Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has confirmed that the presidential directive 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.
This clarification was provided on Saturday by the CJN’s media aide, Tobi Soniyi.
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Judge of Taraba State, Justice Joel Agya, who reported that police orderlies attached to judges in the state had been withdrawn, describing the move as a serious security risk.
Justice Agya explained that judges, along with governors, were explicitly exempted from the security withdrawal order, in recognition of their statutory right to police protection.
However, he noted that police officers assigned to judicial officers across Taraba were removed on December 8 without any prior notification.
“Removing security details from judges handling sensitive criminal, political, terrorism, and corruption cases exposes them to considerable danger,” Justice Agya said.
He further emphasised that stripping judicial officers of their protection could compromise judicial independence.
“Judicial independence is not only about freedom from interference but also about safeguarding judges from intimidation. Without security personnel, courtrooms may become unsafe, and judicial proceedings could be disrupted,” he added.
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 noted that other judges had not reported similar issues regarding the removal of their security personnel.
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