By Innocent Anaba

LAGOS— The Oba of Shasha Kingdom in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, Oba Babatunde Ogunronbi, has asked the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, to intervene over alleged plots by some persons working in  connivance  with a judge of the court  to forcefully and unlawfully dethrone him as the Oba of Shasha Kingdom.

The monarch, in a letter to the Justice Auta, is praying him to use his good office to check what he called flagrant abuse of judicial powers  by one Justice Musa Kurya of the Federal High Court, Lagos  in suit N0 FHC/L/CS/1665/2013 between Babatunde Ismail and others Vs. Inspector General of Police and others.

In the letter dated June 28, 2016, the  traditional ruler  alleged that one Justice  Kurya in the course of a case on May 23, 2016, blatantly refused to hear from his lawyer and in an incredible twist, openly called on Alhaji Tijani to present warrant of execution for him to sign for the execution of the judgment.

According to him, it was worthy to note that the judgment, which Justice Kurya had openly declared his intention to sign a warrant of execution, was in respect of a chieftaincy matter.

The judge, he alleged, indulged one Alhaji Abdul-Rauf Tijani, not being a lawyer to address the court  for more than one hour on behalf of other parties in the course of his case on May 23, 2016.

He also said when the case came thereafter,  on June 27, the judge refused to entertain any arguments from his lawyer in respect of the application for stay of execution, insisting that there was no stamp of the Court of Appeal on the notice of appeal despite the fact that the notice of appeal had been filed at the Registry of the Federal High Court.

The case, he said was  filed by way of enforcement of fundamental human rights, while the application were represented by a non lawyer but  judgment was granted against him in the sum of N30 million within two months of filing the case.

He stressed that the said  judgment was  appealed against  and Justice Kurya himself ordered stay of execution and an injunction pending determination of the appeal but later vacated the stay.

According to him even some of the applicants,  who Alhaji Tijani claimed to represent have disassociated  themselves from the case and applied to Justice Kurya  to set aside the judgment on the ground of fraud and misrepresentation.

“Specifically, two  of the applicants, whose Alhaji Tijani represented to get the judgment have indeed challenged the judgment and sought to set it aside even though the judgement was in their favour, on the account of  fraud and concealment of some facts in the matter.

“In the application brought under  the fundamental human right  enforcement procedure by Babatunde Akinlowo and nine other on behalf of themselves and Akinlowo Olaife royal family of Shasha, the plaintiff  urged the court to set aside the judgment made in default of defence against the respondents, which included the Oba of Shasha on December 14, 2014 on the grounds of fact revealing fraud and misrepresentation.

“Despite the appeal and the application to set aside the judgment, justice Kurya overruled his earlier order and vacated the order of stay of execution and injunction pending appeal,” he added.