Oyo CJ counsels lawyers, judges as MULAN hosts Ramadan lecture

THE Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola, has called on lawyers and judges in Nigeria to apply moral and legal procedures in their dispensation of justice.

Abimbola made the call during the annual Ramadan lecture of the Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN), Oyo State chapter, entitled ‘Remaining Steadfast in the Face of Prevailing Economic Hardship in Nigeria’. The event was chaired by Mr Adekunle Adegoke (SAN).

The chief judge said lawyers and other stakeholders in the justice sector must always pursue the truth by not only looking at the legal perspective but also the moral aspect of issues.

He said while the law was important, lawyers and judges had an obligation to critically look into cases and ensure that justice was served.

He said: “As judges, we must look for the truth and apply it to the facts of cases, because that is essentially what justice is all about.

“As lawyers and judges, we have the moral obligation, apart from our legal duty, to ensure that justice is manifestly done. The pursuit of truth is essential.”

In his lecture, Imam Habibullah Buhari, said the prevailing economic hardship all over the world was borne out of lack of generosity and equity by humans.

Buhari said that the economic hardship being experienced in Nigeria was as a result of individual and collective actions which must be addressed for the betterment of all.

He called on Nigerians and Muslims in particular to shun practices prohibited by Allah such as gambling, ambiguity in contracts, fraud, among others, for peace to reign in the country.

The chairman of MULAN in the state, Alhaji Akeem Adetunji, said the association had received assurances from the state government that it would not return schools to their former owners.

He said that MULAN, as a body, would ensure justice should the government reverse the issue.

Present at the occasion were the deputy governor of Oyo State, Rauf Olaniyan; the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Dawud Akinola; the chairman of the Muslim Community of Oyo State, Alhaji Kunle Sanni; former Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu; Oyo State Chief Registrar, Mrs Sofiat Oyediran, the Asiwaju Adinni of Oyo State, Alhaji Mutiullah Oladejo (Onimalu) and other dignitaries.