It was a moment of relief for the families of Mr Isabu Mathew and Mr Omoarelojie Omoriabie, both from Ewohimi community in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, following their release from unlawful detention ordered by a court registrar in the absence of a magistrate.
According to reports, the two men were arrested by officers of the Ewohimi Divisional Police Headquarters on September 29, 2025, over an alleged affray, a charge involving a fight between two or more persons.
The Coordinator of the Igueben Community Base Centre of the Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO), Comrade Enabulele Larry, was alerted to their arrest and immediately deployed a team led by Comrade Pastor Emionwele Ehikioya to intervene.
Upon arrival at the station, the delegation was informed by the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO 1) that both parties were unwilling to reconcile. Despite EDOCSO’s plea for an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process and a request for bail, the police denied administrative bail and arraigned the suspects at the Ubiaja Magistrate Court the next day.
However, the magistrate was reportedly on annual leave when the case was brought to court. The court registrar, in her absence, allegedly used a pre-signed Warrant of Remand (WoR) to commit the suspects to custody, a move described by legal experts as “a grave violation of judicial ethics.”
Following complaints from the victims’ families, EDOCSO petitioned relevant judicial authorities, drawing public attention to what it called “a miscarriage of justice.”
When confronted, the court registrar admitted that the magistrate was absent and confirmed using a pre-signed warrant obtained from the official system, raising concerns about the possible pre-signing of sensitive legal documents for future use.
The suspects were subsequently ordered to be released unconditionally, and disciplinary actions were reportedly taken against the officers involved.
Legal analysts described the situation as a serious breach of due process, emphasising that suspects should be granted administrative bail with reliable sureties when no magistrate or judge is available.
“This is the second such incident in less than a year,” said Comrade Enabulele Larry. “It happened earlier at the Ebelle Magistrate Court and now at Ubiaja. The system must be checked to prevent recurrence.”
EDOCSO commended its central leadership under Leftist Omobude Agho for consistently standing up for the rights of vulnerable citizens.
