Editorial: The Nigerian Bench In The Gambia Is A Threat To Justice!

The rogue Nigerian Chief Justice Emmanuel Agim has been busy trying to blackmail the Gambian Bar Association with his false claims that the Bar is a threat to judicial independence in this country. Twenty four hours has passed gone without the Gambian Bar rejecting Agim’s lies and smear campaign. 

We all know for a fact that the threat to Gambia’s judicial system is the renegade Nigerian judges, magistrates, and their employer the Kanilai monster Yahya Jammeh. These are the mercenary so called legal luminaries paid to do a dirty job for our sub-regional “rejected President” Yahya Jammeh.

The hiring of Gambians to serve on the Bench makes no difference when it comes to adjudicating justice in this country.  The false imprisonments, fines, and bail denials meted out to Gambian people facing civil and criminal litigation are being executed by the Nigerian rogue judges.

The Gambian Bench by extension are just out there to legitimize a flawed legal system, but in practical terms they are toothless bulldogs. They preside over cases of lesser importance to Jammeh, who decides the fate of high profile accused persons through his Nigerian partners in judicial crimes.

The renegade so called CJ Agim will not assign cases that are of interest to his boss Yahya Jammeh to our men and women on the Bench.  Agim works  in tandem with Jammeh and his Nigerian folks in an attempt to defeat justice. 

In the case of the Gambia, it reminds us about the saying that “the blind man” leading the congregation.  A perfect case of an example.  Emmanuel Agim lacks the moral fortitude, professionalism, and independence to lead our judiciary.

It’s an insult to the Gambia and her people to have  a person of Agim’s type to preside over the nation’s judicial system. Here is a man who used to struggle every morning to board the Banjul/Serre-Kunda taxis to go to work when he was newly hired at the AG Chambers under the Nigerian Technical Assistance Program. He was a junior counsel then. He rose through the ranks to the position of DPP, and CJ now. How do you expect such a rogue CJ to be impartial Gambia? 

Agim will never advocate for the independence of the judiciary.  He has been a stooge for the state, including Yahya Jammeh. His continued employment as CJ,  depends largely on Agim’s  ability, willingness and determination to help the dictator to fulfill his ambition—that’s to falsely jail his opponents and political foes.

Another fact worth noting about the Nigerian mercenary judges is their lack of qualification to secure high paying jobs in their native country Nigeria.  The likes of Agim will starve to death should they be forced to return to Nigeria. No serious law firm, or Government agency will employ such legal novice. 

To give the devil its due, Agim was partly right when he talked about the ineffectiveness of the Gambian Bar, even though he fails to provide compelling arguments to back up his claims. His assertions about the Bar trying to hijack the administration of justice in the Gambia could not be substantiated.  It was a mere false accusations devoid of the truth.

We agree with Agim that the Gambian Bar is partly complicit to the crimes perpetrated by his Nigerian cabal mercenary judges since the Bar lacks the audacity to challenge the naked injustices taking place in this country.

A credible Bar would have compelled the “fake judiciary” to adhere to the dictates of  Jammeh’s toilet paper constitution.  A credible Bar would have organized protest marches to condemn the immoral behavior of the Nigerian Bench. But the Bar is behaving as if business is normal in the Gambia under the face of gross rights abuses.  

The mere fact that the Bar is condoning injustice in the Gambia, it’s a recipe for judicial fraud. The likes of Agim will operate freely without checks and balances.  They can prejudge accused persons well before appearing in court. They can also falsely jail Gambians without having the worry of being criticized by the Bar.

Agim, and his affiliate Gambian partners in crime—notably Pa Harry Jammeh, Benedict Jammeh, Edu Gomez, and Yahya Jammeh have succeeded in intimidating the Gambian Bar to a point that no one here dares challenges the status quo. The Bar is now an extension of  the Executive and the judiciary. There is no serious Bar Association in The Gambia. 

When lawyers are afraid to adequately represent their clients for fear of state reprisal, or speak against injustices then there is a threat to the rule of law. Gambian lawyers are virtually subjects of the dictator. In short,  and plain language, they are submissive to the status quo. No lawyer wants to go to jail in safeguarding justice in the Gambia. 

The Bar has been rendered disintegrated by the dictator with (Jammeh) privately sponsoring new emerging members to rebel against the old guard Bar. The whole idea is to make the Bar looks not credible in the eyes of the Gambian population.

The few radical Gambian lawyers, who had the audacity to expose the power abuses taking place in the country,  have been forced to total submission. We heard about lawyers facing criminal charges entering plea bargaining in exchange for their freedom.  Imagine Mosses Richards of all people writing to Yahya Jammeh pleading for clemency.  How about  Lawyer Lamin Mboge’s criminal case?  

In the Gambia today, people had to negotiate for their rights and freedoms in order to be in the good books of the status quo. There is no semblance of justice in the Gambia.  The judiciary under the leadership of Emmanuel Agim is a joke and also a mockery.

Agim’s misguided pronouncements on  the just concluded Presidential elections presided over by the Independent Electoral Commission is also disturbing to say the least. He openly embraces the IEC’S work—knowing fully well that the judiciary is the bastion of hope in mitigating, or adjudicating electoral fraud in the Gambia. 

For the CJ to openly acknowledge the work of the IEC,  it casts doubt on his impartiality as a neutral judge. How can he effectively litigate among parties crying for electoral fraud in the Gambia?  Will his pro IEC statement affect the administration of justice during his tenure  as the CJ of the Gambia?

The opposition UDP and the United Front have both rejected the election results. Will they trust our sellout CJ to hear their future election petitions   should the need arises?

Judicial impartiality is the cardinal word here. The CJ must assert his independence if he wants to be taken seriously. He should avoid making statements that are likely to bring disrepute to his person, or office.

To conclude, Agim’s claims that the Gambian Bar is a threat to justice is a fat lie. It’s a figment of his own imagination. To the contrary, the Nigerian Bench is a threat to justice and the freedoms of peace loving Gambians. We rest our case.