Anambra litigants stranded as Federal High Courts shut down for 3 days over Simon Ekpa’s threat

By Our Correspondent

Litigants in Anambra State, yesterday lamented over what they described as deliberate refusal by the Federal High Court Awka, to sit, since Tuesday, November 5, 2024, follaowing an alleged fresh threat by Biafra Republic Government in Exile, BRIGE, leader Simon Ekpa, order the Federal Government for the return of all detained Biafrans to Southeast or no Federal High Court, will sit in South East.

The aggrieved litigants claimed that their cases in the Federal High Court Awka, have suffered long period of adjournments, following transfers of some judges, wondering why their cases will continue to suffer adjournments over alleged threats when new judges have resumed in the state.

Addressing newsmen in Awka, the Anambra State capital on Wednesday, some of the litigants who pleaded anonymity accused judiciary workers and other civil servants in the state of always looking for one excuse or the other not to report to their duty posts.

While not blaming the judges for the unnecessary and undue delay in the cases, the aggrieved litigants said that their lawyers and Judges are ready for their cases but Judges can only sit if the Judiciary workers at the Federal High Court report to duty.

They lamented that a situation where Federal High Court workers will stay away from work claiming to be threatened by an order they did not know where it emanated from, is unacceptable, very unfortunate, and spells doom for judiciary South East.

One of the litigants who simply gave his name as Chief Sylvanus, said that he only knew an ultimatum by Ekpa shutting down courts which was expected to last until October 27, 2024, saying that he is not aware of any fresh order as claimed by the Judiciary workers.

Another litigant who refused to disclose his name while speaking with newsmen in Awka, argued that Awka is the seat of government in Anambra State, just as it houses the Police Command Headquarters, and should not succumb to threat from any group or individual, wondering why a Federal High Court will not sit because of an alleged threat from someone in far away Finland, who is yet own up or deny issuing the threat.

According to him, “Has South East particularly Anambra State, became so lawless that somebody will stay in his closet and issue a voice note, ordering the entire people in the state not to go about their business and such order is obeyed”

“What happens to the Police and other security agents in the state, is the Federal High Court Awka, refusal to sit, an indication that an individual or a faceless group now commands the loyalty of the people than both the State and Federal the government?

“If the Federal High Court in Awka is under threat, what happens to the State Police Command, that has its headquarters in Awka. Cann’t the Police and other security agencies give Awka the Anambra State capital the security it needs, so that people and civil servants can go about their businesses without fear of molestation or any kind of threat.

“It is unfortunate that it is only in Awka Anambra State, of all the capital cities in South East, that such order that is issued by a faceless group is being obeyed while the people and businesses suffer.

“As i speak, in Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi States, the Federal High Courts are sitting without fear of any attack, the security agents should be alive to their duties and stop making the state and federal government a laughing stock

“It is even an insult to the Federal Government that a man in far away Finland, whom we are not even sure, he issued an order for Federal High Court not to sit, and people are obeying it and the state government and the Police are not countering such order, while cases suffer delays in the Federal High Court.

“To me this is sabotage against the people of Anambra State and it must stop, the people must reject that kind of humiliation. People who have litigations are suffering, some people need their cases to end so that they can go back to their businesses,

“Christmas and New Year are fast approaching, some people detained by the law enforcement agents can’t get their freedom, some cases that are threatening the lives and well being of the people needs dispensed with.

“Those detained that can only be freed by the court are suffering in different detention facilities and some people who should work to accelerate the dispensation of justice are sitting at home claiming to be threatened by an order nobody knows who gave it while suspects suffer in detention