The Ondo State chapter of the Magistrates Association of Nigeria has appealed to the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to provide its members with official vehicles.
The association said the state magistrates were forced to board public transport alongside criminals and litigants, thereby putting their lives at risk and undermining the dignity of their office and the integrity of the judiciary.
Spokesperson for the association, Chief Magistrate Damilola Sekoni, made the appeal on Friday when members of the association, led by its Chairman, Funmi Edwin, paid a courtesy visit to a former senator who represented Ondo North Senatorial District, Bode Olajumoke, and the Publisher of Vanguard Media Limited, Sam Amuka, in Akure, the state capital.
According to Sekoni, about 60 magistrates across the state do not have official vehicles, forcing them to scramble for public transport with litigants and criminal suspects to perform their daily duties.
He stated that the situation undermines the dignity of their office, compromises their safety, and affects their efficiency.
Sekoni said, “We, on a daily basis, hop on commercial vehicles, most times with criminals and litigants standing trial before us, with the attendant security risk to our individual lives.”
In his remarks, the Akure Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Onimisi Umar, also appealed to the state governor to consider providing official vehicles for the magistrates, noting that such a gesture would boost morale, ensure safety, and improve efficiency among the affected judicial officers.
“Providing official vehicles will greatly improve the efficiency, safety, and morale of the magistrates. It will also ensure that they are treated with respect befitting their office,” Umar said.
Responding, Olajumoke promised to look into the magistrates’ requests and discuss their plight with the governor.
He also urged them to shun acts that could tarnish the legal profession.
In his remarks, Amuka thanked the magistrates for their visit and advised them to continue to uphold the rule of law and maintain integrity in the justice system.
