A group has called for the justices of the Appeal Court in Kano to be relocated to Abuja due to security concerns

As a result of alleged threats and intimidation by members of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the group Stand Up Nigeria has called for the immediate removal of Appeal Court justices from Kano to Abuja.

The coalition demanded that NNPP officials and Kano State government publicly deny that party followers, including a commissioner working for Governor Abba Yusuf, had threatened the safety of the Appeal Court justices with violence.

On Saturday in Abuja, the group’s National Coordinator, Sunday Attah, issued the demand during a news conference.

They pointed out that the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had dismissed Yusuf and installed All Progressives Congress, APC’s Nasir Gawuna as the state’s legitimately elected governor.

According to Attah, “in light of the above, we condemn the leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, who have been threatening the judges and general peace of Kano State using its supporters, to understand that, trying to intimidate the judiciary in order to force the judges to their side would amount to miscarriage of justice as the law is blind with a sharp sword.”

“Just because you lost an election is no reason to try to intimidate the judges or start a war. After the four-year term ends, new elections will be held.

Instead of funding efforts to blackmail the highly regarded Justices of the election petition tribunal and frighten the justices of the Appeal Court into overturning a just decision, you should get ready to run again.

Our justices are not spiritual, and that is something we must accept. They are not equipped with bulletproof vests or helmets, so it is the duty of the Nigerian government to safeguard them at all times.

We urge the National Judicial Council, NJC, to swiftly transfer judges from any state of the Federation where they face danger to a safe location where they can administer justice without bias or prejudice.

The NJC should move the Justices from any state that is poisonous and threatens them to Abuja. Judgment does not have to be rendered within the state under any provision of law.