Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa SAN

In this edition of the Lawyard Spotlight, our Koye-Ladele Mofehintoluwa quizzes the Learned Silk, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN on various issues. The respected senior lawyer shares his view on many things, professional and personal, and touches on #ENDSARS as Secretary to the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses & Lekki Toll Gate Incident.

Who is Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN?

As the name goes, he is a gift from God to humanity, from the rural community of Ode-Etikan, in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State. He is one who has witnessed the vagaries of life and is determined to make the world better than he met, to the extent that many will not be made to go through all that he has gone through.

He is a consummate legal practitioner, who is in love with the legal profession and pursues with passion and vigour, all cases brought to him for prosecution or defence. He believes in excellence, diligence and transparency, as hallmarks of service to the people and to God.

He is a father to many, spiritually, professionally and biologically, and the consciousness of this fact is a cause for restraint in many of his actions, to show maturity, to display a high level of responsibility and accountability.

He is a leader, in his profession, in his community, in his church, and in many other spheres of life, where he is working tirelessly to ease the burdens of others, to the extent that God equips him.

He is an activist, agitating for the promotion and protection of human rights, good governance and the rule of law. For this cause, he has paid very dearly and bears many scars, some indelible, but he is determined to keep pursuing this as a mission for his life, till the very end.

He is a crusader for merit, believing that connections, god-fatherism, faith, tribe, location or gender, should not play too significant roles in the determination of placements, promotions or entitlements and other privileges common to men and women.

He is very spiritual, preferring to be led by God through His Holy Spirit, in all things and in all areas. He is a lover of life and the pursuit of common good and happiness for the greater number.

Who Are Your Biggest Influences in the Legal Profession So Far?

Without any doubt, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, played a major role in shaping my understanding of the practice of law, through his close mentorship, the trainings impacted and through his law reports but perhaps, the one person that influenced me the most is not even in the legal profession. He is my late Uncle, Chief Augustus Adegboruwa, who did everything to ensure that I studied law. He encouraged me right from the very beginning, as soon as I met him. He had cases in court and would drag me along to meet his famous lawyer, Mr. Abayomi Shogbesan, SAN, in Ijora Causeway, where we will spend hours preparing for those court cases.

Due to the fact that my uncle typically gave his testimonies in Yoruba language, I had to be around him to interpret, to read to him and prepare him for his examination in chief and cross-examination too. Now, Mr. Shogbesan was a consummate advocate, in the class of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief G.O.K. Ajayi and all of those first-class generation. He was very tall and huge, always sparkling clean and well dressed. I always admired him. His office in Ijora was an edifice to behold, especially his library. He had a lady lawyer then, Chief Mary Bassey, who was so very brilliant, smartly dressed and spoke Queen’s English, always. There was also Mr Kunle Oyesanya. So, I always looked forward to the visits to the law firm. Looking at Mr Shogbesan and his lawyers, I made up my mind to study law.

Beyond these persons, studying law was also a call to duty for me. Our community had a court case with some of our neighbours and the pressure was much on us to get some of us to study law, for the purpose of taking over these cases. Personally, I never liked any situation of injustice, oppression or denial of rights. So, I also had a passion for law as a means of securing justice and equity for all. So, at the end of the day, you can say that everything worked together for me to study law.

And I must not fail to mention the robes, gowns, wigs and other paraphernalia adorned by lawyers, especially their ceremonial robes.

What is the moment that shaped you as a younger lawyer?

What memorable incidence can you recall that was important to your legal development as a young lawyer?

It is better to say that my entire life shaped my convictions in legal practice. I had suffered too much injustice and deprivations, by way of constant persecutions, by authorities of the university where I studied law, at the Nigerian Law School and indeed by authorities of the State called Nigeria. All these events had prepared me ahead for a robust legal practice. So also is my exposure to the human rights community, especially my encounters with Chief Fawehinmi, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, Mr. Femi Falana, Agbakoba, etc, through the Campaign for Democracy, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Civil Liberties Organisation, etc. Then was the June 12 struggle and my detention experiences. I was also influenced by my close association with Mr. Bamidele Aturu, who was then a Marxist and a non-conformist. That association led to other associations with Prof Omotoye Olorode, Awopetu, Fashina, Esko Tuoyo, Adetugbo and the Ife Collective. I tell you, those were very memorable times indeed.

So, by the time I graduated from the Law School, my mind was already made up on the kind of legal practice that I wanted for myself. I resolved to work with Chief Fawehinmi and no else. This paid off very handsomely.

In Gani Fawehinmi Chambers, you are first deployed to the Law Reports sections as a young lawyer. Going through those law reports and judgments of the various courts truly widened my horizon. I would then later be drafted to join the political campaigns of Chief Fawehinmi and later became his delivery man, conveying press releases to press houses all over Lagos. All these truly helped me as a young lawyer, as they widened my perspectives on issues.

But above all, I believe my experiences in Port-Harcourt during the Ogoni Civil Disturbances Tribunal and the prosecution of the bail application for the Ogoni 19 marked major developments in my career as a young lawyer.

On ENDSARS and the Progress of the Panel

I think it is too early now to say exactly what happened at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020. To the extent that the Judicial Panel is still listening to the testimonies of witnesses, admitting documents, videos and other materials as exhibits, we believe at this stage that our job at the Panel is still that of investigation. We will leave no stone unturned in that process. Which is why we have extended our investigations and summonses to hospitals where people who claimed to have been shot or injured were treated, to journalists who claimed to have covered the events, to major security agencies such as the Army, the Police, etc.

So at this stage, all that I can assure you is that we will not succumb to any pressure to do things this way or that way. We are determined to say it as it is, not just for the END SARS petitions but also in other cases and petitions brought before us. We are very mindful of the expectations of the general public, the international community and especially the youth and we will do our best not to disappoint them all, in so far as bringing out the truth. Whether or not the truth will be acceptable to all concerned, will be left to posterity to determine.

I am sure that you too have been following events at the Judicial Panel through its televised sittings. There is nothing to suggest any cover up or yielding to pressure from any quarters. We are totally independent. We meet to deliberate on issues as we deem fit and we take decisions without any extraneous considerations.

So, I will not be far from the truth if I say that Nigerians and the international community should expect us to do the needful.

What Can End or Reduce Corruption Among Judges? Is Justice always for Sale?

I think you should take out time to go through my piece on this issue, titled: TRANSACTIONAL JUSTICE. It speaks to this question directly. Be that as it may, corruption in any society, not just amongst judges, is man-made and it is man himself that can tackle it. For judges, the first issue is the mode of appointment. Once you have to lobby for any appointment, it must carry its own baggage, as he who pays the piper must surely dictate the tune of the music.

Another factor is the corruptive influence of election petitions on the performance of the judiciary generally. It has more or less destroyed the judiciary, to the extent that politicians are so desperate that they will do just anything to secure victory over their opponents. And once the door of corruption is opened through election petitions, you cannot close it when it comes to land matters or commercial cases.

The delay in the administration of justice is also part of the corruption. Once the number of cases pending in the courts far outweigh the capacity of judges available, then this leads to desperation, as litigants have to battle for the spaces available to have their cases heard. If the Supreme Court is presently hearing appeals of 2010, in year 2021, then you can imagine where we are in the administration of justice in Nigeria.

So, corruption in the judiciary is caused by so many factors and it is best dealt with holistically.

What Are Your Hobbies?

Believe it or not, I love to rest very well. Many at times I just lie down on the sofa in my office and sleep off. I like to drive luxury cars that give the feeling of newness. I like to pray, to study the word of God and in that wise help influence those around me for the better. So, you will see me at the Redemption Camp grounds for instance, cleaning the toilets and helping to keep the place clean generally, because I like to serve.

I like to eat good food and would ordinarily not joke with my sleep, expect when I have to prepare for court cases or other urgent matters.

I am always fulfilled when I spend quality time with my darling Oreka, who has turned out to be my best friend, counsellor, prayer partner and confidant.

I am always excited when handling cases where I have to develop new principles of law, to persuade the court to strike down or overturn existing principles or to plan to confront a witness in court.

As a Pastor, Can You Share a Bible Verse You Consider Your Favourite?

I have read in Matthew 6:33 that you should always give priority to the things of eternal value and then all earthly things will follow. It gladdens my heart each time I read Phillipians 4:13 that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I get humbled a lot when I read 2 Corinthians 3:5 that God is our sufficiency.

I delight myself in the knowledge of Lamentations 3:22 that it is of the mercies of God that we are not consumed, that such mercies are renewed every morning because the compassions of God fail not and His faithfulness in this regard is very great. I have read in Psalms 136:1 that we should always bless the Most High God, because He is good and His mercies endure forever and that if in this life alone we have hope, we are above all men most miserable.