There was palpable tension in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital yesterday, as soldiers, armed policemen and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were seen manning the premises of Ado Ekiti High Court. The security operatives condoned off the premises of the court and blocked all the major roads leading to the popular Fajuyi Park, location of the court. Also, the courts in Ekiti failed to sit yesterday for the continuation of hearings in the ongoing suit instituted by a group of the state’s stakeholders, the E-11, and the Citizen Peoples Party (CPP) against the governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose. The Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, had on September 25, ordered the closure of the courts, following attack on judges, lawyers, judicial officers and litigants. However, the continued closure of the courts followed an alleged directive from the Presidency that the case against Fayose “should not be allowed to go on.” A combined team of security operatives faithfully executed the purported Presidency’s directive. As early as 7am, the security teams mounted about 10 checkpoints around Fajuyi area where the courts are located. A black coloured pick-up van with the inscription, “Ondo NA 32 OPS 08 Fast Strike Squad,” which was occupied by some soldiers, patrolled the area. Other stern-looking and heavily armed security operatives were seen either standing by the gates of the courts or by their vans, surveying the area for possible infractions. The E-11 had gone to court challenging Fayoses eligibility for the election on account of his impeachment on October 16, 2006 by the then House of Assembly. The presence of the security operatives created tension in Ado Ekiti as they searched vehicles moving in and out of the court premises. Meanwhile, the Police have given reasons for the heavy security presence around the Ekiti State High Court on Wednesday, saying it had nothing to do with the Governor-elects eligibility case. It would be recalled that some hoodlums had on September 21, 2014 invaded the court when the trial began, where the trial judge, Justice Segun Ogunyemi was chased out and molested by suspected party thugs. Another judge of the state high court, Ado Ekiti, Justice John Adeyeye was allegedly beaten by people. The Police Public Relations Officer of the State Command, Mr Victor Babayemi, who gave clarifications on the development, said the action was taken based on the directive of the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC) and Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Alooma Mukhtar, that security should be beefed up around the Judges to forestall attack. No judicial officer was allowed to enter the court premises, as the entire courtrooms and other offices were under lock and key due to the strike embarked upon by the State workers.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 09:19:53 +0000
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