February 24, (THEWILL) – Lawyers representing their clients before the Benue State Election Petitions Tribunal have called for further adjournments in ongoing cases, citing concerns over their safety and that of their clients.
In separate letters addressed to the chairmen of tribunals sitting in Zones A, B, and C, the lawyers expressed fears that the court premises are not secure due to the ongoing conflict between the Chief Judge and the Benue State House of Assembly.
In Zone C, S. I. Ameh (SAN) & Co., Legal Practitioners, Notaries Public & Arbitrators, stated in their letter that they are lead counsel for all respondents in petitions pending before the Zone C panel of the tribunal (excluding Obi and Oju Local Governments).
The letter read, “We respectfully write to express our concern and reservations regarding the proposed sitting of the tribunal on February 24, 2025. Our reservation is premised on reliable information indicating a potential threat of violence to the welfare and safety of our team of lawyers should they attend the tribunal sitting on the said date.”
“In view of this position and the brewing, tense security situation around court premises within the state in the past few days, we are unable to find convincing justification for our team of lawyers and our clients to attend the sitting on that day,” the letter continued.
Ameh (SAN) requested that immediate steps be taken to enhance security arrangements around the sitting venue to protect the lives of lawyers, clients, and tribunal members. He also called for the tribunal sitting to be adjourned to a later date when adequate security measures could be implemented to ensure collective safety.
Similarly, Ndarani Mohammed (SAN), Principal Partner of another legal firm, expressed the same concerns. The firm, which represents all 93 petitions pending before the tribunal in Zone A, called for an adjournment until security concerns are addressed to guarantee the safety of all parties.
In Zone B, Matthew Burkaa (SAN) & Co., handling cases in the zone, issued a notice titled “Tribunal Sitting and Our Grievous Security Concerns.” The firm, which serves as lead counsel to 294 respondents in all 104 pending petitions, stated that they had received a directive from the tribunal on February 20, 2025, communicated by the tribunal’s secretary, Awuhe Msughter Emmanuel, via a WhatsApp group.
The directive notified counsel that the tribunal would not sit on Friday, February 21, 2025, and that a new date for the petitions scheduled for that day would be communicated on Monday, February 24, 2025, in court.
The firm noted the tense security situation around the court premises and within the state in recent weeks and called for an adjournment to a later date.
Efforts to reach the tribunal chairman or secretary for comment were unsuccessful, as the court designated for the tribunal sitting was empty at the time of the visit.
