News
Why I swore in three judges rejected by Obaseki – Okpebholo
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, on Monday, swore in three judges who were shunned by the Godwin Obaseki administration during the swearing-in of five of their colleagues last year.
He said he did it in fulfilment of his campaign promise to right the wrong of his predecessor.
The National Judicial Council, in June 2023, cleared and recommended eight judges for the Edo State High Court.
The immediate-past governor, Obaseki, however, swore in five of them, leaving out the three others.
The affected judges are Justices Ojo Osa, Okundamiya Jeff and Edoghogho Eboigbe.
Supervising their swearing-in at the Festival Hall of the Government House, on Monday, Okpebholo said it was in fulfilment of his inaugural speech, having promised to look into the case.
He noted that 11 months after the recommendation of the NJC, only five of those recommended were sworn in as judges by the immediate-past administration, leaving out three, even when they had all been cleared and recommended by the NJC.
Okpebholo said no one should be discriminated against, marginalised or hated for personal reasons, or on account of not having a godfather.
He charged the new judges to uphold a high standard of conduct, ensure fair dispute resolution, uphold the rights of citizens, and bring culprits to justice.
He said: “During my swearing-in ceremony as Governor of Edo State on the 12th of November 2024, I acknowledged the critical role of the judiciary under the doctrine of separation of powers.
“Today, we are gathered here to strengthen the role of the judiciary. The National Judicial Council in June 2023 had recommended eight persons for appointment as judges of the Edo State High Court.
“Eleven months after that recommendation, only five of them were sworn in by the immediate-past administration, leaving out three, even when they had all been cleared and recommended by the NJC.
“In my inaugural speech, I made a promise to look into the case. Today, we have the privilege to right the wrong. The three judges will now have the opportunity to sit with their colleagues at the bench of the Edo State High Court to discharge their duties.
“For me, no one should be discriminated against, marginalised or hated for personal reasons, or on account of not having a godfather.
“As judges of the state high court, we expect you to uphold a high standard of conduct, ensure fair dispute resolution, uphold the rights of citizens, and bring culprits to justice.”
Responding, Ojo, on behalf of others, thanked the governor for the opportunity given to them to serve as judges in Edo State.
She appreciated the governor for making their swearing-in a reality, just three weeks into office.
Some senior officials of the Kwara State Local Government Service Commission have been kidnapped by gunmen along the Omu-Aran/Ilorin Road.
The victims were abducted on Friday evening.
Those kidnapped are: the Head of the Legal Department of Oke-Ero Local Government, Elizabeth Arinde, and the Head of Personnel Management of the council, whose name could not be immediately confirmed.
It was gathered on Saturday night that the two senior administrators were among seven individuals kidnapped at Corner Eleyin along the Omu-Aran/Ilorin Expressway while returning to Ilorin, the state capital, for the weekend on Friday, April 25, 2025.
The incident occurred at about 5:45pm where five gunmen ambushed the two private vehicles before leading the passengers into the bush.
The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the incident.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, on Saturday.
The statement added “The Kwara State Police Command confirms a kidnap incident reported at about 5:45 p.m. on Friday, 25th April 2025, at Eleyin village via Isanlu-Isin. It was reported that about five armed men blocked the highway, stopping two private vehicles, forcefully taking all occupants to an unknown location.
“Following the report, the command, in collaboration with the military and vigilantes, launched a swift operation, leading to the successful rescue of two victims, Ganiyu Ajayi and Kolawole Adeyemi.
“Efforts are ongoing to rescue the remaining five victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
“The command has intensified security measures across the area, including aggressive bush combing, strategic patrols, and intelligence-driven operations to prevent further occurrences”
The Chief of Civil-Military Affairs (Army), Major General Gold Chibuisi, has condemned the harassment and assault of civilians unlawfully wearing military uniforms, stressing that while such acts are illegal, the Nigerian Army does not support violence against offenders.
Speaking during a media chat with Defence correspondents on Saturday night in Abuja, Maj. Gen. Chibuisi said that although it is against Nigerian law for non-military personnel to wear military uniforms, soldiers must act professionally and lawfully when handling such cases.
“I’m surprised that in most briefs we give in our programmes, we always talk about this uniform issue because it keeps recurring. It’s against the law of the land. If you are not in the armed forces, please don’t use our uniform, whether you love it or not.
“But that’s one part of it. Let people stop it. The other part is what we do, what our troops do when they see somebody dressed in a military uniform. You’re supposed to just get the person to remove it, arrest, and hand it over to the police, basically for persecution. All these other things that come with it are not right. And we are doing sensitisation on them.”
He said many soldiers had been sanctioned for assaulting Nigerians who wore military camouflage.
” Those that we find and there is evidence that they did that, we always sanction them sternly. And we’ll continue to do that, ” Chibuisi said.
He appealed to citizens to avoid wearing military uniforms illegally, noting that respecting the uniform is an important part of strengthening national security and building trust between the military and the public.
Chibuisi noted that criminals increasingly exploit military uniforms to commit crimes, making it harder for civilians and security agencies to identify genuine soldiers.
“Currently, there are a lot of criminals using military garb to perpetrate crime. If people keep dressing like that, how do you differentiate between a criminal and a genuine soldier?”
He urged families and communities to help with sensitization at the home level.
“If somebody you know is not in the military comes out in the morning, and he wants to jog or drive somewhere wearing our uniform, you should tell him not to, “he said.
Chibuisi also reminded the public that the Army belongs to the people and should be seen as part of their families, not as distant or fearsome figures.
“There is no army that doesn’t want itself to be seen as working for the people. We are the Nigerian Army. The Nigerian people own us.”
As part of efforts to foster better understanding, the Army, he said, is strengthening its sensitisation campaigns both internally among troops and externally to the wider public.
“We are fine-tuning the conduct of our personnel.
“And I believe as we keep interacting, the relationship will continue to improve, ” he said.
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