A senior advocate of Nigeria, Jibrin Okutepa, has said those promoting the news of the alleged meeting between the chief justice of Nigeria, Kayode Ariwoola and president-elect, Bola Tinubu are sick.
An online news newspaper had alleged that Mr Ariwoola was sighted in the United Kingdom in a wheelchair, purportedly planning hold a clandestine meeting with Mr Tinubu.
But Mr Tinubu’s media office, in a statement, described the report as fake news.
Reacting to the report in a Twitter thread on Friday, Mr Okutepa blamed the deteriorating state of the judicial arm for the embarrassing report.
He also bemoaned some legal practitioners who joined in spreading the report, describing it as a sacrilege.
“The legal profession is sick and on oxygen in Nigeria. The ethics and etiquette of the profession are gone. No sanctions. Otherwise, how do we explain the news making round even amongst lawyers that a whole Chief Justice of Nigeria disguises himself to meet a named politician.
“And some Nigerian lawyers are posting it. What a shame. So because CJN was seen on wheelchairs, means his lordship is disguising himself to meet politician. What a sacrilege. Why did the legal profession deteriorate to this level.
“Nobody is feeling bad that the CJN may not be well and had to be on a wheelchair. No empathy. But we can speculate on unfounded and unverified story. No reasonable person should promote falsehood. I think those promoting this news are sick. We must not destroy our judiciary,” Mr Okutepa wrote.
