The Story behind Fatunn Riman’s emergence as a Judge

Just to keep my promise on this subject which l made when the now popular piece l did earlier titled – My Grouse with Fatunn Riman got into public space which is a critique of the controversial trial of the pre-election matter and subsequent judgment delivered by him recently. If you are yet to read check my wall or get a copy of Global Concord of Monday 13th March -15th, 2017 among other print media . l have decided to take on this matter to keep that promise. Not until recently when Fatunn Riman a lawyer, one time politician and now a judge at the Federal High Court 2, Uyo delivered an ostracized judgment in the pre-election matter between Bassey Etim and Distinguished Senator Bassey Albert, Senator representing Akwa Ibom North East in the 8th senate and Chair Senate Committee on Gas not much was in public domain as to his appalling handling of cases probably due to poor reportage or for the traditional respect for judges even when the likes of Riman have rubbished that deference . A judge who will allow judgment to be pre-written or write judgment as if he is the head of the legal team of the plaintiff or allow his secretary to leak judgment to the plaintiff,is that one a judge? An encounter with this Cross River born judge even in minutes will encapsulate impressions of a garrulous man, easily infuriated fellow, very unforgiving human and an easy sell out to conscience judge.
You may wish to ask how come l have concluded that Riman is a very unforgiving human? The answer is that for the time the trial lasted at his court, he repeatedly made reference to the petition raised and submitted by Distinguished Senator Bassey Albert to the National Judicial Council (NJC) accusing him of bias in the matter. Each time Riman thinks of the petition as it has become an attachment in his career file he frowns and goes through some queasiness of sort. That obviously had dovetail in the wacky or ridiculous judgment he had written before hand.
A Journalist called me the other day and asked how so sure am l that the judgment was pre-written and I made him to reason with me that Riman called for written addresses by both counsels of both parties on Friday 24th February, 2017 and on Monday 27th February, 2017 by 9:00am, Riman was ready with a 53 page document called judgment. If l take into consideration that his two secretaries don’t come to work on Saturday and Sunday then we have the basis to query the speed of his judgment being ready. Then two, how come as he was reading the judgment in Uyo, Bassey Etim was already in Abuja with a certified true copy of the judgment pressing on INEC to issue him with a certificate of Return not to talk of his unusual acceptance of the media into the court room when he will ask his police detail to excuse any known Journalist out of the court on other days.
Fast forward to how he became a judge, Riman had in the course of the pre-election trial as he is wont told a full court session that he became a judge based on his strong ties with Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita the current Head of Service of the Federation. She contacted Riman then as a lawyer to handle a matter she had with one Effiong Atautop, a notable and highly feared police officer in Calabar then over a property Atautop had tried to take away from the Oyo-itas when her husband died. Riman went through the case successfully, did unbelievable things to make it happen according to him and was handsomely paid by her, that largesse formed the cost of his personal house in Abi. The voluble Riman had narrated how he was denied the position of Head of Chambers at Chief Ndoma Egba’s chambers in Calabar then and was given to a lawyer from Ndoma –Egba’s village. According to him the spoil of the position made the lawyer to take a girl to a hotel where he was found dead later. Riman said they all felt touched, Ndoma –Egba was forced to give the position to him (Riman) eventually. It was when the chambers went for the lawyer’s burial that he discovered that he did not have a house of his own even when he made so much money, so he (Riman) took a decision to build his own house in his village. It was perfected by the cash that came from Oyo-ita at the time and he built his massive home.
When it came to appointment of judges, Mrs Winifred Oyo-ita took Riman’s appointment as her slot and that was it, he became a judge . But from the commentary of Riman in court at one time in the course of the trial l witnessed most times neglecting the matter that brought counsels and litigants he is sometimes surprised that he is now a judge deciding the fate of other humans in their affairs. ‘’Sometimes when l remove my clothes and l lie naked on my bed I ask myself is this me a judge? Where are those that stripped me of being a Chairman of Abi Local Government Area in Cross River State then, their positions were tenured but here l am’’ Riman stressed.
To give a political chronicle of Riman, he once contested for the office of Chairman in Abi LGA and lost on account of rejection by his people but he will not fail to tell who cares to listen to him that Elder Statesman, Chief Anani then political leader of Abi LGA in synergy with former Gov Liyel Imoke denied him the opportunity even when findings shows that he is a minus politically in his base – Abi. He thereafter said goodbye to politics at least one has not heard of another ambition from him.
From the foregoing, it is obvious that

Riman may find it difficult to forgive people talk less of doing justice to all manner of persons without fear or favour. The manner in which he handled the pre-election matter recently tells me convincingly that it is about Riman’s facade and not what the law says. There is an absolute need for the National Judicial Council (NJC) to take a careful look at the activities of the judge and take steps to redeem the image of the judiciary in no distant future using Riman as a case study.