The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has warned politicians and Nigerians at large not to disregard the rule of law.
The CJN also warned Nigerians against contempt of the judiciary, saying he would not the violation of rule of law under his watch.
Justice Ariwoola gave the warning at the Conference of Attorneys General in Abuja on Tuesday.
The CJN, who was represented by a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, stated that the silence of the judiciary must not be mistaken for weakness or vulnerability, adding that no Nigerian is permitted to take the law into his or her hands.
He said: “I wish to let whoever cares to listen know that nobody no matter his or her position in society should mistake our golden silence for weakness or vulnerability.
“The judiciary under my watch will not sit by the sidelines to watch the temple of justice and ministers of justice being flagrantly chastised and whipped into silence.
“No one in this country is permitted under any guise to take the law into his or her hands simply because he or she has the guns to wield.”
The CJN added that judicial officers must not be intimated in the country, saying: “Oppression and suppression of perceived enemies must not have a bearing on your conduct.
“Judicial officers must not suffer intimidation and chastisement and chief justices must not go cap-in-hand to beg for funds to run their courts.”
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