‘S’Court is angry’

The Supreme Court at the weekend said it is angry over an unfounded allegation by some mischief makers in the social media alleging that one of its Justices travelled to Benin City a few days ago on account of a political case recently filed before it.

The apex bench which spoke on the issue on Saturday warned members of the public against further peddling of falsehood and mischievous reports against Justices on its bench empannelled to hear sensitive political cases, saying such act has dangerous consequences for the judiciary and the nation’s democracy.

In a statement signed by its Director of Information, Dr Festus Akande, the Supreme Court said it would no longer tolerate such deliberate falsehood being propagated to lower integrity of individual Justices and the judiciary.

The statement urged commentators on judicial matters to always exercise responsibility, discretion and restraint in their comments.

The statement reads in part “The attention of the Supreme Court has been drawn to a disturbing and false narrative being circulated on social media and certain online platforms alleging that a Justice of the Supreme Court travelled to Benin City on account of a political case recently filed before the Court.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Honourable Justice in question travelled to Benin City on Thursday, 12th June, 2025 to attend the funeral rites of the late mother of Mr. Hannibal Uwaifo, a senior member of the Bar and immediate past President of the African Bar Association.

“Prior to the journey, the said Justice formally sought and obtained permission from the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria to embark on the trip.

“This private visit was strictly for the purposes of condolence and bereavement as is customary and humane.

“The Honourable Justice neither attended any political meeting nor solicited for inclusion on any panel as falsely alleged.

“In fact, apart from the funeral service held at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church and a brief stop at the service of songs, the Honourable Justice retired to his hotel room without attending any further gatherings or receptions.

“The image being circulated purportedly as evidence merely shows the Justice returning alone to his hotel, hardly a basis for the sensational claims being peddled.

“The Supreme Court wishes to state unequivocally that this sort of baseless speculation and malicious conjecture, especially when publicly propagated by persons who ought to know better is not only unhelpful but also deeply harmful to the integrity of the Judiciary.

“We strongly urge members of the public, especially commentators on judicial matters to exercise responsibility and discretion.

“Where there is any doubt or lack of clarity, the appropriate step is to seek verification from the Supreme Court through its official communication channels rather than resorting to the spread of falsehoods aimed at maligning the image of the Justices or bringing the judiciary into disrepute.

“The judiciary remains committed to upholding the rule of law and will not be distracted by deliberate attempts to undermine its credibility”, the statement added.