Police Disrupt Court In Yobe, Remove Colleagues Accused Of Robbery
In a startling incident at the Chief Magistrate Court in Potiskum, Yobe State, police officers from the Yobe State Command reportedly disrupted court proceedings and removed two of their colleagues facing charges of criminal conspiracy and robbery. The incident occurred on October 29, when armed officers from the Area Command Office in Potiskum stormed the court, forcing staff, lawyers, and litigants to flee.
The officers allegedly took away the two suspects who had previously been convicted by Chief Magistrate Hadiza Gimba. The police command had reportedly refused to present the suspects for prosecution despite multiple court orders and adjournments. In a formal complaint, the Chief Magistrate Court accused the police of refusing to acknowledge court summons.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Dungus Abdulkarim, told reporters that the command was still investigating the matter and had yet to reach any conclusions.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Yobe Chapter condemned the disruption and threatened a statewide boycott of all courts. Following an emergency meeting, the association demanded the immediate removal, investigation, and prosecution of the Potiskum Area Commander and all officers involved in the court raid.
The NBA’s resolution, signed by its chairman Y. Muhammad, listed several demands, including:
1. Compliance with the court’s order to return the convicted officers to the Medium Correctional Centre in Potiskum.
2. A cessation of police-led prosecutions in Yobe Magistrate Courts, noting that prosecution is the constitutional duty of the Yobe State Attorney General.
3. A two-day boycott of all Yobe State courts from November 6-7, as a warning while awaiting a 14-day response from the Yobe State Commissioner of Police.
The NBA also emphasized the importance of law enforcement respecting judicial authority, asserting that these actions represent a critical threat to the justice system’s integrity.
