Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, on Saturday said the presidential order mandating the withdrawal of police officers assigned to Very Important Personalities, VIPs, as part of efforts to curb rising insecurity in the country does not extend to judges.
Media aide to the CJN, Tobi Soniyi who provided the clarification, said the announcement follows concerns raised earlier by the Chief Judge of Taraba State, Justice Joel Agya, who reported that police orderlies attached to judges in the state had been withdrawn, describing the move as a serious security risk.
The Judge had noted that police officers assigned to judicial officers across Taraba were removed on December 8 without any prior notification.
He stressed that stripping judicial officers of their protection could compromise judicial independence.
But responding to the concerns, Tobi Soniyi stated that the CJN’s office was not aware of any withdrawal of police orderlies from judges and questioned why such action would have been taken, given that judges are exempted from the directive.
Soniyi also said that other judges had not reported similar issues regarding the removal of their security personnel.
