'A Few Questions For Chief Magistrate A.O. Adedayo' By Adesina Ogunlana

Vol 8 No 3 8th October 2007

THE LEARNED SQUIB


When you are the First Gecko, only few elements of the Lagos Judiciary care to exchange greetings with you in public, not to talk of holding conversations with you where the Big Brother or as it used to be, the Big Sister of the Lagos Judiciary could see you. We all know the reason why. The First Gecko is officially and unofficially Public Enemy No 1 of the Lagos Judiciary, at least in the eyes of the successive chief judges since 2001. One of the few judges or magistrates who readily welcome a discussion with the First Gecko during official hours, without looking furtively about is Chief Magistrate A.O. Adedayo. The pleasant lady who readily banters with the publisher of the “obnoxious Squib magazine” knowing fully well that the reports of the gecko’s poisonousness are grossly exaggerated.

But on a certain day in July 2007, the Chief Magistrate was not prepared to see her “outlaw” friend. Incidentally, it was the day that about 80 young ladies were arraigned before her court for a curious reason and a curious offence, namely, “indecent dressing or conducting yourself in a manner likely to cause the breach of the peace.” Magistrate A.O. Adedayo’s court was a bedlam that day. True.

The unusually large numbers of accused persons was itself overwhelming. But what heightened the uproar was the certainly unusual bail condition that sureties must deposit the bail bond of N20,000.00 with the court before accused could be released.

From his prime observatory, the First Gecko heard and saw the cacophonous market the court of Chief Magistrate A. O Adebayo turned to especially after her wonderful landmark ruling. Really, a lot of water passed under the bridge that day as some people including a crop of legal practitioners infamously known as “charge and bail” lawyers reaped mightily from the woes of the unfortunate accused persons. Some concerned, if rather overzealous lady lawyers reported certain sordid acts involving officials of the court that unforgettable afternoon to the First Gecko, acts they claimed they witnessed as scores of accused persons who managed to pay the prosecutor various amounts of money (N3000.00, N5,0000.00) had their names ticked on a list and allowed to go home while those who couldn’t were taken to Area ‘F’ Police Station for detention.

The First Gecko was cool about this horrendous report. So he went into the court to enquire from his friend. Well, to his surprise, the friend would not see him.

At least, not on that day, so said Registrar of the court, the honourable and venerable official popularly called “Alhaji.” After the glorious day, there have been debates on the propriety and legality of the landmark ruling of Chief Magistrate A. O Adebayo that sureties of the accused persons in the “INDECENT DRESSING” case saga should pay in the bond money. The Magistrate herself reportedly defended herself and quite robustly too, I was told saying she acted well within her powers as magistrate.

Somehow, the First Gecko have this irresistible itch to ask his friend the following questions:

{a} Before July 2007, how many times have you ever ordered sureties to pay in bond money?

{b} After July 2007 how many times have you ordered sureties to pay in bond money?

{c} If the answer tot either ‘a’ or ‘b’ above is the negative, ”what made the July 2007 INDECENT DRESSING CASE different and special?

Juts a few questions, you see, from one friend to another.