A Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has ordered the arrest of the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Seun Osamaye, over allegations of assault against a Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Temitope Alphonso.
According to the charge before the court, the alleged incident occurred at the Ministry of Women Affairs during an official engagement between Chief Magistrate Alphonso and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, in the presence of staff members.
In an affidavit attached to the charge, Magistrate Alphonso stated that the incident followed a judgment she had earlier delivered which was unfavourable to the commissioner. She alleged that Mrs. Osamaye reacted by verbally abusing and physically assaulting her.
Parts of the affidavit alleged that the commissioner ordered the magistrate to “shut up,” described her as “just a mere Magistrate,” and claimed that even the Chief Judge of Ondo State could not speak when she was talking. The affidavit further alleged that the commissioner issued threats, warning the magistrate to “watch her back” and boasting that she had the means to make her “go missing,” while beating her chest.
It was also alleged that Mrs. Osamaye claimed that neither the Governor of Ondo State nor the Chief Judge would be able to intervene on the magistrate’s behalf.
At the hearing on Wednesday, the commissioner was absent from court. Her counsel, Barrister Adewusi, told the court that she was receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Ilara-Mokin and requested a stand-down to enable the defence to produce evidence of her hospitalisation.
Presiding Magistrate, Mr. Damilola Sekoni, granted a one-and-a-half-hour stand-down and ruled that the commissioner must appear in court or face legal consequences.
When the matter resumed, the defence counsel presented a medical report, which was immediately challenged by the prosecution on grounds of authenticity.
In his ruling, Magistrate Sekoni rejected the medical report, describing it as inadequate and unsatisfactory, noting that it failed to establish that the commissioner was admitted or medically unfit to attend court. He observed that the document lacked critical details, including the date and time of admission, prompting the prosecution to describe it as hastily prepared and possibly forged.
Citing what he described as the commissioner’s disregard for the authority of the court, Magistrate Sekoni ordered her arrest and remand in prison custody. The case was adjourned to January 12 for further hearing.
As of the time of filing this report, the Ondo State Government had not issued an official response to the court’s order.
