Justice Munta Ladipo Abimbola was sworn in, in acting capacity, as the Chief Judge of Oyo State on August 6, 2014. On January 12, 2015, he became the substantive CJ, leading the judicial division cumulatively for about nine years. YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE checks with the stakeholders, the scorecard of the judicial officer as he bowed out of service.
For Justice Munta Ladipo Abimbola, the recently-retired Chief Judge of Oyo State, the last nine years of his 26 years of unbroken service in the judiciary of Oyo state have brought about an unprecedented turnaround in the state judiciary especially in terms of technological advancements, aimed at reducing the time it takes to conclude cases, thereby eradicating waste of time as well as human, capital and material resources.
As determined as he was, to ensure the state judiciary thrives and operates in line with global best practices, Justice Abimbola did not just jump into his assignment; he started his tenure as the Chief Judge of Oyo State with a blueprint, in which he itemised what he labelled his six-point agenda, which revolved around ensuring a conducive atmosphere filled with peace, love and respect among personnel, fortification of security, workplace transformation, a more effective adjudication and justice administration process as well as his intentional efforts to ensure justice is seen to be done in all situations.
Justice Abimbola, immediately he was sworn in, focused on improving the working environment of staff in line with the belief that having a conducive work environment goes a long way in aiding productivity. He ensured that buildings were renovated and there were good office spaces, with adequate working tools and standard equipment for all staff. Further, knowing that a good office and equipment is not enough without adequate security, he beefed up security by employing more security men who were kitted with customised uniforms, boots and necessary apparatus to effectively carry out their assignments.
It was during his tenure that the whole court stem was restructured to create a more functional and effective administrative base and as a result, about 10 magistrates that had been on the same position for over a decade were all elevated to positions of Deputy Chief Registrars while administrative divisions were created; litigation department, judgment enforcement unit, process service unit, library service, appeal section, community service unit, family court unit, and reorganisation of probate section, to expand areas of operation in the department.
Justice Abimbola in line with the power conferred on him in Order7 Rule 1{I) of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2010 appointed two court process servers to compliment the services of court bailiffs and registered 12 bondsmen to serve as registered sureties for defendants in criminal trials to process bail without extortion.
He facilitated the appointment of judges, court administrators, created five more judicial divisions to bring justice to the doorsteps of citizens and created the Customary Court of Appeal. Indeed, Justice Abimbola’s tenure was a period of innovations, advancements and introduction of technological processes to court administration. This and many other reasons is why he is held in high esteem in the country’s judicial circle and why many continue to urge him to even in retirement continue to impart his wealth of knowledge and experience to improve the lots of the younger generation in the country’s judiciary.
Testimonials
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Oyo State, Professor Oyelowo Oyewo (SAN) described Justice Abimbola’s judicial career as 26 years of unbroken, impactful and unblemished service which has put Oyo State on the pedestal of one of the best in the country in terms of best practices and technological innovation.
On her part, the Chief Registrar of the Oyo State judiciary, Mrs S.A. Oyediran, stated that “Justice M.L. Abimbola has recorded unprecedented and laudable achievements in the history of Oyo State judiciary. It is a known fact that Justice Abimbola is an erudite scholar of comprehensive understanding and the most distinguished Chief Judge with unprecedented laudable achievements in the history of Oyo State judiciary.”
Also speaking, the President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), represented by Oluseun Abimbola (SAN), stated that Justice Abimbola has done a lot in the state in terms of access to justice, efficient justice system, alternative dispute resolution, prison decongestion and effective implementation of the child rights law among many laudable efforts.
For many judiciary staff in the state, the accolades can never be enough as they had never seen the judiciary operate at such heights before Justice Abimbola assumed office as the Chief Judge. They stated that his was a period of many firsts and working in the judiciary was a pleasant experience under him.
Many are indeed his innovations; according to the Chief Registrar, “the numerous achievements of Justice Abimbola since he was sworn in as the Chief Judge of Oyo State On January 12, 2015 include the renovation of various court rooms across all districts in the state, creation of effective administrative base for justice administration, establishment of Oyo State Customary Court of Appeal, establishment of Oyo State Multidoor Court House, establishment of Oyo State Family Court in response to growing cases of abuse and violations of the right of the child which manifest as sexual abuse, female genital mutilation, neglect, physical and emotional abuse, child labour, violence against children and other related vices as provided for under the Child Rights Laws of Oyo State 2016.
“He also expanded the jurisdiction of the family court to Oke Ogun, established community service to complement the sentencing process in adjudication, commissioned new high court and magistrate court for Saki, commissioned new magistrate court at Ago Are and Okaka, commissioned magistrate court also at Ikoyi Ile to take justice to every nook and cranny of the state.
“Justice Abimbola also drafted the Administration of Justice Rules 2022, reviewed previous Hugh Court Civil Procedure Rules 2010 in 2022, implemented the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Oyo State 2016, created the judiciary website and online affidavit called the e-affidavit, and through the magnanimity of Justice Abimbola, the entire staff of the judiciary including magistrates benefitted from various developmental projects and achieved personal growths in diverse forms; promotion as at when due, training and workshops, salary increments, yearly award or staff with prices and procurement of cars for chief registrars, chief magistrates and senior magistrates by the state government through concerted efforts by Justice Abimbola, Mrs Oyediran enumerated.
As part of efforts to embrace global best practices and development in terns of justice delivery, the Oyo State judiciary under Justice Abimbola took giant strides in deploying technology to the court system and the result of this effort, includes the adoption of the Nigeria Case management system for electronic filing and case management, electronic court recording system, electronic affidavit, judges’ performance evaluation software, e- probate and the small claims court billed to take off next year.
The “family” judge
Justice Abimbola, despite his busy administrative schedule did not neglect his work as an arbiter in the temple of justice; indeed, he takes on contentious cases to protect the hallowed name of the judiciary from being soiled. One of his judgments delivered on Friday, March 1, 2019, which was exclusively reported by Saturday Tribune of March 2, 2019, titled ‘Divorce your wife and lose your property’ has become a landmark judgment which had been discussed on various platforms and has continued to generate reactions because it defied culture and made a case for protection of women especially when love turns sour.
The judgment was in a divorce suit delineated I/169/no15 before Justice Abimbola in High Court 1 of the High Court complex, Ring road, Ibadan. It has been generally and by consensus described as his star judgment as it gave pronouncement that has been held as a landmark in gender protection and has continued to generate unprecedented reactions especially within the community of gender advocacy activists.
Justice Abimbola had held that the property in contention following the couple’s divorce was jointly owned having been built when the marriage was still intact. He had in line with the provisions of Section 17 of the Married Women Property Law of Oyo State 2000 Cap 83 held that the completed house should be retained and the wife and children should be in possession of it as the matrimonial home as the children have a right as beneficial owners and the wife can remain there as long as she remains unmarried.
He had further ordered that the uncompleted building in the compound be sold and the proceeds equally shared with the half given the wife, to serve the purpose of maintaining the children and funding their education.
He also restrained the husband from disturbing the wife and children in the quiet possession of the house and must continue to maintain the children who are with his wife.
As he bowed out with garlands decorating him for his many achievements, Justice Abimbola, described as the pioneer of modern Oyo judiciary stated that “Glory to God, I am fulfilled. As I look forward to my next journey into the unknown, I believe the will of the Almighty God will illuminate my path. Those of us familiar with the story of Noah understand that there is a life after the ark. Retirement is a precious gift; an experience I look forward to and a pathway to greater freedom. I am immensely proud of years past and I am exceedingly hopeful for the future. I remain optimistic, full of life and grateful for the years I have lived and what I have been able to achieve.”
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then