Ajimobi, CJN, NBA President Condemn Ekiti Impeachment, Political Violence

Ajimobi, CJN, NBA President Condemn Ekiti Impeachment, Political Violence

03 Dec 2014

Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi

• Prisons officials yet to re-arrest over 100 escaped inmates
Olakitan Victor in Ado Ekiti 


Eminent personalities including the Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President, Mr. Austin Alege (SAN), on Tuesday condemned the spate of impeachment of speakers in Nigeria by minority legislators, saying it was a bad omen for the sustenance of the nation’s democracy.

The condemnation is coming as strong indication emerged yesterday that the Federal Prisons in Ado Ekiti, was yet to re-arrest over 100 inmates who  escaped during the Sunday attack.

THISDAY also learnt from informed sources   that the protracted power outage in the city also helped the assailants  to have a field day during the attack on the prison.

The eminent personalities, who spoke at the 60th anniversary of the Ibadan Bar, particularly frowned on the recent impeachment of the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin, by  just a few members of the House.

The CJN, who was represented by a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Ogwuta Nwali, described such developments as nothing, but an affront on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which political office holders had sworn to protect in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The NBA president, on his own, expressed dissatisfaction with the police invasion of the National Assembly and the locking of the members of the House of Representatives, stressing that such an act was an unnecessary interference in the activities of the legislative arm of government, even as he condemned the scaling of fence by the federal lawmakers.

Meanwhile, Governor Ajimobi has said that there is the need for all players on the political scene to abide by the rules of the game in the interest of Nigeria and the generality of the people, particularly as the 2015 elections draw near, stating that all organs of government should play their roles within the bounds of law and constitutional principles.

As a demonstration of playing by the rules, he condemned the use of military personnel in the conduct of elections, saying this was unknown in the history of democratic governance all over the world and should, therefore, no longer be tolerated in the country.

“As a governor who swore to an oath of allegiance to uphold the constitution of our land and as a law-abiding citizen of this country, I bear a responsibility to respect the law and the constitution, as well as to express my displeasure whenever the law or the constitution is being violated. This is a duty that every citizen of this country must not shy away from, if we want this democracy to endure and thrive,’’ he said.

The governor said those legal practitioners, more than other professionals, must appreciate the dangers inherent in an environment where the constitution was being infringed upon and that the Ibadan Bar, being the conscience of other branches in the country, should take the lead.

Ajimobi, while stating that his administration operates an open-door policy, called on the Bar to always make its constructive advice available to his government so that Oyo State could be moved forward.

They all paid tribute to the Ibadan Bar for being the first in the country and for its landmark achievements in the development of the Bar in Nigeria.

“The Ibadan Bar has come a long way with unparalled achievements in the advocacy of respect for human rights, good governance and corruption-free society. It is against this background that I wish to state that this Bar cannot afford to keep aloof in the face of numerous challenges currently bedevilling our nation.

“Loss of human lives and property on a daily basis as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency must not elude the attention of this Bar. Rape on democracy and democratic norms is an issue that the Ibadan Bar must lead the pack to speak against in the polity. To my mind, this is another opportunity for the Ibadan Bar to lend its voice in the support of democracy and rule of law,’’ Ajimobi said.

It was gathered that the prison, built inside the bush along Ado-Afao road had been in perpetual darkness in the last three months, which a source said must have accounted for the non-recognition of the gunmen from afar off.

Some gunmen, numbering about 60 and suspected to be Islamic insurgents, had on Sunday night attacked the prison in Ekiti, killing one official and freed many inmates.

The assailants, who brandished dangerous weapons and shot sporadically for over two hours, also killed 20 sniffer dogs tied in front of the prison.

Worried by the challenge posed by the non-re-arrest of the escaped inmates during the attack, the source said the prison Comptroller, Mr. Kehinde Fadipe, had sought the help of the State Police Command in declaring those yet to be apprehended wanted.

However, it was gathered that the Comptroller has deployed his men to the streets of Ado Ekiti and suburbs and arrest are being made as at the time of filing this report.

However, the state police command revealed yesterday that 67 out of escaped inmates during the attack on the prison, particularly the notorious ones facing armed robbery and murder charges, had been re-arrested.

Speaking to journalists in Ado Ekiti, the Command’s spokesman, Mr. Victor Babayemi, said they were presently being detained at the Police headquarters.