OGOJA – The Chief Judge of Cross River State, His Lordship Honourable Justice Akon B. Ikpeme, has described the Ogoja High Court fire as being devastating to the judiciary.
Ikpeme stated this on Tuesday, January 14, while inspecting the Ogoja Branch of the State High Court that was razed by fire on Sunday, January 5.
Speaking shortly after assessing the level of damage caused by the unfortunate incident, the Chief Judge said, “I think the one word I would say that is quite devastating, devastating for the judiciary, primarily and of course for the state. This court has been here for as long as you could imagine, serving the people of Ogoja.”
She commended the effort of the resident judge, police, and the state government, for doing the needful and ensuring safety and good working conditions for legal practitioners.
She also stated that important records are still intact and were not affected by the fire as the police continued to unravel the cause of the incident.
“Honestly, even with the pictures, though I have to come, but until you come and see for yourself, you could never imagine that it was to this extent. You know, even though I am a judge, as seasoned prosecutors, you don’t talk so much on that.
“I have a very proactive judge, and he did everything that needs to be done. I can’t say that the police are on it, investigations, I can’t say more than that. I mean, if you listen to the resident judge. God has helped us because he said all the current files have been salvaged.
“They are now in a magistrate court 2. So, it’s a temporary measure. The Attorney-General was here. So you can see he’s on the ground. The governor himself is very eager that this place should be put back. But in the meantime, through the pro-activeness of the resident judge and all stakeholders in Ogoja, Chairman of the bar, the big people have heard how you all swam into action within a very short time. I’m indeed very happy about this. So I’m reliably informed. So for the people of Ogoja, even though this has happened, justice delivery still goes on until this is salvaged.
“The governor is very, very much interested, even as he has travelled. He’s calling to find out what the position is. That’s one of the reasons I decided to come and see and make an on-the-spot assessment,” Hon. Justice Ikpeme said.
Speaking also, the presiding judge of Ogoja High Court, Honourable Justice Daniel O., decried, “This incident is quite heart to render, and very unfortunate.”
On his part, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ogoja branch, Matthias Aniche Esq., appealed to the government to provide them with a good temporary working environment as they await for rehabilitation of the gutted court.
“What I can say is that the High Court is burnt down. We don’t know the source of the fire outbreak. You know, the fact speaks for itself. We don’t have a place to sit and, you know, do our matters.
“We are now using one small court, called court 2. Well, a few days back, on Friday, we held our meeting and we made some resolutions. That court is too small for us because it’s a high court, a court of records. It’s not a magistrate court.
“So, we have met with the Chairman of Council to see if they can provide us with an alternative hall that is bigger than that so that we move our things and see that we continue our business,” he stated.
