Eromosele Ebhomele & FuNsho Balogun A dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed in Ekiti State, western Nigeria, after violence continued in the state on Friday. On Thursday Justice John Adeyeye of Ekiti High Court 3 was attacked by thugs alleged to be supporters of the governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose. Our correspondents report that party thugs went on the rampage again on Friday after they were dislodged from Ekiti High Court premises by the police on Thursday. Friday’s mayhem spread to Ajilosun area of Ado-Ekiti where the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is located. The thugs, alleged to be supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and angry NURTW members set the APC Secretariat ablaze. [caption id="attachment_580" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Fayose: attacks court judge[/caption] The act is meant to be a retaliation for the killing of a former NURTW boss, a certain Mr Omolafe Aderiye, who was murdered in his office last night. The former NURTW boss who had earlier relocated to Abuja to take up another NURTW post, returned to Ado Ekiti some days ago. Aderiye allegedly travelled back to be present at the Ado Ekiti High Court premises of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal where Ayo Fayose allegedly ordered the beating of Justice Adeyeye. Omolafe was said to have led NURTW members to the court premises to disrupt proceedings. Sources said he was killed by unidentified gunmen at Ijigbo area of Ado-Ekiti. Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Ekiti State, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, told P.M.NEWS Friday morning that the situation was getting out of hand and that a curfew had to be placed on the state. According to him, there had been sporadic shootings across Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, confirming that someone was killed Thursday night. He further said the current situation in the state was what Fayose wanted and had been targeting. Fapohunda said Fayose had always wanted to scuttle every attempt to initiate a legal process against him. He recalled how thugs loyal to the governor-elect had attacked some people at the court on Monday and Thursday. He agreed that though the shutting down of the courts could be an advantage to Fayose, the action was done for the love of Ekiti people and to protect the lives and property of the people. In an address to the people of the state on Friday, Governor Kayode Fayemi said he had been forced to impose a dusk to dawn curfew on the state with immediate effect. Part of the governor’s speech read: “Ekiti Kete, in order to forestall further descent into anarchy in our state, I am taking the very difficult decision to suspend the ‘Thank You’ tour which I’m undertaking as part of our transitioning-out formalities. Also, I have taken the decision to institute a dusk to dawn curfew in the state immediately. “Accordingly, there would be no movement between the hours of 7.00 p.m. and 7.00 a.m. everyday till further notice. We urge the citizenry to be vigilant and provide the security agencies with details of suspicious activities that can undermine the peace in our state. “Let us work together to stop the violence and brigandage that has brought about serious embarrassment to our state in the last few days.” Trouble started on Thursday when pro-Fayose thugs besieged the Ekiti High Court premises as early as 6am, while a detachment of policemen from the police headquarters were also seen on major streets and around the court. Justice Adeyeye, who was miffed by the huge number of the thugs as they surged towards the court premises had approached Mr Fayose and urged him to prevail on “his supporters” to keep a safe distance from the court premises. An enraged Mr. Fayose was said to have shouted the judge down, slapped him and ordered his men to beat him up. Immediately, thugs numbering about 20 pounced on Justice Adeyeye, beat him up and tore his clothes, while his co-workers scampered and shouted for help. Following the development, judicial workers hurriedly shut down the court premises thereby preventing any court proceeding for hours before the police fired tear gas canisters to disperse the hoodlums. Justice Adeyeye is now receiving treatment at a private hospital in Ado-Ekiti. As a result, the sitting of the Ekiti State Governorship Election petition Tribunal could not hold. The action of Fayose and his thugs led to the closure of all courts in protest. In a statement signed by the Chief Registrar, Obafemi Fasanmi, the state Chief Judge, A. Daramola, ordered all state courts to remain closed until adequate security measures are in place. “The chief judge has noted with increasing concern the spate of attacks perpetrated by political thugs and their persistent presence in the premises of the high court Ado Ekiti in the past few days”. A similar scenario had played out on Monday when suspected PDP thugs stormed the high court premises attacked the trial judge, some litigants and judicial workers in the bid to prevent hearing in a case to determine Fayose’s eligibility for the June 21 governorship election. Meanwhile, Fapohunda, has vowed to sue the state governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose, for allegedly ordering that Justice Adeyeye be beaten up by his thugs. Fapohunda said he was going to personally take up the issue with Fayose’s lawyers for not teaching him what decorum meant at a court premises. He also said each of those affected by the incident would individually institute a suit against Fayose, adding that many lawyers were affected and that a number of vehicles were destroyed in the attack. In a telephone interview with our correspondent, the Attorney-General said the attacks by Fayose started days ago, but that the incident of Thursday sealed his level of impunity. “I will hold lawyers of the governor-elect personally responsible,” he said. He lamented such level of impunity, saying it portends grave danger for not just the legal profession, but the entire country. He further described it as a huge tragedy, wondering what would happen to the average Nigerian if judges cannot be protected. He lamented that while this attack was on-going, policemen at the scene only looked the other way and could not even rescue the judge. He said such level of impunity shown by the governor-elect makes it obvious that he would have no regard for the judiciary or constituted authority when he is eventually sworn into office. Fapohunda said he was sure that Fayose’s confidence appears to be that he enjoys the backing of the Federal Government. “It is amazing and shocking. Regretably, it was in the presence of the police. There is going to be a myriad of suits against him,” he said, while noting that the attack was a dangerous precedent which, if not nipped in the bud, would make anyone who thinks he may not win a legal battle order the beating of lawyers and judges. Reacting to the violence that has rocked Ekiti state and the attacks on judges and lawyers, Augustine Alegeh, the president of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, said in statement on Friday that “the Nigerian Bar Association strongly condemns the brazen and dastardly acts of violence by thugs and hoodlums who attacked the High Court of Justice Complex in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State on Monday September 22, 2014 and followed same up with more acts of violence and brigandage by tearing judicial record books and attacking judges at the Ekiti State High Court Complex which is also the venue of sitting of the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on September 25, 2014. “Reports from our members at Ado Ekiti indicate that policemen and other security agents present at the court premises looked the other way while the hoodlums had a field day in disrupting court proceedings, tearing court record books, even beating up and tearing the clothes of a judge. “The life of our judges in Ekiti is in grave danger. We must act to protect them from highly placed persons in our society who abuse their positions and privileges to unleash mayhem on Judicial Officers and infrastructure.” Alegeh described the attacks as detestable. “We condemn these acts of brigandage intended to intimidate and infuse fear in the mind of judicial officers. The persons behind these actions have by their meaningless acts of violence desecrated the courts which are our temple of justice. We will neither allow these acts of impunity and resort to lawlessness nor will we tolerate the actions of persons whose creed seem to be that might is right. We must stand up to them lest they think that it pays to be murderously violent.” He said the administration of justice can never thrive in an atmosphere where judicial officers are brazenly attacked and or intimidated in the course of carrying out their lawful duties, adding that the administration of justice can never bow to the whims and caprices of persons who believe that judges must yield to their wishes. “The NBA is sending a high powered investigation team to Ekiti to investigate the facts surrounding this matter. Any person(s) no matter how highly placed found involved in this show of shame and desecration of our courts will surely face the full force of the law as NBA will ensure prosecution of any such person(s). [caption id="attachment_10669" align="aligncenter" width="134"] Ekiti NURTW former chairman, shot dead[/caption] “We will not sit idly by while persons who do not mean well for our society take steps capable of plunging our country into anarchy,” Alegeh said. Allso reacting to Thursday’s attack on a judge, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), said: “in my reaction to the outcome of the Ekiti State governorship election held on June 21, 2014 , I expressed the view that the Ekiti people had gone back to Egypt. The mayhem unleashed on a high court judge, lawyers and litigants in the precint of the Ekiti State High Court sitting at Ado Ekiti on Monday, 23 September, 2014 by a gang of hired hoodlums has confirmed that the Ekiti people have fully returned to the wilderness. As the thugs were not brought to book they regrouped this morning (Thursday) and launched another attack on the High Court. In the process Justice Isaac Adeyeye was beaten up while the car of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association was destroyed. Other judges and lawyers ran for dear lives. “Thus, by desecrating the temple of Justice with the connivance of the police the armed lumpen elements left no one in doubt that they have the full backing of the ruling party in executing the premeditated onslaught on the judiciary. So far, those who perpetrated the barbaric attack and their sponsors have admitted their ignoble role through public statements issued by them. The Ekiti State governor-elect, Mr. Ayo Fayose has justified the shameful attack on the rule of law in Ekiti State by saying that his election cannot be challenged in court. This is a reminder of the Idi Amin era in Uganda when judges were killed while discharging judicial functions. Mr. Fayose and his thugs should not be allowed to kill judges and lawyers before calling him to order.” Falana added that “since the Ekiti State police command is completely compromised the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba is called upon to ensure that all the assailants are arrested and prosecuted without any delay. Any attempt to cover up the brazen contempt of court should be resisted by the Attorney-General of Ekiti State, Mr. Wale Fapounda, who should take decisive measures to bring the criminals to book. Let no one politicize the criminality of those who are bent on replacing the rule of law with rule of force in Ekiti State. The Federal Government ought to distance itself from the shameless display of brute force by an in-coming governor.” He said even under the defunct military junta judges were never subjected to physical assault over their decisions.