Continuation of the trial of the bloody April 5, 2018, Offa bank robbery suspects could not hold on Wednesday as scheduled.
The prisons officials who arrived the Kwara State high court of Justice Haleemat Salman, with the five suspects at 9.05am met the doors of the courtroom under lock and key.
Court officials were also not on ground and neither could they be found.
According to a circular found on the walls of the court premises and signed by the Chief Registrar of the state high courts, Mrs Ibijoke Olawoyin, the court decided to shut down due to the risks associated with pubic gathering.
The circular stated that, “It has been observed that the recent resumption of work in the state judiciary has led to an upsurge in the number of staff and members of the public trooping into the court premises without strict compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols put in place by the state technical committee on COVID-19 particularly as it relates to categories of workers allowed to attend office.
“It is in view of the risks associated with such gatherings and the desire of the state government to ensure the prevention and curtailment of the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus, that His Lordship, the Chief Judge of Kwara State, in compliance with Kwara state technical committee on COVID-19, directs that all officers of the state judiciary below grade level 14, should as from Monday, 13th July 2020, stay and work from home, while the remaining few essential officers that come to work should wear face masks, regularly wash and sanitise their hands and maintain reasonable social distancing,” the circular added.
DAILY POST further confirmed through another circular that the state judiciary would soon commence its annual vacation on August 3, 2020, and will last till September 21, 2020, indicating yet another vital reason for the temporary suspension of the trial of the robbery suspects.
