The Abia State chapter of the Magistrates Association of Nigeria has petitioned the state government to furnish official automobiles and secure parking spaces within the state’s courthouses.
Chief Magistrate Ngozi Lakwa’s private vehicle was stolen last week as she was attending to official business outside the Umuahia High Court complex. This theft prompted the appeal.
Orji Nnaemeka, chairman of the Magistrates Association of Nigeria in Abia State, made an emotional plea on behalf of the organization after a member of the association went missing while on the job.
The organization claimed the theft proved beyond a reasonable doubt that public-sector Magistrates were becoming susceptible to criminal activity as they carried out their legitimate jobs.
“When judicial workers experience personal loss while carrying out their constitutional duties to the State and its citizens, it is both unfair and demoralising,” Nnaemeka stated.
If their plea was ignored, more members of the group might become victims, according to the group’s fears.
The group said that the car’s theft and other problems may have been prevented if the government of Abia State had provided sufficient and supervised parking for vehicles.