Following attack on Osun State High Court, Ilesa by suspected arsonists, razing of courtrooms and registry, the Attorney-General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, and other state executives yesterday inspected the level of damage.
It will be recalled that the police launched a probe after suspected arsonists razed the courtroom and the registry on Sunday evening.
Governor Ademole Adeleke lamented that vital documents were destroyed in the inferno.
Speaking after inspecting the level of damage, Jimi-Bada lamented poor security at the court, noting that that was not the first time it would be attacked.
He said: ‘’We need to secure this place because this is not the first time this will happen. My brother-commissioner told me that they attacked and burnt former Court II in 2017.
“Also, last year, they carted away electric cables from this court. This nonsense has to stop. We will start almost immediately. We cannot abandon the court, the judge cannot sit. We have to prioritise the security of this place. No matter what we do, they will still come. So, we need to secure here. We should work on the solar, pending the time we will work on the cable. We will start almost immediately.”
The AG added: “The challenge we have before as a government… we are trying to be careful. The budget was in the budget of the judiciary, but when there was no memo to the governor for approval for renovation of all the courts, the governor cannot say he wants to do it.
“What we will do at the Ministry of Justice is to make provision for this renovation, which we are going to start. We will try to see what we can do with our 2025 budget. We do not need to wait for the judiciary to bring memo. If we are waiting, no memo will be brought. We cannot wait. That was why we brought engineers from the Ministry of Works. We are going to work on the entire compound.
“From the running cost of the judiciary, security has been provided for. But there is no security and as a government we are going to work on it.”
Speaking about the incessant attacks on the court, he described them as unfortunate.
“I wonder why somebody will have the effrontery, the impunity to come to the court of law and set it ablaze. I am bothered. I’m amazed at that kind of boldness.
“As a government, Mr Governor called my attention to it. He called me to come and assess it. We are going to start with Ilesa High Court, to renovate the entire court and then we look at other divisions. We are going to secure the court and start renovation.”
source: The Nation
