PRO-JUDICIARY GROUP CONDEMNS DEDUCTION FROM SALARIES OF LOWER COURT JUDGES IN OYO STATE

The Convener of Fight Against Corruption in the Judiciary (FIACIJ) and Citizens Support for Lower Courts (CSLC) Bayo Akinlade Esq. has condemned in the strongest terms the recent developments in the Oyo State Judiciary, where observed that lower court judges have been subjected to deductions from their salaries. The claim has not been independently verified by this publication, but Mr. Akinlade notes that this is not the first time the Chief Judge of the State unilaterally approved deduction of funds from the salaries of Magistrates and Customary Court Judges. In a statement, Akinlade backed a call by the Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch for a resolution of the issue, adding, however, that the issue lies squarely at the desk of the Oyo State Chief Judge. "I do not subscribe to the way lower court judges are badly treated by judges of Superior courts. Judges in the higher courts and especially heads of courts forget easily that lower court judges went to the same universities and studied in the same law school with judges in the high courts. In fact some lower court judges are far more intellectual with higher legal degrees than high court Judges" he stated. The former Chairman of NBA, Ikorodu Branch, Lagos stated clearly that the heads of court are responsible for any anomaly within the judiciary, adding that blaming the executive arm of government, especially for financially strangling the judiciary, was no longer tenable and certainly not acceptable. "I call upon the Chief Judge of Oyo State to stop all further deductions and refund all monies due to the Magistrates. I also call on the ICPC to do a thorough investigation into claims of financial incapacities. I call on all heads of courts to stop playing politics with our justice system and do their jobs as incorruptible adjudicators"