The woman who jailed two powerful ex governors in Nigeria Justice Adebukola banjoko, Who is she?

This is Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the
Federal Capital Territory High Court who
found former governor of Taraba State,
Reverend Jolly Nyame guilty for criminal
breach of trust on 23rd May 2018.
She was so appalled at Nyame’s brazen
theft of public money that she bellowed:
“There’s no moral justification for the level
of outright theft, and the Court must
therefore, impose a statement, hopefully
as a deterrent to other public officers,
who may be similarly inclined”
Justice Banjoko stated that Nyame, a
clergyman, as governor of Taraba,
breached the trust reposed in him by the
indigenes of the state, when he
misappropriated N250 million which he
approved purportedly for the purchase of
stationery for the state.
In a ruling which lasted more than 4
hours, Justice Banjoko found Nyame guilty
of 16 counts, bordering on criminal
breach of public trust.
The angry judge sentenced him to a total
of 28 years in prison, 14 years of which
was for criminal breach of trust.
4 years ago, Justice Adebukola Banjoko of
the Federal High Court, Gudu, Abuja, while
presiding over the alleged $620,000
bribery suit brought against a member of
the House of Representatives, Farouk
Lawan, withdrew from the case .
The judge ordered that the suit be
returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal
Capital Territory, FCT, Ibrahim Bukar.
Mr. Lawan, a former Chairman of the
House Ad-hoc Committee on Fule Subsidy
Regime, and the Secretary of the
Committee, Boniface Emenalo, are being
prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt
Practices and other related Offences
Commission, for receiving the bribe from
a businessman, Femi Otedola.
The suit commenced on February 2013
when Messrs. Lawan and Emenalo, were
arraigned on a seven-count charge.
Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi had presided
over the suit until his elevation to the
Court of Appeal, the reason it was
assigned to Mrs. Banjoko.
The lawmaker, through his counsel, Mike
Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria,
SAN, had on October 29, 2013 filed an
application demanding the withdrawal of
Mrs. Banjoko, but withdrew it.
Besides, Mr. Lawan personally petitioned
the FCT Chief Judge, alleging that the
judge may likely be bias because of her
close relationship with Mr. Otedola, who is
the accuser and a witness in the case.
Despite the withdrawal of the application
by Mr. Lawan, the judge still quit, saying
that though Mr. Bukar had cleared her of
the allegation against her by the
lawmaker, Mrs. Banjoko said it was a
“scandalous challenge” on her integrity.
She said, “In my 17 years on the bench,
six years and as a magistrate and 11
years as a judge, I have never been
confronted with a scandalous challenge
of my integrity.”
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Mr. Ozekhome,
who withdrew the application he filed on
behalf of his client, pleaded with the
judge that day to ignore the wrong
impression it might have created.
The prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega
Awomolo, SAN, who also apologised on
behalf of Mr. Lawan, asked Mrs. Banjoko,
to continue to handle the case, but the
judge declined.
While denying that she was not in any
way close to Mr. Otedola, the judge
insisted she would stay away from the
case because “justice is rooted in
confidence.” She also stated that the
lawmaker had already exhibited lack of
confidence in her.
According to her, “In the prevailing
circumstances, I do find it difficult to
continue this case. This case is returned
to the honourable Chief Judge for re-
assignment.”