An Anambra-based legal practitioner, Barr. Emenike Chioke, has raised an alarm over alleged extortion of one of his clients by a clerk of a magistrate court in the state.
Barr. Chioke, a Managing Partner of the Top Law & Attorneys, raised the alarm in a video that is currently trending on social media, showing him as he pours out his mind on an incident that transpired, right inside Court 2 of the Awka Magistrate Court.
According to him, the Magistrate granted his client bail for a minor offense; but, despite that, and despite his client meeting all the bail conditions, the court clerk still demanded a bribe of ₦20,000 before processing the bail bond.
“I am in the premises of Magistrate Court 2, Awka, Anambra State. I am here with my client. You can see us. We are still in court.
“The Honourable Magistrate granted my client bail in a very simple offense, and my client met the conditions of the bail. But the clerk of court said I must give her
20,000 before she would take the records of the surety bond to the Magistrate to sign,” he recounted.
Barr. Chioke further alleged that the court clerk insulted him and called him names when he questioned the demand for money.
Continuing, he said the clerk also claimed that the Magistrate insisted on receiving the ₦20,000 bribe before signing the bail bond, regardless of their objections
Expressing his frustration, the lawyer emphasized that bail should be free in both police stations and courts, adding that no one has the right to demand money before processing a bail bond. He also vowed to return the ₦20,000 cash by Tuesday morning, telling the client not to approach him again as a lawyer if he doesn’t returned the money
“This is the person that went to the Magistrate for him to sign the document and returned back and said that the Magistrate said that he must bring N20,000 Naira.
“Whether we like it or not, if there is no justice for the common man in this court, there will not be justice anywhere. When somebody is granted bail, bail is free.
“In the police station, in court, nobody has rights to demand for any money before bail bond is perfected.
“I promise you, by Tuesday morning, I will return your money, N20,000, cash; I will return it. If I don’t return it, don’t come to me again as a lawyer,” the lawyer concluded.
As at the time of this publication, efforts to speak with the leadership of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in the jurisdiction and the accused court clerk yielded no positive results.
