Magistrate Decries Non-Deployment Of Police In Court

WORRIED by the porous security in his court, the presiding Magistrate of Ndiawa Magistrate Court, Austin Onyenze, has decried non-deployment of police personnel to provide security in his court, despite the sensitive cases his court has been handling.

Onyenze lamented this after he adjourned till May 20, a case of alleged “conspiracy, theft and destruction of property valued at N3 million” belonging to Chidinma Jideofor Okoro, a Knight of Catholic Church, against a father and son, Chief Hilary Ohia, and Uche-a lawyer- respectively.

The magistrate regretted that despite his appeals to the police authorities in the state, they were yet to send any police officer to guard the court premises against any attack by hoodlums.

He lamented: “We need police security here. Despite all the applications for that, the police command is yet to send anyone to this court. This is unfortunate and not proper.”
Chief State Counsel, Mrs. Faustina N. Ojinika, had also complained about the porous security in the court, asking that urgent steps be taken to provide such in view of the nature of the matter and others.

She notified the court on the absence of the defendants’ counsel, A.A. Dim, regretting that fire razed down his chambers, destroying all his books and documents.

The situation, she said, prompted his demand for adjournment on the matter till May 20, when he would have assembled documents on the matter.

On the issue raised by the Magistrate that he was ready to hear the matter twice in a week to ensure quick dispensation of the matter given the readiness of the parties, Ojinika said the complainants and witnesses were ready for such.

Ojinika had a few months ago urged the court to categorize the matter in suit number MID/2c/2014 a criminal one citing Criminal Procedure Act (CPA), section 167.

The complainant, Okoro, is a kinsman to the accused persons.