Sad, disappointed couldn’t find evidences cited in court to buttress case

Taiye Oniyide was called to the bar 1st July, 2003 and he is a fellow of the chartered institute of Arbitrators United Kingdom. He recently completed his Ph.D in Alternative Dispute Resolution and has spent his over eighteen years of practice in the law firm of former NBA president, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN) and Co. in Ilorin. In this interview with ACTING EDITOR, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM, he talks about his most dramatic moment in court. Excerpts:
There have been many dramatic moments I have had in courts of course considering my over eighteen years at the bar. Some have been good and others bad but I have had more of the former. There is a case I am handling at the Court of Appeal Ilorin which I can call an experience that was worth it. I defended an accused person at the trial court who is now defendant because of the administration of the Criminal Justice Law who was brought to court for culpable homicide and we went through the incidence of trial and he was convicted and sentence to death. We then filed an appeal sometimes in June this year at the appellate court which set aside the judgment of the trial court, discharged and acquitted the accuse person. We deployed all legal means to apply to the correctional service here to get him out but for whatever reason they refused to release him after more than three months. I had to file another application for mandatory injunction to compel the correctional service to do the needful. I have never had this peculiar situation where they would refuse to release somebody despite filling the necessary process, served them but they refused to respond. Also, I was in court recently making a submission and I was asked to supply authority as far as the rule of court is concerned. Although I know it was there in the book, but I couldn’t find it maybe because I was addressing the court at the time. I was sad and slightly bashed but it was also good for me because we keep learning every day. I know in my heart that my intentions were clear and pure and that fortified me. I came back to warn my colleagues that such a thing should never repeat itself. When you are going to court, you anticipate everything that can happen in court. In comparison, I have also been in court before where I met some students and the court had so much confidence in me that they called me to address the students on issues of law. There and then, what I didn’t not anticipate, but I was able to marshal my points briefly. The judge later made a comment that he saw many lawyers in court but has to call me because he knew I will not disappoint and he was glad and proud of me that I didn’t. So at times you have good and bad days but they are all part of life, what you make out of it is what matters at the end of the day.