Barely a week after a former Abia State Attorney General, Chief Umeh Kalu SAN urged Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to look into the dilapidated conditions of court halls in the state, a courtroom has collapsed on Tuesday.
News Echo learnt that a disaster was averted at the High Court Four, Aba, Abia after the roof of a court building collapsed a few minutes after a session on Tuesday.
It was learnt that the judge in charge of the court, Justice Uche Okoroafor was on Wednesday forced to take cases under him in another court building, as a result of the collapse.
Kalu said that there is a dearth of court halls in Abia State, as most judges and magistrates do not have court halls.
He also said that there are instances where judges sit out of their jurisdiction due to non – availability of court halls within their areas of jurisdiction.
The former Attorney General also told Ikpeazu the court in your local government area, Obingwa – has been sitting at Aba since the time of his predecessor and has remained so six years after you assumed office.
“My personal experience from the reconstruction of the burnt Ohafia High Court puts the conservative figure of twenty–five million Naira (N25, 000, 000) as the cost of constructing and furnishing a befitting High Court hall, with adjourning offices for the judge and support staff.
“With a modest sum of two hundred and fifty million Naira (N250, 000, 000), you would have built ten court halls across the State. Let me equally draw your attention to the deplorable condition of the main High Court complex at the Abia State Judiciary Headquarters, Umuahia, built by your predecessor a few years ago.
“This building is more of a monument presently, requiring entire re-roofing of the building and refurbishing of all the court halls, amongst other areas of immediate attention.”
When News Echo visited the Aba High Court Four, the roof of the court building was still as it was when it collapsed with debris littering the whole building.
Eyewitnesses told News Echo that the building was renovated in 2018, but was not done properly as half of the woods and ceiling were too old to be joined together with the new ones brought.
“We were lucky that we had finished sitting before the incident occurred. If not only God knows what would have happened.
“If you enter this court hall during the rain you’ll not believe what you’ll see. From the place where the judge stays to this other side where you see files leak without control.
“In 2018 when they came to replace the roofs that were blown away by winds, I reminded them that they were doing a shoddy job, but they ignored me. Even after replacing the roofs the building still leaks.”
The Chief Justice of Abia State, Justice Onuoha Ogwe said that the situation has been reported to the state government for appropriate actions to be taken.
