A retiring Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji, has revealed that the travel ban imposed by the United States government on a seven-member panel of the apex court was caused by the misinterpretation of a judgment delivered by the justices.
Abba Aji made the disclosure on Friday during a valedictory session held in her honour in Abuja, noting that the travel restriction remained in force against the affected justices.
The Yobe-born jurist described the ban as one of the challenges she encountered while serving on the Supreme Court bench, adding that judicial officers sometimes have to endure inconveniences to preserve the integrity of justice.
She is expected to formally retire from the Supreme Court on November 7, having attained the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Recalling the incident, Abba Aji said a judgment delivered by the panel was widely misinterpreted, leading to the United States imposing travel restrictions on all its members.
She also recounted an experience in 2016 when she was attending a programme in Washington DC, United States, and received a call requesting her appearance before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a petition filed against her in Lagos.
According to her, the petition made her a regular visitor to the EFCC office, where she answered questions over corruption allegations, despite maintaining her innocence. She said she was eventually cleared of all the allegations after investigations.
The retiring justice described the period as difficult, saying the allegations and public criticism affected her, while the conservative nature of the judiciary prevented her from publicly defending herself.
She urged younger judges to uphold integrity and make justice their guiding principle, while advising serving judicial officers to discharge their duties with humility and courage.
Earlier, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, congratulated Abba Aji for her dedicated service and described her judicial career as an important example for women in the legal profession.
Also speaking, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, commended her for a judgment which he said led to the establishment of the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
He noted that the institutions had contributed to the government’s efforts to combat corruption.