By Asare Asare, Daily Post
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Murtala Abdul-Rasheed, has raised the alarm that dangerous reptiles abound in court premises in Cross River State, where the Elections Petitions Tribunal sits to hear the 13 cases before them.
He also lamented that the unhygienic state of the court is very dangerous to members of the bar and would hamper the adjudication of the petitions received from aggrieved politicians.
Speaking during the inaugural sitting of the second panel, he said: “All we have here are broken chairs and ceilings; the fans are not working. The environment is overgrown with weeds, and this is certainly a flourishing ground for dangerous reptiles.
“If we have two cases today in this venue, it will constitute a dangerous health hazard for us. This venue will adversely affect the dispensation of justice because the judges are also human beings.
They need a conducive environment to dispense justice to all manner of people. The tribunal must be made conducive for lawyers and judges to come and practice their trade.”
He appealed on behalf of the inner bar that the observation be escalated to the constituting authority.
According to him, he has had the privilege to attend inaugural sittings in other places and has called for similar decent, hygienic, and conducive environments to enable them to work efficiently.
The chairman of the panel, Justice M.A. Sambo said the observation was good, but the assignment must be done because there is no extension of time.
He said: “This assignment must be done whether there is a venue or no venue, and we are all aware there is nothing like an extension. This experience is nothing to us, as we have worked in various jurisdictions, some better than this and some worse.
“It’s a good observation, and we are grateful for your comment. We will do our best to see that our welfare is secured.”
The state chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Alphonsus Eba, said he had spoken to the Cross River State Chief Judge and the Environment Commissioner on the issue raised and will also report to the governor.
He promised that something would be done to improve the court facilities and the environment.
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