Law News
NBA plans probe panel over attack on Ekiti judge

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The Nigerian Bar Association has said it will send what it called “a high powered investigation team” to Ekiti State to investigate the facts surrounding the attack on judges and disruption of court proceedings in the state on Monday and Thursday.

The NBA President said in a statement on Friday, that the association would ensure that anybody found to be involved in the “show of shame” would be made to face the wrath of the law.

The statement reads in part, “The NBA is sending a high powered investigation team to Ekiti to investigate the facts surrounding this matter. Any person(s) no matter how highly placed found involved in this show of shame and desecration of our Courts will surely face the full force of the law as NBA will ensure prosecution of any such person(s).

“We will not sit idly by while persons who do not mean well for our society take steps capable of plunging our country into anarchy.”

People suspected to be political thugs loyal to the state’s governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose, had on Thursday disrupted proceedings at the Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday.

A sitting judge, Justice John Adeyeye, was beaten up and his suit torn by the thugs.

The record book of the Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, was also reportedly torn into pieces by the thugs who also disrupted proceedings at the state Election Petitions Tribunal.

The tribunal sits on the high court premises in Ado-Ekiti.

Earlier on Monday, the hoodlums reportedly invaded the place to disrupt proceedings in a case challenging the eligibility of Fayose to contest the June 21 governorship election.

NBA condemned “the brazen and dastardly acts of violence by thugs and hoodlums who attacked the High Court of Justice Complex in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State”.

While condemning the development as an act of brigandage, he maintained that the administration of justice could never thrive in such atmosphere where judges were brazenly attacked and intimidated.

Alegeh said, “The administration of justice can never thrive in an atmosphere where judicial officers are brazenly attacked and or intimidated in the course of carrying out their lawful duties.

“The administration of justice can never bow to the whims and caprices of persons who believe that judges must yield to their wishes.”

The NBA boss stated that the its members in the state had gathered that policemen and other security agents who were present at the court premises “looked the other way” during the mayhem, while also lamenting that judges’ lives were in danger.

He reiterated that urgent steps must be taken to protect the judges from those who abuse their offices

He said, “Reports from our members at Ado Ekiti indicate that Policemen and other security agents present at the Court premises looked the other way while the hoodlums had a field day in disrupting Court proceedings, tearing Court record books even beating up and tearing the clothes of a judge.

“The life of our Judges in Ekiti is in grave danger. We must act to protect them from highly placed persons in our society who abuse their positions and privileges to unleash mayhem on Judicial Officers and infrastructure.”

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