From: WOLE BALOGUN, Ado-Ekiti

Piqued  by the alarming rate at which courts are being attacked by hoodlums across the country, the Chief Justice of Ekiti State,  Justice Ayodeji Daramola, has appealed to the state Police Command to beef up security in the various courts.

This is just as the Ekiti State Police Commissioner, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, said that with the activities of the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents, the attacks on courts and other security threats, there was a need for all the stakeholders in the security sector and the judicial officers to brainstorm and fashion out security model that could protect court.

The Justice Daramola stated this when the police Commissioner paid him a working visit in his office.

According to the CJ, there was need for synergy between the Prison authority and the police force to beef up security when hardened criminals are being brought to court.

He said that the Prison officers lack capacity to effectively secure the Prison without the assistance of the police, noting that, cases of jail break are rampant because of the lack of the synergy.

“I was mandated by my colleagues to visit you (Commissioner) because the recent experiences in Imo and Kogi States to solicit for your cooperation by improving the police protection of courts.

“We really need Police protection. Please help us in this regard. It is not only the police that criminals look at with disdain. They also look at us with disdain as well.

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“Things have not been thesame between the police and the Prison authority since they started carrying arms. The Prison people must allow the police to assist them,” he said.

Responding,  Mr. Inalegwu said that the importance of cordial relationship between the police and the judiciary can not be overemphasis in the administration of justice.

” If the police arrest, they cannot keep suspect for too long. They need the judiciary to prosecute the suspects. So Judiciary is not only the hope of the common man, but the hope of the police.

“When I arrived Ekiti State, I was briefed about the number of conviction that the police has secured. I was very impressed about it your Lord Shipping.

“We usually asked the Prison people to alert us when they are talking hardened criminals to the court, but we don’t get to know about it. We have written to the Comptroller of Prison about this.

“We are going to look at the operations of our Judges Protection Unit and do something about it if we discovered that there are. My OC legal and DCP Admin are here they will take a look at it.

“With the activities of the Boko Haram, the attacks on courts,  there is need for all the stakeholders in the security sector to brainstorm with judicial officers and fashion an enduring security model that could protect the courts “.