Anambra sate Governor, Willie Obiano has been called upon to rescue the judiciary by calling off the ongoing judiciary staff union JUUSN indefinite strike action to reduce the number of cell inmates scattered across different police stations in the state.
They said, suspects are dying in droves while others are languishing in prisons due to the ongoing JUSUN strike action and called for a speedy intervention of government to save the face of many innocent inmates that are currently been subjected to untold hardship when there is no constituted law courts to adjudicate on their matter.
That of Awka was at the CID headquarters, followed by Onitsha and then Nnewi and they were being presided over by the administrative magistrates in the zones.
“Those with capital matters were sent to prisons and others with minor offences were not given fair trial because lawyers were not there to defend them,” he said.
For those who were given bail their fundamental right is being denied,” he said.
Asked if it was a competent court he said, “it was done on arrangement to decongest the police cells. It is not a regular court, we have to improvise a means to decongest the cel;ls and also allow people who are unnecessarily languishing in police cells to be free”.
In the meantime, the Anambra state Chief Judge of Anambra State, Justice Peter Umeadi has set up a mobile court to help decongest the police cells now filled with suspects.
Speaking to journalists in Onitsha, the Idemili branch chairman of the NBA, Barrister Pat Agbata expressed worry over the lingering JUSUN strike action, which according to him need urgent state government attention to restore lawyers job and decongest police cells and prisons when JUSUN strike has been called off.
Pat Agbata, said: “It is now three months since the judiciary went on strike in the state and it is affecting us and our clients.
“We live based on what we get from the court. Suspects are languishing in police cells because there is no fair hearing on their matter. Based on that, a mobile court has been set up to decongest the police cells and they started about a week ago in Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi.That of Awka was at the CID headquarters, followed by Onitsha and then Nnewi and they were being presided over by the administrative magistrates in the zones.
“Those with capital matters were sent to prisons and others with minor offences were not given fair trial because lawyers were not there to defend them,” he said.
For those who were given bail their fundamental right is being denied,” he said.
Asked if it was a competent court he said, “it was done on arrangement to decongest the police cells. It is not a regular court, we have to improvise a means to decongest the cel;ls and also allow people who are unnecessarily languishing in police cells to be free”.
In the meantime, the Anambra state Chief Judge of Anambra State, Justice Peter Umeadi has set up a mobile court to help decongest the police cells now filled with suspects.