Lawyers, Shariah Judges At Daggers Drawn In Bauchi

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Masoyi Lusa

law-justice-courtLawyers in Bauchi State have accused Judges of Shariah courts in the state of denying them and their litigants the right of audience.

Universalreporters247.com  learnt that the Shariah Judges are angry because there was a fracas between a Shariah court judge and a lawyer last week and due to this the Judges allegedly are shunning Lawyers in the state in solidarity with their colleague.

Our Correspondent went to one of the courts located at Tashan Babiye get the reaction of the judge who was one of the judges being accused of denying Lawyers and their litigants the right of audience but court officials said he was not around.

Some of the lawyers who expressed displeasure at the development said it was a clear violation of section 36 sub-section 6 c of the 1999 Constitution.

Narrating his experience, a legal practitioner in the state, Barrister Usman Kabir,  said he was denied audience when had a matter at the Shariah court in Doya in Bauchi Metropolis last Wednesday.

Kabir said he was in court as early as 9 am that day only for the judge to come to court by 11 and said he was not going to listen to any lawyer.

“He said as long as is a case involving any lawyer he won’t be involved.  He didn’t give me any reason. By implication he has denied lawyers the right of audience before the court. The case had to be adjourned, “he said.

Barrister Kabir said a similar incident happened when he took a matter before the Shariah court at Kobi Sama before Honorable Habib last Thursday.

“The judge was in court and our matter was called upon. While in the course of proceeding another judge Hon Abdulmalik came in, went to the chamber of the judge while on seat and the court had to take recess. Habib returned to the chamber after a while and both of them left the out premises without saying anything and by implication abandoning the proceeding”

Another lawyer Barrister Umar Mohammed who also said he was denied the right of audience when he took a matter to an Upper Shariah court in the state capital lamented the development.

“l waited for the Judge up till 12 pm and when he arrived he told us the court was not sitting. I inquired from court officials what the problem was and l was told there was a fracas between a Shariah judge and a lawyer in the state and the Judges are reacting because of what happened”

Barrister Mohammed decried the development saying the actions of the judges’ amount to infringement of the Constitution and the rights of the accused persons who have a right to engage a lawyer and be heard.

Responding the Chief Registrar of the Bauchi State Shariah Court of Appeal, S. M. Sambowal, a legal practitioner denied the allegation saying that Shariah Judges had been attending to litigants and Lawyers. Sambowal who spoke with our Correspondent in his office on the issue, said he had no knowledge or report that any of the judges of the Shariah courts have denied Lawyers rights of audience.

He however challenged our Correspondent to take a trip round the Shariah courts in the state to ascertain whether Judges actually deny Lawyers right of audience.

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