By Gabriel Ewepu, ABUJA

A major Igbo socio-cultural organisation, under the auspices of Anyi-Anyi, Thursday, congratulated the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, on his new appointment.

This was contained in a statement signed by the National Leader, Anyi-Anyi, Anthony Okolo, hailed President Bola Tinubu for his choice by appointing Fagbemi as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.

Okolo who is a legal practitioner described the appointment of Fagbemi as a legal colossus of distinguished character and career, and manifestation of esteem within the legal fraternity, and added that Fagbemi is a “lawyer of lawyers”, therefore assured the AGF of Ndigbo’s unalloyed support.

The statement reads in part,
“As a socio-cultural group, Anyi-Anyi has immense admiration for the new AGF because of his esteemed reputation as an erudite legal expert with remarkable skills, ethical integrity and knowledge.

“We have unwavering confidence in Fagbemi’s ability to excel in his new role as the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation.

“His extensive experience and profound grasp of legal principles has uniquely equipped him to navigate the intricate challenges posed by the absence of true rule of law in Nigeria.”

According to him (Okolo), Fagbemi’s appointment signals an opportunity for positive change, urging him to epitomise the traits of a true and patriotic Attorney General, guided by the principles of justice and the rule of law.

He said Anyi Anyi acknowledges Fagbemi’s capacity to handle the multifaceted tasks and duties that his office as Attorney General of the Federation carries.

However, he pointed out that it is imperative under his tenure for the judiciary to restore and rekindle hope and faith of Nigerians in the justice system and due processes, which have over the years been plagued with diverse challenges.

He also called for reforms within the Nigerian legal profession and judicial system, while making it clear that the new Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation needs to urgently decongest the Supreme Court by appointing more judges and enhancing access to justice through digitalization of the judiciary.

Meanwhile, he said now is the time for the judicial system in the country to come up with innovative solutions, a dedicated budget for the payment of judgment debts, and to hold collaborative stakeholders’ meetings to chart a path toward justice reform.

Anyi-Anyi also called on the Minister to ensure a merit-based recruitment processes within the judiciary and to approach his responsibilities with unwavering dedication and courage.

Recalling his exceptional performance during his Senate screening, Okolo underscored Fagbemi’s assertion that “bad laws operated by good men” are preferable to “good laws being operated by bad men.”

However, Anyi-Anyi in the statement begged the new AGF to release Nnamdi Kanu, unconditionally to pave the way for genuine national reconciliation and healing.

The organisation told the Minister to urgently look into the case of Kanu who having been discharged of all criminal charges, but had unfortunately, remained in detention only as a prisoner of conscience.

“This is the right time to lay the issue of Nnamdi Kanu to rest permanently. In view of the host of national challenges facing the federation, we shouldn’t allow the continued unlawful detention of Kanu and other prisoners of conscience to linger on unnecessarily, as it is a needless distraction to the task of nation-building that faces the current government.

“Release him and let us move on as a people. Then we can kickstart the process of genuine national reconciliation”, the statement added.