By Emma Ovuakporie & Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA—The House of Representatives, yesterday, asked its Committees on Police and Justice to investigate the crisis rocking the judiciary in Ekiti State.

The directive followed a motion sponsored by Ifeoluwa Arowosoge (APC, Ekiti State).

While moving the motion, the lawmaker recalled that on Monday, September 22, thugs in their hundreds invaded and sacked a high court in Ado-Ekiti while hearing was in progress in a case filed sometime in May by E-11, a pressure group, based in Ekiti State.

He also noted that a senior judge, Justice Isaac Ogunyemi, was beaten up by thugs who also tore his court records and smashed the windows of the court room.

He also recalled that on Thursday of the same week, being September 25, another judge, Justice John Adeleye, was beaten, dragged on the floor with his official regalia torn, while other judicial officers, lawyers, litigants and journalists were equally intimidated by the thugs.

Arowosoge said the independence of the judiciary, which should be an inviolable tenet of any democracy, was being threatened by assaults and intimidation of judges and other judicial officers.

Contributing to the motion, Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Leo Ogor, the chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Aminu Shagari, among others, described the incident as an affront on the nation’s judiciary and asked the House to condemn the act.

However, shortly before the motion was discussed in details, the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, who presided over plenary, sought the views of Chairmen, House Committees on Judiciary, Police and Justice, to ascertain whether the case was already in court.

Told that the National Judicial Council, NJC, had already waded into the matter, the deputy speaker said: “I think it makes sense for us to urge our Committees on Police and Justice to investigate the matter and report back to the House.”

With the acceptance of the House via a majority voice vote, the matter was eventually referred to the committees.