Celebrating Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN at 70

Tribute to a Great and Quintessential Bar Man

It gives me great joy to join numerous well-wishers and admirers in celebrating my friend of over four decades, the quintessential and celebrated Lawyer and iconic Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Wole Olanipekun OFR, SAN, LL.D. A great man of manifest distinction, a foremost community leader and enabler of human and societal development, and a remarkable Nigerian patriot.

Nobility of Character

It was Alfred Adler, the Austrian medical doctor renowned for his holistic theory of personality, psychopathology and psychotherapy, who rightly observed that ‘’men of genius are admired, men of wealth are envied, men of power are feared, but only men of character are trusted”. All over the world, particularly in advanced climes, men of intellect and people who in the true sense of the word are noble and honourable in thoughts and deeds, are highly venerated far above men of means and wealth. This implies that nobility of character is a more valuable and dignifying asset, than other material assets. It is this category of men that my friend, the man of the moment belongs.

A personable gentleman of esteemed and enviable pedigree who possesses high social capital, Chief Olanipekun rose through a dint of hard work and commitment to excellence to the zenith of his career as a remarkable legal practitioner with élan, admired gravitas and a behemothic status.

On the Nigerian legal arena, Chief Olanipekun stands out like a colossus. He is a man whose mind and orientation have been rightly framed and well-cultivated, for the role God has crafted him to play on the stage of life. He is a man of high attainments, and national recognition.

On this special day, therefore, I celebrate him as my distinguished brother and good friend, who attains the glorious milestone of 70 through the divine Grace of God. He is indisputably a pride of his generation, an illustrious son of Ekiti his home State, and Nigeria in general, who could be rightly said to be one of the most accomplished, most distinguished and most celebrated Nigerian professionals of this era, and a veritable role model to the coming generation.

This birthday tribute, cannot in any way sufficiently capture the essence of Chief Wole Olanipekun. This is because, his personality, status and impacts are bigger than what one can squeeze into few paragraphs.

As the drumbeats of celebration fill the air, and his friends, associates and admirers toast in celebrating a worthy son of Ekiti and a remarkable Nigerian patriot, I congratulate him as a dear brother and an esteemed friend, for stepping nobly into the league of septuagenarians. It is my fervent prayer that God Almighty will bless him with length of days, peace, joy and all-round fulfilment.

Presido, happy birthday!

Chief Bayo Ojo CON, SAN, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice

Money Laundering Case against Justice Ajumogobia Dismissed by Court of Appeal

The embattled Federal High Court Judge, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, has been freed from money laundering charges brought against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Ambrose Lewis Allagoa, of a Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos on Friday discharged the embattled Judge of the allegations, while granting an application to quash and dismiss the charges, filed and argued by Olawale Akoni, SAN, counsel to the Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia.

While urging the court to dismiss the money laundering charge Akoni, SAN told the court that the application is sequel to an order of Justice Binta M. Nyako of Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, which he said had quashed all the recommendations made by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

Akoni (SAN) also told the court that by virtue of judgement of Justice B.M. Nyako, delivered on November 28, 2019, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/638/2018, between Hon. Justice Rita Ngozi Ofili-Ajumogobia and National Judicial Council. The Judge had quashed NJC’s report and recommendation. And that, Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia has been reinstated.

Responding to the application, counsel to the EFCC, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court that his Commission had responded to the application through a counter-affidavit.

The EFCC, in its counter-affidavit deposed to by John Michael Idoko attached to the Chairman’s Monitoring Unit, that he was informed by S.I. Suleiman Esq., counsel handling this matter that the applicant, Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia had filed an application dated March 23, 2021, seeking this Honourable Court to strike out or quash the charge against the Applicant for being incompetent and lack of jurisdiction to try same by this Honourable Court.

The deponent stated that the Court has the requisite jurisdiction, to hear and determine the allegation of Money laundering levelled against Defendant. And that by a petition dated December 28, 2017 to the NJC, the Commission accused Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia of various acts constituting misconduct under Code of Conduct of Judicial Officers.

The deponent averred that on September 18, 2018, the NJC’s Investigating Committee, upon the conclusion of the hearing of the petition, submitted its report to the Chairman of the Council recommending appropriate sanction to be imposed on Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia by the Council. Adding that on November 7, 2018, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces exercised his constitutional power pursuant to Section 292 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), and dismissed the Applicant as a Judge of the Federal High Court.

The deponent stated that upon the exercise of the aforementioned constitutional power, the President equally transmitted a letter to the NJC informing the Council of his decision. And that Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia has never been acquitted of the offences contained in the instant charge in any Court or Tribunal of competent jurisdiction, within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

He also stated that NJC’s findings and the recommendation to the President and the President’s letter to the Council, are all on the record before the Honourable Court.

He stated that his Commission has seen Defendant/Applicant’s exhibit, wherein His Lordship, Honourable Justice B. F, M. Nyako on November 28, 2019 in Suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/638/2018 between Hon. Justice Rita Ngozi Ofili-Ajumogobia and National Judicial Council held thus: “Consequent on the above finding, I hereby set aside all that the Respondent did in respect of this matter premised on the same issues as in the subject-matter of the trial before the High Court of Lagos State”.

Ruling on the arguments canvassed by the parties, Justice Allagoa held that: “I have looked at the application. I have also looked into the counter-affidavit of the Prosecution, it does not indeed controvert the application.

“I am satisfied that the application has merit, the prayers sought for are hereby granted as prayed”.

The free Judge, Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia was first arraigned on April 18, 2019, before Justice Rilwan Aikawa, alongside, Godwin Obla, SAN, on an 18-count charge of unlawful enrichment, illegal concealment, corruption, forgery and giving false information to an official of the EFCC. The anti-graft agency alleged that the two Defendants allegedly conspired to indirectly conceal the sum of N5,000,000.00 in the Diamond Bank account of Nigel Et Colive Ltd, which sum they reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of unlawful act to wit: unlawful enrichment.

They had both pleaded not guilty to the charge.