Oxen State Governor Ademola Adeleke condemned the arson attack on the 2nd building of the Ilesa High Court, calling it an unreasonable attack on the state’s judiciary and posed a direct threat to democracy. The governor has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident and directed security agencies to arrest those responsible.
The court building was burned Sunday night, causing sensitive court documents, exhibits and significant structural damage. The report shows that by the time the firefighters arrived at the scene, damage had been caused, among which the documents related to the high-profile case were lost.
Governor Adeleke stressed the need for urgent action in a statement issued by his spokesman Olawale Rasheed, noting that the perpetrators must be brought to justice. He also directed security agencies to tighten surveillance at all court venues across the state to prevent future occurrences.
Adelake further directed the Attorney General and the Justice Commissioner to work with the Department of Engineering and Infrastructure to immediately recover the damaged court building.
The governor described the attack as not only a crime, but a serious challenge to the rule of law. He reiterated the importance of maintaining the judiciary, which he said remains the cornerstone of democracy and called on citizens and stakeholders to support efforts to protect the judiciary from similar threats.
