Husband-Snatching Saga: Group Defend Osun Judge

The Civil Societies Coalition for Emancipation of Osun State has risen in defence of Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, who one Mrs. Emily Richard-Obire, accused of snatching her husband.

The group in a statement made available to reporters on Tuesday said it had investigated and found out that Justice (Mrs.) L.A.M. Folami of Ikeja High Court had since dissolved the marriage between the woman and her former husband.

In the statement signed by Chairman and its Director of Mobilisation, Adeniyi Sulaiman and Rev. Theophilus Ayodeji, the group said going by the query dated July 28, 2015 issued to the judge by the National Judicial Council, it appeared that the NJC was falling into the antics of politicians by turning the body into a customary court where marital issues were settled.

They said the woman’s former husband   was free to fall in love with anybody he chose, while criticizing the woman’s counsel, Mr. Femi Falana, for allegedly digging up the case to discredit the judge.

The group accused Falana of working for Governor Rauf Aregbesola to disparage the judge because of her petition to the House of Assembly that the governor should be impeached.

The statement read, 

“Our group has thoroughly investigated that matter and found out that Mr. Falana was a lawyer to Mrs. Richard-Obire in the divorce case filed with her husband, Mr. Ricahrd Obire in 2012 at an Ikeja High Court in Lagos. 

“Already, the case with suit number ID/473HD/2012 has been decided and the court, presided over by Justice (Mrs) L.A.M. Folami had legally dissolved this marriage between Mrs Emily and her former husband and so the case remained closed. We believe that by the law of the federation, Mr. Obire has the right in the world to love whomever he wants and to marry anyone without any prejudice. 

“Our group has it on good authority that Emily’s husband, Mr. Richard Obire, had to file a divorce case because he caught his wife (Emily) having an extra- marital affair with another man outside their wedlock in Ikeja, Lagos State in year 2010. 

“(Although) we are sure that the woman judge was able to defend herself as our check at the state High Court indicated that she had replied to this query through the office of the Chairman of the State Judicial Commission.”

The coalition said members of the group were not surprised that politicians were fighting dirty because of the courage of the judge to tackle the governor based on issues of financial recklessness, but said it was surprised that the NJC allowed itself to be used by these unscrupulous politicians.

The statement further read, 

“We raised the alarm few weeks ago about the over N4.7billion being raised through Operation Save Rauf Aregbesola Project to bribe the NJC members and other stakeholders against Justice Oloyede and with the recent happenings, we hope that the NJC will be able to watch its linen clean in the messy Osun affairs. 

“Is it not an irony that several serious issues and many petitions bordering on judicial misconduct against many judges across the country are before the NJC unattended to, yet, the NJC had all the time to intervene in a marital matter of Justice Oloyede. 

“If this matter had been on with Justice Oloyede since 2011 as claimed by Mrs. Emily Obire, why was she coming out now in 2015 to send a petition to the NJC and at a time she was fighting this battle with Mr. Rauf Aregbesola? 

“Justice Oloyede has the right to love and marry whoever she wants under the law and has the right to practise her religion without any hindrance. We wonder how many family matters NJC will need to settle among several judges in the federation. 

“We understand the diversionary tactics of Aregbesola and his cronies over the weighty evidences of corruption presented by this erudite judge against the governor. But for the NJC to have fallen into this trap beats our imagination as coalition of civil societies.”