The National Judicial Council, NJC, has condemned in strong terms the attack on judicial officers in Ekiti State and has called on the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, to immediately probe the attacks.
The council, “in very strong terms” deplored the attacks launched on judges and other judicial workers in the state last week, a statement said Thursday.
Political thugs loyal to the state governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose, stormed court rooms where election petition hearings were ongoing last week, rough-handling judges and other court staff.
The attacks were condemned by not a few Nigerians even as Fayose denied ever having a hand in the attacks. Curiously, the federal government has kept a suspicious silence on the matter.
The NJC, Nigeria’s highest judicial regulatory organ, urged the acting police chief to take over the matter and investigate allegations that policemen stationed at the court watched on while the attacks lasted.
The NJC “in very strong terms, condemns the attacks on the judiciary and judicial officers in particular, the one carried out in High Court Complex, Ado-Ekiti on Sept. 22 and Sept. 25, 2014”, a statement by Soji Oye, the council’s Acting Director of Information, said Thursday.
“NJC also requests the Inspector-General of Police to take over and investigate the alleged attacks on Hon. Justices John Adeyeye and Isaac Olusegun Ogunyemi, including some members of staff of the court”, the statement added.
Mr. Oye said the statement was issued after an emergency meeting of the NJC presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Aloma-Mukhtar.
The meeting was convened to consider complaints received on the attacks. The affected judges had petitioned the NJC after the attack.
“NJC also requests the inspector-general of police to investigate the destruction of property of the High Court of Justice, Ado-Ekiti and bring the culprits to justice.
“It requests the inspector-general of police as a matter of urgency to provide adequate security to judicial officers and the judiciary in Ekiti State”, the statement stated.
According to the statement, all petitions forwarded by all parties to the council on the matter are being looked into.
