Ogbomosho Courts reopening will restore Oyo’s judiciary to former glory

The Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Iyabode Yerima, declared on Friday that the reopening of the newly reconstructed high courts and newly constructed Chief Magistrates’ court in Ogbomoso is gratifying because, over the years, most courts in Oyo State had fallen into a state of disrepair and dilapidation.

She made this statement at the commissioning of the reconstructed high courts and newly constructed magistrate courts located on Akintola Road, Oke Ado, Ogbomoso.

She added that the Ogbomoso High Court was one of the worst examples of dilapidation, with water flooding the courts and sometimes making it impossible for judges to sit and adjudicate on matters.

During the commissioning of the new complex, the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barrister Bayo Lawal, urged the people to ensure they maintain the structure, emphasising that the responsibility should not be left to the judiciary alone.

He lauded the judiciary for the excellent work on the complex and reiterated the state government’s commitment to having a judiciary that will be the envy of all.

Justice Yerima mentioned that several palliative efforts were jointly made by the judiciary and the Nigeria Bar Association, but they only served for a while before the problem resurfaced, each time becoming worse than before.

She stated that when she came on board as the Chief Judge in January 2023, one of her primary objectives was to ensure that the judiciary of Oyo State is restored to its former glory.

“Therefore, seeing that nothing short of a total overhaul would be required, I swung into action. Before now, our Chief Magistrates’ Courts were located in the Town Hall at Oja’gbo, in rather ramshackle and unbefitting accommodation.

Our magistrates had to make do with the environment and sometimes had their sittings disrupted whenever there was an occasion or festival going on.

“This unpleasant state of affairs prompted me to decide that we would have to find a means of incorporating the magistrates’ courts into this new location.

Thus, we now have both the Ogbomoso judicial division and Ogbomoso magisterial district in the same premises; a situation which I am sure will gladden the heart of lawyers and litigants alike as they would not have to be shuttling between Oja’gbo and Oke-Ado when they have matters at both the magistrate and high courts,” she added.

In his goodwill message, the Onpetu of Ijeru, Oba Sunday Oladapo Oyediran, while commending the state governor and judicial arm of the state for doing a good job, requested that the magistrates’ Court Complexes vacated by the construction of new ones be reoccupied and assigned to two of the newly sworn-in magistrates pending the construction of more courts in the Ogbomoso area.

This, he said, will reduce the already heavy workload on the existing magistrates. He further asked for the digitalization of court proceedings, which he said are long overdue.

Justice Yerima explained further that reconstruction work is ongoing at both Ilero and Okeho Magisterial districts, where a new magistrate court is to be commissioned soon, and the old one is being renovated and reopened, alongside a number of proposed projects aimed at making Oyo judiciary the premier destination for access to prompt justice delivery in a comfortable and elegant setting.

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