, the Justice Abraham led cabal goes home with nothing less than N15,980,000 (Fifteen Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira) from the allowances of Chairmen of District Courts every month.

Then in one year, a whopping sum of N191, 760,000 (One Hundred and Ninety-One Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira) is gone away with.

It therefore means that between 2017 and till date, nothing less than the sum of Eight Hundred and fourteen Million, nine hundred and eighty Naira (N814, 980,000) only has so far been illegally pocketed from the allowances of Chairmen of District Courts alone. Not to talk of the ones from the Magistrates and Dispute Resolution Officers.

The budget office of the State Government when questioned on what amount of money budgeted and released as fuel allowances for those categories of Heads of Courts said, the office will not be in a position to entertain the query adding that every amount of money needed to be released to the Judiciary has been so released.

Sources in the budget office directed our reporters to the Judiciary which they said has all the information on the release and expenditure of the Judiciary.

THE INK gathered on good authority that budgetary provisions have consistently been made to cover the Customary Courts of Appeal but that justice Abraham refused establishing the Court in the State so that he will not be put in position to share power with the would have been President of the Court who is recognized in budgetary provisions as Chief Judge 2.

Justice Abraham would rather award to himself and his cronies contract for building and furnishing of new High Court complex.

Justice Godwin Abraham is further said to have ruled the Judiciary like an emperor victimizing everybody he perceived as enemy of his administration. The same treatment went to anyone who would dare claim right outside that the CJ measures out as the person’s right.

A staff in the Ministry of Justice who volunteered information to our team of reporters expressed disappointment over the treatment generally given to Heads of Courts in the State, stating “that many of them have been made to work under very horrendous conditions under CJ Abraham. Many of them, especially those of the lower bench have not been given vehicles while the CJ Abraham has fleets of cars parked on his compound, mostly brand new and unused vehicles.”

A member of the Executive of the NBA in Uyo branch while speaking on the matter expressed sadness at the level to which the Chief Judge could allow himself to descend so low to a point of making himself an object of ridicule and inflicting such financial pains on presiding officers of courts.

Another strong accusation leveled against the retiring Chief Judge is on the issue of the State Government Palliatives. It was learnt that Justice Abraham diverted the Covid 19 Palliatives given by His Excellency, Governor Emmanuel to the Judiciary for his personal use.

Those who claim to know said the Chief Judge pocketed the Palliatives and diverted them to his home town and his wife’s village.

He is said to have informed judges who confronted him on the diversion that the Palliatives were given to him as an individual and not for staffers of the Judiciary.

The Governor is said to have frowned at the action of Justice Abraham when reports got to him. The carting away of Palliatives meant for Judiciary staff contributes to the decline in popularity the CJ is having as he retires from service today.

According to some staff of the judiciary who spoke on condition of anonymity, the most disconcerting scandal involving Justice Abraham centers not just on his financial misappropriation but on sexual involvement with ladies who are mostly married women name withheld by THE INK for safety of some homes.

Our reporter gathered that some of the amorous affairs were freely and recklessly explored and serviced by the Justice Abraham who doubles as pastor in one of the renown Pentecostal churches in the Nigeria.

The retiring CJ is also accused of amassing wealth for himself as sources claim he has houses and other landed properties in choice areas in Uyo, Ibesikpo, Ikot Ekpene and Port Harcourt.

Some of the buildings said to have been bought through the CJ Abraham’s company name Covenant Heirs Ltd have been identified by THE INK as located at Shelter Afrique, Edet Akpan Avenue, Akwa Efak, Ernest Bassey Street, Udosen Street, Ikot Ekpene Road, Ikot Ekpene Town and other choice locations in town. Further details and pictures of the building will release by THE INK, if challenged.

As confirmed by some judges, lawyers and staffers in the employ of the State Judiciary, Justice Godwin Abraham will be stepping out of office as the richest Chief Judge in the history of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States combined.

According to them, Justice Abraham has risen to personal wealth at the expense of the judiciary as an institution.

The retiring CJ who is said to have used his surrogate prominent of which is one Nsidibe Essien, his nephew, to corner funds meant for the Judiciary for his personal use, is seen as a man who has risen to financial prominence through deprivations, suffering, pains and tears of others who have labored for the progress of the judiciary.

THE INK has been reliably informed that it is on ground of the unending and embarrassing controversies trailing the retiring CJ that many judicial officers in the state have vowed not to grace CJ Abraham’s valedictory court session with their esteemed presence.

As the Chief Judge bows out today, many lawyers have prayed that they do not have such a man again as Chief Judge.

Efforts to get in touch with the retiring Chief Judge fell flat as his Personal Assistant said the CJ was busy with matters concerning his retirement and would not wish to be dragged into any argument by unscrupulous lawyers.

The CJ’s Assistant however referred our reporter to the Chief Registrar whom he said has all the information we may like to get. The Chief Registrar however declined comments on the matters.

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