NBA Condemns Attack On Judges In Ekiti

The political crisis rocking Ekiti State deepened on Friday as Governor Kayode Fayemi declared dusk till dawn curfew in the state. In a live broadcast in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, Fayemi said, “There would be no movement between the hours of 7.00 pm and 7.00 am everyday till further notice.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), some senior lawyers and activists have called for investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the attacked on the state high court Complex.

The lawyer, including a human rights group, Access to Justice (AJ), Femi Falana, Dr Joseph Nwobike (SAN) and Mike Igbokwe (SAN) described the action as “barbaric”, a “desecration of the temple of justice” and “an act of judicial terrorism”.

Last Monday, hoodlums invaded the Ekiti State High Court presided over by Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi to disrupt proceedings in a case challenging the eligibility of the Governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, to contest the June 21 election won by him.

The invasion occurred shortly after the judge refused an application to set aside an order abridging the time for the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate to file his defence in the case filed by two members of the Ekiti-11, Mr. Adeniyi Ajakaiye and Olufemi Ajayi.

On Thursday, another judge, Justice John Adeyeye, was beaten by some thugs who also tore his suit.

There was also tension at the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Thursday in a matter between the APC and Fayose.

Tracing the genesis of the violence to the Monday attack on Justice Ogunyemi, Fayemi indicted law enforcement agencies for not doing enough to avoid the situation.

He said, “This happened in full glare of the law enforcement agents with inappropriate response. Clearly, these brigands exceeded the limits of acceptable behavior, even in the most liberal of democracies, and ventured into the realm of blatant criminality with this desecration of the hallowed chambers of the law.

“The fact that this assault did not meet with any strong deterring repercussions from the appropriate authorities further emboldened the miscreants.

“They subsequently attempted to prevent the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal from sitting, yesterday, Thursday, September 25. I am advised incontrovertibly that thugs acting on the command of Mr. Ayo Fayose, who was also present to lend his clout to the travesty, brazenly assaulted a senior judge and urged his thugs to beat him up and tear his clothes.”

He added, “Since the beginning of this development on Monday, which is unprecedented in the recent history of our state, I have been in touch with the heads of all security agencies at the state and federal levels, urging them to act quickly and firmly in the interest of public law and order. It is worrisome that the slow and inadequate response has occasioned the avoidable escalation of violence in our dear state.”

The governor described the use of violence and intimidation to obstruct the course of justice as an invitation to anarchy.

National President, Nigerian Bar Association Augustine Alegeh, SAN

The Nigerian Bar Association, in a statement signed by its National President, Augustine Alegeh, SAN, condemned the development and described it as a dastardly act of violence. The NBA also stated that, “We condemn in very strong terms these detestable acts of brigandage intended to intimidate and infuse fear into the minds of judicial officers. Those behind these criminal acts of violence have desecrated the Courts which are our temples of justice.

Also Falana (SAN) said that the mayhem unleashed on the judge, lawyers and litigants in the precincts of the Ekiti State High Court by a gang of hired hoodlums has confirmed that the Ekiti people have fully returned to the wilderness.

He said by desecrating the temple of Justice with the connivance of the police, the armed gang left no one in doubt that they had the full backing of the ruling party in executing the premeditated onslaught on the judiciary.

On his part, Nwobike noted that the mayhem in Ekiti State is not only disturbing, but highlights what he called institutional failure on the part of security agencies. He said, “What happened at the Ekiti State High Court is very disturbing. I cannot imagine this extent of institutional failure in Ekiti. “I call on the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the State Security Services to investigate and punish all those responsible for the ugly development.” In its reaction, Access to Justice, in a statement by its Executive Director Joseph Otteh, said the deplorable attack is against the rule of law.