Governor Kayode FayemiFollowing a fresh attack by unidentified political thugs today on a High Court Judge in Ado-Ekiti, all courts in Ekiti State have been shut down indefinitely.
A statement today from the state’s Chief Registrar, Mr. Obafemi Fasanmi, said the decision to shut down the courts was taken by the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, to safeguard the lives of judicial workers and litigants having matters in courts.
“It would be recalled that on Monday, 22, some political thugs invaded the High Court Number 6 in Ado-Ekiti where Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi was presiding.
“His sitting for that day was disrupted and aborted and the Judge had to be ferried away by a detachment of police officers after he had been harassed and chased around his office by the thugs.
“Again today, Thursday, 25th September 2014, another set of political thugs in their hundreds invaded the High Court premises in Ado-Ekiti and in the process assaulted Hon. Justice John Adeyeye of the High Court Number 3 in Ado-Ekiti by beating him up and tearing his suit into shreds while the police officers on guard looked unconcerned and uninterested as judges, magistrates and other members of staff had to run for their dear lives, while court properties were either damaged or destroyed.”
The statement said that the office of the CJ was not spared as some documents were also torn, adding that because of all these, the courts in the state would reopen when adequate security is guaranteed judges, magistrates, judicial workers, litigants and other users.
Tension in the state has been on the rise since matters relating to the June 21 poll are being handled by courts.
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