Justice Hassan Babangida of the FCT High Court, Court 20 is a painstaking judge. A day in his court is undoubtedly a good day for upcoming lawyers to pick one or two things about the legal profession.
In an age when everyone want quick fix, even in jurisprudence, the old time judge, who diligently and painstakingly listens and gives parties long ropes to pull is always an attraction to some of us.
In a litigation that has spanned about fourteen years, the revered Justice …. will in the next couple of days finally have the opportunity of listening to the cross-examination of the complainant, Austin Moore Okoro who has waited close to twenty years for justice.
How it all began
Austine Moore Okoro was an Abuja resident and a very influential man until his path crossed that of Pastor Lazarus Mouka, the General Overseer of Lords Chosen Charismatic Revival church.
He operated from his church headquarters bases in Lagos and is well known all over the country .
After a series of encounters, Austine Moore Okoro became a close confidant to the General Overseer so much so that he was in charge of some specific activities relating to his personal safety. He was virtually an aide he could not do without.
As stated in one of the papers before the court, Austine Moore introduced Lazarus Mouka to almost 20 ‘big men for prayers and these men sowed seeds worth millions of Naira into his ministry’.
Stating further, the Applicant claimed that having built confidence in him, Mouka gave him a bank draft worth 3 million Naira to help in upgrading a property in Gwarimpa, Abuja. Their relationship became so close that he entrusted money for property purchases as well as other personal dealings with Austin Moore Okoro to handle.
The thaw in their relationship however came into fore over one of such dealings. Mouka purchased a property and land grabbers attempted taking it away from him. He called his trusted aide, Okoro to help him out after the land grabbers requested for 50million Naira.
Mouka claimed he was ready to pay the 50 milllon as long as the land grabbers will not come back.
According to a document cited by this writer, Lazarus Mouka agreed and signed that he would pay Okoro 50million Naira for services rendered.
These services include “buying of my FHA Asokoro House and Recovering of his property in Mabushi from Alhaji Gimbal and others”.
The document bearing the Lord’s Chosen letterhead also bears a signature as well as rubber stamp stamp of the Church.
According to our investigation, the document as well as cheques issues by the Church General Overseer have been an issue between both parties for the past fourteen years.
Curiously, Lazarus Mouka denied the agreement, and also denied issuing cheques which he gave by proxy. But the signatures on the agreement tallies with his signature.
He subsequently filed a case of forgery against Austin Moore Okoro at an Abuja court in Wuse Zone 6. This was even as the latter tried to make the court compel him to honour his agreement and pay the money he promised. The forgery charge took a dangerous dimension as Austin Moore Okoro ended up in four different prisons at not less than eight different times during the course of the trial. It was obvious that the trial was meant to break him. But it didn’t.
In his bid to ensure that Austin Moore Okoro dropped his demand, the Applicant claimed that Mouka ‘used his position as the General Overseer of Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival church to use the Police Force to intimidate me and alleged in his petition to the Police that I forged the document (that is the agreement between the two parties) and within 24 hours of my arrest, I was charged in (sic) the Chief Magistrate Court Zone 6 Abuja for forging (sic) and I have not been convicted’.
It was gathered that Okoro won all four criminal cases that were filed at the instance of Lazarus Mouka.
Painstaking Judge and a test for the judiciary
The issues before Justice Hassan Babangida are however not so easy. That he has painstakingly listened to the major issues surrounding the case, all through several adjournments, read in some quarters as time-wasting, shows his own strength of character. Others of lesser character traits would have easily looked for a way to throw out the case leaving the aggrieved to his fate.
Perhaps the first major breakthrough in the case came at the last sitting when he allowed verified cheques from banks, which are relevant to the case of the Applicant to be tendered despite the protestations of the Counsel to Lazarus Mouka.
The body language of the judge overwhelmingly shows that he understands the games being played by the Respondent.
At each point the case was to move forward, Mouka’s lawyer had always thrown technicalities into the wheel of the court and the painstaking judge will always allow him to have his say but not his way.
As the next scheduled sitting of the court the Applicant is expected to mount the witness box. It promises to be interesting. Sources claim that Austin Moore Okoro’s grouse arise not only from the fact that Lazarus Mouka denied him, denied his entitlements but also went to court to claim that he forged the documents.
Perhaps the High Court would benefit from the case of forgery against the Applicant if he pleads the lower court’s judgement. That is now in the realm of conjectures. And only Mouka would know why he decided to discontinue the case which eventually gave the Applicant the leeway to demand his rights.
Nigerian judiciary has in recent times come under a lot of pressures, some from self-inflicted wounds.
Not a few in the bar are as well as well as in the media have followed the Austin Moore Okoro vs Lazarus Mouka saga. Pictures of the two together when the going was good are all over the media. Some of the closest aides to Mouka had also allegedly waded into the matter imploring him to reach an agreement with Okoro so that they can both move on.
Will justice be served and or seen to be served? The ball is surely in the dogged Justice’s court.
