18th July, 2014
Cyriacus Izuekwe
The ongoing industrial action by the Judiciary Staff of Nigeria JUSUN, has resulted in overcrowding in police cells in Lagos State, western Nigeria, as suspects cannot be charged to courts.
When P.M.NEWS correspondent visited some police stations, it was observed that the cells were overcrowded. Some of the stations visited include Makinde at Oshodi, Mushin Area ‘D’ Command, Idimu, Ikotun, Ejigbo, Ajegunle and others.
During a visit to Area ‘M’ Command, Idimu, a source at the station said the number of suspects used to be between 8 and 10 but it has ballooned to at least 53 suspects since the strike began.
The source said the number was on the increase because the cells there are used by both the division and Area ‘M’ Command.
The DPO has already stopped officers from bringing suspects to the cells because of lack of space to accommodate more suspects.
At Ejigbo division, police sources said a cell which usually housed at least 10 suspects now accommodates 32 and the DPO immediately took prompt action by granting suspects administrative bail until the strike is over.
At Ikotun division, it was the same story as officers complained about the difficulty in keeping suspects in the cell.
Sources at the station said sometimes the cells are empty but now there are more than 17 suspects who should have been charged to court but have not because the courts are shut.
The source also said the DPO has ordered that suspects with serious matters should either be transferred or admitted on bail until after the strike.
At the Gowon Estate Police Station, at least 37 suspects are in the cells waiting to be charged to court. When our reporter visited Ogba Police Command Friday morning, a police source said that to avoid overcrowding in the cells, some suspects are granted bail.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide could not be reached when our reporter contacted her on phone about the overcrowding in police cells.
The judiciary workers’ strike which started last week paralyzed activities in various courts in Lagos State. The union had on Friday last week mandated its members nationwide to shut down all courts in the country except the federal courts following government’s failure to implement the judgment of a Federal High Court on the financial autonomy of the state judiciary.
In a communique issued at the end of the emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the union, JUSUN also asked the federal judiciary workers to be at alert because they may be requested to join the strike in solidarity with their state chapters.
The communique which was jointly signed by the National President of the union, Marwan Adamu, and the General Secretary, Isaiah Adetola, also stated that the national secretariat of the union had taken over the industrial dispute by the Rivers State JUSUN recently over leadership crisis.
JUSUN said it is unfair for both the National Judicial Council, NJC, and the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission, JSC, to issue two separate directives for and against returning to work, adding that the workers cannot serve two masters at the same time.
He said the union cannot resume work unless the critical stakeholders in Rivers State amicably resolve the matter so as to ensure security of the workers.