Thugs have consistently disrupted tribunal activities, hindering the officials from carrying out their duties effectively.
The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has ordered the relocation of the Kogi Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal from Lokoja to Abuja.
According to a statement released by David Umar Mike, the Secretary of the Tribunal, all proceedings will now take place at the National Judicial Institute on Umar Yar’Adua Way in Abuja. Litigants have been urged to take note of this change in venue.
While the statement did not explicitly mention the reason behind the sudden relocation, a credible source within the tribunal revealed that the decision was prompted by alarming security concerns.
The source disclosed that the tribunal’s staff members had been subjected to multiple attacks in Lokoja, with the situation escalating to a point where their lives were at risk.
“Just last Monday, tribunal officials were attacked on their way to the office. Armed men ambushed them, robbing them of everything. They took away all the documents that were in the car, including copies of petitions, personal belongings, official receipts, processes like subpoenas, and official stamps,” the source explained.
The source further revealed that these acts of violence and theft were not isolated incidents. Thugs have consistently disrupted tribunal activities, hindering the officials from carrying out their duties effectively.
“Generally, thugs are frustrating the job, and the lives of our officials are at stake, making it difficult to work there,” the source added.
The decision to move the tribunal to Abuja comes in the wake of the November 11 off-cycle election in Kogi, where the All Progressives Congress emerged victorious, with the Social Democratic Party securing the second position.
