Following the invasion of Court 3 in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State by political thugs, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ayo Daramola, has ordered the immediate closure of all state courts in Ekiti State.
The political thugs had invaded a high court presided over by Justice Olusegun Isaac Ogunyemi, who was sitting over a case filed by the E-11 group against the eligibility of the Governor-elect, Ayo Fayose, to contest the June 21 governorship election.
The Chief Registrar, Obafemi Fasanmi, in a statement, said no court would be re-opened until adequate and effective security of all judicial officers is assured and put in place.
In the statement, the Chief Judge, noted that the thugs, “beat him (Justice Adeyeye) 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 lives, while court properties were either damaged or completely destroyed.
“The court room of the Hon Chief Judge was not spared in the orgy of assault and destruction as members of staff attached to his office were beaten up and his court record book torn into pieces by these political thugs who also invaded and disrupted proceedings at the Election Petition Tribunal within the high court premises in Ado Ekiti.
“A date for re-opening of the courts shall be announced as soon as adequate and effective security of our judges, magistrates, members of the bar, members of staff of the judiciary and other court users is assured and put in place.”
Meanwhile, the Governor-Elect, Ayo Fayose, who was alleged to have sponsored the thugs denied it, saying “I am not aware that a Judge was beaten. In fact, this is strange to me.
“How can I order my supporters to beat up a judge. Which of the judges because all the three judges of the tribunal were already seated before I arrived the tribunal and I was the only one allowed passage in the midst of the crowd. I went to the tribunal as a party in the case and also left while the tribunal judges were still sitting.
“But I want to point out that a situation whereby Judges or judicial officers , who should be custodian of the law got compromised with politicians, then anarchy set in. The judge handling the suit against my qualification dropped the case because of tension and because he lacks the confidence to continue.
“It would have been better for him to insist that he would try the case based on its merit. It is sad that most of our Judges have compromised.
“If you have been defeated in all the 16 Local Governments and you now want to come through the window, it won’t be like ice cream party to APC. I would not be too cheap like Segun Oni. I am not going to be cheap at all because I am elected by the people.
“I don’t care about whatever they write about me because I have grown a thick skin. The strategy of APC will not work. Nobody, no matter how highly placed would remove me cheaply,” Fayose vowed.
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