*COURTS OR PIGS' PEN?

*COURTS OR PIGS' PEN?*

....magistrate courts in Edo state deserve attention

The condition of magistrate courts situated at Evboriaria in Benin City can be likened to pigs' pen owing to the dirtiness and sorry state of the court rooms and environment where criminal and civil cases are examined.

Side by side with the magistrate courts is the Edo state production centre that house entrepreneurs and artisans. The production centre was renovated by the state government and can be counted as one the success stories of the present administration.

One is forced to wonder how a magistrate can sit in such an untidy environment to look at cases brought before him and expect to get fair judgement thereof. It was reported that when it rains, the court rooms are flooded with water thereby preventing any form of sitting by the court. A magistrate court in Iguobazuwa is worse off in comparison to the ones in Benin City.

Edo state government should as a matter of urgency pay attention to the magistrate courts and the welfare of magistrates as well, as it was also observed that some of the magistrates use public transport to office which shouldn't be looking at the nature of the work they do, their security and privacy should be of priority. 

Leftist Osazee Edigin

Public Relations Officer

Edo Civil Society Organisations