A Magistrate Court in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has ordered the arrest of the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Seun Osamaye, over an alleged assault on a Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Temitope Alphonso.
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The arrest order followed the commissioner’s failure to appear in court to answer charges bordering on assault, intimidation, and threats to life allegedly committed against the judicial officer.
According to court documents, the incident occurred at the premises of the Ministry of Women Affairs while Chief Magistrate Alphonso was on an official engagement with the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, in the presence of staff members.
In an affidavit attached to the charge, Magistrate Alphonso alleged that the confrontation stemmed from a judgment she earlier delivered which was unfavorable to the commissioner.
She claimed the commissioner reacted by verbally abusing and physically assaulting her.
Meanwhile, when she asked Mrs. Osamaye to stop cursing her, the commissioner allegedly ordered her to shut up, describing her as a mere magistrate and boasting that even the Chief Judge of Ondo State could not question her.
The magistrate further alleged that the commissioner threatened her life, warning her to watch her back and claiming she had all the apparatus to make her go missing if she was not careful.
She reportedly beat her chest while making the threats and claimed that neither the governor nor the Chief Judge would be able to rescue the magistrate.
The affidavit read: “That when I asked her to stop cursing, the defendant told me to shut up and said I was just a mere magistrate, adding that even the Chief Judge of Ondo State cannot open his mouth when she is talking.
“The defendant further warned me to watch my back, claiming she had all the apparatus to make me go missing if I was not careful. She beat her chest while making the threat.
“She also stated that by the time she was finished with me, the Governor of Ondo State would not be able to rescue me, let alone the Chief Judge.”
At the hearing on Wednesday, the commissioner was absent from court.
Her counsel, Barrister Adewusi, told the court that she was undergoing medical treatment at a hospital in Ilara-Mokin and requested a stand-down to enable him to present evidence of her hospitalization.
The presiding Magistrate, Damilola Sekoni, granted a one-and-a-half-hour stand-down and ruled that the commissioner must appear in court or face consequences.
When the case resumed, the defence presented a medical report, but it was immediately challenged by the prosecuting counsel, who questioned its authenticity.
In his ruling, Magistrate Sekoni rejected the medical report, describing it as unsatisfactory and lacking essential details such as the date and time of admission, as well as proof that the commissioner was medically unfit to attend court.
The court noted that the document failed to show that Mrs. Osamaye was admitted and described it as hastily prepared.
The court noted the commissioner’s blatant disregard for its authority, and Magistrate Sekoni therefore ordered her arrest and remand in prison custody.
However, the case was adjourned to January 12, 2026, for further hearing.
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