Furious judge rejected plea for date despite my client languishing in prison – Bamidele

Barrister Surajudeen Adekunle Bamidele is the principal partner in Adekunle Bamidele & Co. otherwise called liberation chambers, Ilorin. He graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University in 1997 and was called to the bar in 1999. He later started his pupilage with Kayode Olatoke & Co. before he established his chamber. In this interview with ACTING EDITOR, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM, the Offa-born lawyer talks about his most dramatic day in court. Excerpts:
There was a case that I did for a client who was having an encounter with a traditional ruler. My client, were peasant farmers and they have been already arraigned and locked up in prison. At the lower court, their application for bail was refused and so I approached the High Court in Ilorin here and they gave us a date. That very day, the Ministry of Justice which is the prosecution refused to file a counter motion but surprisingly just few minutes before the court sat on the date it gave, a counter motion was filled and served. Notwithstanding, I told the court that I am ready to go ahead with the trial. However the judge rejected my position and said my application was too voluminous that he has to go through it. My thinking was that it will be the following day or week because I was eager to get my client out of the prison. But the judge gave us a fortnight which was too weeks and I pleaded that the date should be brought backward. But I wouldn’t know what happened, the judge who used to be a jovial person suddenly told his Clark to give us a month and I was disappointed. The way I behaved that day was regrettable and I was furious and left the court even before the date was given.