The recent heated exchange between Justice Mojisola Dada and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika during the N1.35 billion fraud trial at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has sparked a debate among lawyers on social media.
The drama unfolded when Olumide-Fusika attempted to make an oral application for his client to be acquitted, following the discharge of the defendants on 20 counts filed by the Lagos State Attorney General. Justice Dada declined the application, leading to a verbal altercation in which she accused the Senior Advocate of being “lousy” and “rude.”
Lawyers on social media have expressed diverse opinions on the incident. One Senior Advocate criticized Olumide-Fusika’s conduct, stating, “This Senior Advocate of Nigeria is hot-tempered, to say the very least. And if we SANs continue to practice law in this fashion, unrestrained when we disagree with the court, we will cease to be the leaders and examples to the utter bar that we were meant to be.”
Another lawyer questioned whether the issue at hand was a matter of law, asking, “What happened in court between the Senior Lawyer and the Judge, is a matter, Question of Law, in the sense of when a discharge amounts to an acquittal?”
However, some lawyers came to the defense of Olumide-Fusika, with one stating, “Let’s not be hasty until we hear and or read the true record of proceedings.” This sentiment was echoed by another lawyer who raised concerns about the impartiality of the record, asking, “Who wrote the record of proceedings, one of the parties, who happens to be the judge, will she ever indict herself?”
Some lawyers also criticized Justice Dada, with one claiming, “Justice Dada is also rude. My Lord is fond of telling lawyers to shut up and sit down! She was a born again all of a sudden she changed and began talking down on lawyers.”
The incident has also raised concerns about the fairness of the criminal justice system, with one lawyer commenting, “So much for a criminal justice system where the judge and prosecutor are on the government payroll, and the defence counsel virtually an underdog.”
Amidst the varying opinions, some lawyers have called for restraint in commenting on the matter until the full record of proceedings is available. As one lawyer cautioned, “You should also not have said anything, and let’s also not be expressing any views on any matter from the Court, UNTIL we see and read the Record of Proceedings!”
The heated exchange between Justice Dada and Olumide-Fusika occurred during the trial of Azubuike Ishekwene and Olalekan Abdul, who are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly conspiring to obtain N1.35 billion from Wema Bank under false pretences. The matter has been adjourned to Thursday, 31st of October 2024, for the continuation of the trial.
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