There was a mild drama lasting three hours, this past Wednesday, at the Cross River State High Court No. 5, said to be presided over by the Hon. Justice Obojor Ogar.
Calitown.com sources say, Joe Agi, SAN, had arrived the Court to attend to a matter but put his matter temporarily on hold, when he discovered that in Court to prosecute a matter was another lawyer (name witheld) who was recently de-roped on the recommendations of a disciplinary committee set to look into allegations of professional misconduct levelled against the man.
Agi is said to have drawn the Judge’s attention to the fact that having been stripped of his rights and priviledges, the lawyer was legally barred from appearing in Court to pursue any legal matter. Irked by Agi’s submission, the said man, standing before the Judge, insisted that his until his matter is finally determined by the highest Court in the land, he has a right to appear in court as a lawyer.
At this point the Senior Advocate of Nigeria insisted that if the de-robing has been effected by the body responsible for professionally regulating the activities of lawyers, only the pronouncement of a superior Court of law can set aside the penalty. Arguments and counter-arguments followed until the presiding Judge granted Agi’s position, ordering the lawyer to accordingly de-robe and desist from parading himself as a lawyer until such a time when he hopefully gets a judgement in his favour.
A shell shocked courtroom watched as the man de-robed, was escorted out of the Court while he still protested .
