The Coalition Against Corrupt
Leaders, CACOL has demanded the arrest and prosecution of party thugs that
allegedly attacked a number of litigants in the premises of the Ogun State
Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The incident, as reported in the
PUNCH edition of Wednesday, September 30, 2015, which occurred on Tuesday, 29th
September, 2015, while the tribunal was hearing the petition brought before it
by the defeated PDP gubernatorial candidate in the last general elections,
Gboyega Isiaka Nasiru, against the incumbent, Senator Ibikunle Amosu, saw
people suspected to be thugs allegedly sponsored by a political party, suddenly
storming the tribunal premises and began attacking prominent personalities and
other litigants with dangerous weapons. They were reported to have invaded the
premises in such a large number that forced the policemen on duty to quickly
call for reinforcement.
CACOL said it’s highly disturbed at
what is gradually becoming a tradition by some overzealous, lawless politicians
in our country to continually engage in what could be described a national
embarrassment that tends to diminish our value and dignity as a people. Such
acts of barbarism are only capable of debasing our sensibility as humans.
“By the way, what sort of
society are we trying to build or what legacy shall we be bequeathing to
upcoming generations, when the sanctity of our hallowed chambers of justice is
flagrantly desecrated at will by those who have assumed a status of out-laws in
our midst? Is ours turning into an animal kingdom where laws do not exist at
all?” lamented the coalition’s Executive Chairman, Comrade Debo Adeniran. Since
the court is said to be the last hope of the common man in seeking justice,
where else could the common man turn to when his last hope has been turned into
a scene of jungle behaviours of all sort?
Not too long ago, Nigerians were
stunned at the height of barbarism displayed in the premises of the High Court,
in Ado-Ekiti, when political thugs invaded the court premises, beating and
injuring litigants, counsels and other court officials which included a judge
who even had his official robe torn to shreds. The aim, apparently, was to
disrupt the case that involved their man, and this they succeeded in achieving
as no one could stop them. Report had it that the court, thereafter, had to
suspend its sitting for weeks.
Speaking further, Adeniran said, “To
the best of our knowledge, nobody was arrested nor invited for questioning,
talk-less of being arraigned for prosecution. And because that show of national
shame and embarrassment was allowed to go unaddressed, a precedent, so to say,
has been set. Today, again, it’s happening in Ogun State and as usual, no one
will ever answer for this shameless display of incivility and bestiality.
Therefore, in order that this ugly
dimension of gross respect for law and justice, and by extension, for the
nation’s sovereignty, is curbed and discouraged, perpetrators and sponsors of
this ugly, uncivil and grossly barbaric act in Ogun State, regardless of their
social or political status, should be arrested and brought to book, otherwise
we might unwittingly be introducing another version of score-settling methods
by our politicians. Nothing short of that will be acceptable to law-abiding
members of the public.
Temitope Macjob
Acting Media Officer, CACOL
1st October, 2015.
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