Magistrates in Cross River State have protested non-payment of
their 24 months salaries.
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
The Magistrates, drawn from the 18 local government areas of the
state including 11 from Obudu, besieged Governor’s Office about
9:00am today and demand payment of their arrears of salaries.
![image](/2020/10/NWLRland.jpg")
The Magistrates, who blocked the second gate of the Governor’s
Office, carried a number of placards with various inscriptions
reading “No Bliss no blush, we are not crystallised nor
olumpoticised”, “Cross River State Magistrates in penury”; “we have
right to employment”; “Magistrates in Cross River State are thrown
out of their rented apartments, Ayade pay us”.
Speaking on behalf of the protesting Magistrates, the Chief
Magistrate to Cross River State government, Solomon Abuo, said the
protest is their last resort.
He said:” We are protesting the non-payment of our 24 months
salary. This is January and we have been discharging our duties to
the state government.
“We have courts that we are heading and we have been working for
the state government to bring about peace and tranquility to the
society yet the governor does not seem it fit to pay us our
salaries despite our entreaties, pleas, letters, correspondences,
screening upon screening.
“After our employment and swearing in, we have undergone four
screenings, each of them the governor will ignore the report
requesting him to pay us our salaries. Do this is our last
resort.
“Right now we have 30 Magistrates affected across the 18 LGAs of
the state, funny enough the governor’s local government has the
highest number and the state does not care.
“Is it wrong for one to serve the state. As Judicial officers,
are we supposed to go through this kind of humiliation. That’s the
question we want answers to. Besides, we are all family men with
children in school, we cannot pay children’s school fees.
“Last year one of the Magistrates was arraigned before a fellow
Magistrate for inability to pay house rent. Most of us can’t pay
our house rents, we are squatting with colleagues and all that. So,
we will continue to protest and no more court sittings until we are
paid”, he said.
At the office, neither the governor Professor Ayade, nor the
Deputy, Professor Esu, was around to address the protesting
Magistrates.
Magistrates in Cross River State have protested non-payment of
their 24 months salaries.
The Magistrates, drawn from the 18 local government areas of the
state including 11 from Obudu, besieged Governor’s Office about
9:00am today and demand payment of their arrears of salaries.
The Magistrates, who blocked the second gate of the Governor’s
Office, carried a number of placards with various inscriptions
reading “No Bliss no blush, we are not crystallised nor
olumpoticised”, “Cross River State Magistrates in penury”; “we have
right to employment”; “Magistrates in Cross River State are thrown
out of their rented apartments, Ayade pay us”.
Speaking on behalf of the protesting Magistrates, the Chief
Magistrate to Cross River State government, Solomon Abuo, said the
protest is their last resort.
He said:” We are protesting the non-payment of our 24 months
salary. This is January and we have been discharging our duties to
the state government.
“We have courts that we are heading and we have been working for
the state government to bring about peace and tranquility to the
society yet the governor does not seem it fit to pay us our
salaries despite our entreaties, pleas, letters, correspondences,
screening upon screening.
“After our employment and swearing in, we have undergone four
screenings, each of them the governor will ignore the report
requesting him to pay us our salaries. Do this is our last
resort.
“Right now we have 30 Magistrates affected across the 18 LGAs of
the state, funny enough the governor’s local government has the
highest number and the state does not care.
“Is it wrong for one to serve the state. As Judicial officers,
are we supposed to go through this kind of humiliation. That’s the
question we want answers to. Besides, we are all family men with
children in school, we cannot pay children’s school fees.
“Last year one of the Magistrates was arraigned before a fellow
Magistrate for inability to pay house rent. Most of us can’t pay
our house rents, we are squatting with colleagues and all that. So,
we will continue to protest and no more court sittings until we are
paid”, he said.
At the office, neither the governor Professor Ayade, nor the
Deputy, Professor Esu, was around to address the protesting
Magistrates.