Cross River govt orders 30 magistrates owed 24 months salaries to stop work

The 30 magistrates, who recently protested unpaid salaries of 24 months in Cross River State have been asked to stop work by the state government.

The order was contained in a January 4 letter sent to the magistrates by the chief registrar of the state judiciary, Edem Okokon.

Okon said he was directed by the state’s acting chief judge to issue the letter.

He said that the state should not have allowed them in the first place to continue working without being paid salaries.

READ ALSO: Non-payment of Cross-River Magistrates’ salaries ‘disgraceful’ –NBA

“You are hereby withdrawn from sitting in court till further notice.

“There is no conscientious reason to have allowed you without pay for all this while as you may be tempted to fall into corrupt practices in order to survive.

“There are in fact, a handful of reports already received against some of such magistrates; hence this directive,” Okokon said.

He, therefore, asked the magistrates to remain in their home pending when their salaries matter would be settled.

The magistrates, who were appointed in February 2019, had recently staged a protest at the office of the state governor, Ben Ayade, during which one of them, Richard Bassey fainted.

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