22nd November, 2019
By Jethro Ibileke
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Comrade Osahon Imaro, has petitioned the Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Esohe Ikponmwen, over alleged impunity and indecent handling of his suit by Magistrate A.P Saike.
Imaro who is a complainant in the suit marked: NO MOr/176C/19: C.O.P vs Charles Eghaghe: wants the CJ to order the removal of Magistrate A.P Saike from his suit.
He said the petition “was borne out of the fact that a simple ruling for an amendment of a charge took almost four months.”
The State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Magistrate Saike and the State Solicitor-General, were also copied in the petition dated 15th November 2019.
Imaro explained that he had written a protest letter to the Chief Magistrate 1 (CM1) over the matter during which Magistrate Saike handed off and made an order remitting the charge to the Chief Magistrate 1 for reassignment.
The petition reads in part: “I make bold to say that there are some magistrates that have impeccable degree of integrity. Such magistrates are known to the judge and I will be very pleased if my complaint is referred to such magistrates.”
“During this period, I applied to the office of the Attorney-General for a fiat which was granted.
“But in one of our visits to court, the CM1 through the court registrar informed my lawyer that the matter is referred back to Saiki.
“Our lawyer wrote to the office of the CJ also asking for a transfer of the case, but he has not given desired attention.
“But the one purportedly written by the defence counsel has been promptly responded to by the office of the CJ,” he stated.
“Despite the prosecutor’s pending letter, Magistrate Saiki hurriedly delivered a ruling which was pending for five months and dismissed the application for amendment.
“Shortly after the ruling, Saiki went further to ask for adoption of address. The prosecution then pleaded for time to respond as he needed to apply for record of proceeding .
“The Magistrate refused and asked them to come back for adoption of final written address under one week,” Imaro added.
Hon. Justice Esohe Ikponmwen retires as the state Chief Judge today, Friday, November 22, following which Hon. Justice Esther Edigin will be sworn-in as the substantive Chief Judge of the State.