Following security concerns, some federal courts including the Court of Appeal, National Industrial Court and Federal High Court have continued to be under lock and key in the South-East region for over two weeks.
However, checks by The Bureau Newspaper on Tuesday showed that the Federal High Courts in Enugu and Abia States have resumed sitting after two weeks of also closure.
While the Federal High Court, Abia State Judicial Division resumed sitting on Monday (yesterday) that of Enugu resumed sitting on Tuesday (today).
The Bureau Newspaper gathered that the closure of federal courts in the South East region began in October 27, when unknown individual began circulating a threatening statement demanding the release of detained Biafrans and threatening the closure of federal courts in the South-East region of Nigeria.
The unsigned statement, which claims to be from the “Biafra Government”, demands that the Nigerian government return all detained Biafrans to the southeast within 72 hours, expiring on Sunday, October 27, 2024. Failing this, the statement threatens to evict all non-Biafran judges and indefinitely shut down the Court of Appeal divisions in Owerri, Awka, and Enugu, as well as all Federal High Courts and National Industrial Courts in the region, starting from October 29, 2024.
The inflammatory message accused the courts of bringing “anarchy, death, insecurity, instability instead of Justice, Equity and fairness.”
It specifically blames the courts for the governorship of Hope Uzodinma, who the statement alleges has “destroyed the lives of our women and children.”
Sequel to the development, Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, quickly suspended sittings, citing security concerns. According to the Court, “Despite the fact that we have issued a Hearing Notice for the period from October 28th to November 1st, we are compelled by some security concerns to postpone the sittings this week. All Hearing Notices issued are hereby cancelled”.
The Bureau Newspaper, which monitored the situation on Tuesday, gathered that the Federal High Court in Enugu State, following the development occasioned by increased number of security personnel deployed to the court complex with armoured personnel carrier, judges instantly stopped Court sittings.
The judges then told lawyers that they were going for conferences to cover-up.
It was gathered that while judicial workers were still coming to work except on Mondays, the judges were conspicuously absent for the past two weeks.
“The court only started sitting today. At least Court two is sitting now and we are waiting hoping that Court one will sit today. You can see litigants and their lawyers already seated waiting patiently for the judge to come. You can see the two Chinese siblings, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought for arraingement,” a senior lawyer had told The Bureau Newspaper.
Meanwhile, the development was not same in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, Awka the Anambra State capital and Owerri, the Imo State capital as all federal courts have remained shut down.
When The Bureau Newspaper visited the Federal High Court and the Appeal Court in Awka, Anambra State capital on Tuesday, they were shut down, and it was gathered the courts had not held any sitting for the past two weeks following security threats.
The courtrooms of the two federal courts were forced into closure by direct threat from gunmen who warned the court to desist from holding proceedings until the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is released from detention by the Nigerian government.
While The Bureau Newspaper was not allowed access into the Federal High Court premises, a source from the Court revealed that two weeks ago, gunmen came to the court and issued a stern warning, threatening that they would attack the court if it ever holds any sitting until Kanu is released from the Department of State Services (DSS) and let go.
“They (gunmen) came to the court about two weeks ago, that is, I think at the end of October and warned that the court must stop sitting and close down until Kanu is released.
“They warned that if the court continued sitting, they would attack the court. So, because of that, the court was shut down from sitting and everybody ran for his life,” the source said.
Continuing, the source said that following the threat, the courts were forced to shut down and stop holding proceedings.
However, The Bureau Newspaper was told that sketchy administrative works are going on but courts with utmost carefulness and vigilance.
Similarly, when The Bureau Newspaper visited the Awka Division of Appeal Court, the courtroom was completely under lock and key.
Some administrative staff on ground when The Bureau Newspaper visited the court confirmed that the hall of the Appellate Court had been under lock and key for the past two weeks.
Although sources in the court did not mention any direct threats to the appellate Court, they said there is actually fear over the threat by the gunmen.
“Though the gunmen did not come directly here to issue the threat, we heard about it. They could not come here because the Police Anti-Bomb Squad unit is very close to this place, but the court has not been sitting since the end of October,” a staff member who spoke on the condition of anonymity told The Bureau Newspaper.
“You are even lucky that the security allowed you access. Maybe because of how you presented yourself because they don’t allow strangers access anyhow here, especially with the situation of things now,” the source said.
Another staff member of the Appeal Court said, “It is actually unfortunate because there are a lot of people languishing in prison and their cases have been put on hold because of this.
“Though administrative staff are working, everyone is on alert because no one knows what will happen anytime.”
Meanwhile litigants have voiced frustration over the continued closure of the Federal High Courts and Appeal Courts in the South East over the renewed threat from the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRIGE), led by Simon Ekpa.
The litigants, who have endured prolonged adjournments due to judge transfers, expressed dismay that their cases are now delayed further due to alleged threats, even though new judges have resumed in all the five states of the region.
Some litigants who spoke on condition of anonymity accused judiciary workers and other civil servants of frequently seeking excuses not to report for duty.
While they acknowledged that judges and lawyers are prepared to proceed with cases, the litigants pointed out that hearings cannot resume until judiciary staff return to work. They described the situation as unacceptable, especially in a city where headquarters of police, DSS, NSCDC, NDLEA, military and host of other government security apparatus.
“The Appeal Court, Enugu Division that supposed to sit on November 7, being Thursday last week to hear the appeal of the Enugu Labour Party candidate, Bright Ngene, who the Enugu government through one of its corrupt Magistrate imprisoned because he refused to sale his mandate to ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate did not sit probably because of this security threats,” a lawyer lamented. “The guy has been left to languish in prison.”
“We hope that federal courts will resume sitting in ernest,” the lawyer said, while blaming the security situation in the South East on the governors whose only ambition was to preside over the commonwealth of their states and use it to wipe out the corrupt past and warm their way into national politics.
“The governors especially the present crop of Governors in the South East have not done anything to stave insecurity in the region. They all know that the insecurity in the South East was occasioned by the constant killing of pro-Biafra agitators with impunity without accountability. Even the governors promote the killings and even celebrate it. Agitation for independent state is civil and constitutional matter. It is not a death warrant but some governors have approved it as a death warrant because they want to be seen as nationalist and pan-Nigeria.
“Killings will not stop in the South East for decades to come unless there’s dialogue and accountability to all the atrocities going on in the region. When security agencies will go to a community, looted and burn down people’s property and businesses in the name of fighting separatists that is a war crime but it is seen in the South East as normal. How will such situation going to stop insecurity? You’re only promoting it,” a litigant lamented.