Lawyers in Niger State have raised observations over the continued absence of the presiding Judge of the National Industrial Court, Minna branch, Honourable Justice O Y Anuwu, from her duty post since her appointment to head the Minna Branch of the Court, DAILY INDEPENDENT reports
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Justice Anuwu, whose appointment came almost at the same time as the Coronavirus pandemic was at its peak, was visiting the Court located beside Paiko Road Police Division, Minna from her base in Abuja once in two months.
Two years down the road and with the issue of coronavirus fast fizzling out, Justice Anuwu has not shown up at her duty post and this, according to one of the lawyers who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has made their jobs and services to their clients very difficult.
Instead of presiding over cases within the state jurisdiction of the Minna Industrial Court, Justice Anuwu has cited security concerns and distance coming from Abuja as part of the reasons she abandoned her duty post for years now.
Consequently, lawyers who have cases within the jurisdiction, coming from across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state, are now compelled to shuttle between the state and the Federal capital, Abuja with their clients instead of her coming down to Minna.
One of the lawyers also recalled how a member of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Niger state chapter lost his life traversing between Minna and Abuja for a case that should be handled by the state branch of the National Industrial Court.
“We are worried by the continued absence of Hon. Justice O Y Anuwu from her duty post as the presiding Judge of the National Industrial Court, Niger state branch for whatsoever reasons. She cannot continue to operate from her comfort zone in Abuja at our own detriment and at the detriment of our clients,” one of the lawyers said.
“It is very important and necessary for those in the temple of justice to live what they preach sitting on that ‘Honourable’ seat. Absconding from duty post is simply telling the whole world that she values her life above all and against her oath of office that of the lives of the many Nigerians whose rights in their places of work were being trampled upon and this is wrong.
“She has the option of resigning if she feels that coming down to Minna, the state capital, to preside over cases is too burdensome for her. Many judges and other high-ranking judicial officers are in their duty posts presiding over cases, why is she different? What point is she trying to prove?” he queried.
Justice Anuwu is not just setting a bad precedence for others coming after her, if this is allowed to continue, it will get to a point whereby judges and magistrates will decide to shift sittings to their homes or even travel out yet collect salaries at the end of the month for work they did not do”.
Efforts to get reactions to the allegations from Justice Anuwu or any of the Court officials by our correspondent who went on a fact-finding mission to unravel the circumstances surrounding the Judge’s absence for years from her duty post, proved abortive.
Some court clerks who were on ground when the correspondent visited, had in order to justify the continued absence of Justice Anuwu, confirmed the difficulties as being expressed by the lawyers simply said, “The Judge stays in Abuja, what we do is to file cases and send it to Abuja for her”.
The Court Registrar whose name could not be ascertained as at the time of this report had declined to meet with our correspondent when she got to know her identity and mission to the Minna branch of the National Industrial Court.
Our correspondent also gathered that many cases have suffered undue delays, while justice and fairness may never come the way of citizens whose rights at workplaces may have been violated if the likes of, Hon. Justice Anuwu, who is aided by the Registrar and court Clerks are allowed to continue their unprofessional conducts.
When contacted for reactions, Niger state branch chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mohammed Wazili who had promised to respond to the issue could not get back to our correspondent as at the time of filing this report.
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