The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice A. S. Daramola, has ordered the immediate closure of all state courts, in view of the spate of attacks perpetrated by political thugs and their persistent presence in the premises of the High Court in Ado-Ekiti.

The directive was contained in a statement signed by the state’s Chief Registrar, Obafemi Fasanmi on Thursday.

It was gathered that some hoodlums in their hundreds on Thursday invaded the premises of the High Court in Ado Ekiti, the state capital and allegedly assaulted Justice John O. Adeyeye of court room No. 3, beating him up and tearing his suit in shreds.

The police officer on guard reportedly looked unconcerned as judges, magistrates and other staff members of the court scampered for safety, while court properties were either damaged or completely destroyed.

Trouble started on Thursday when Justice Adeyeye approached the governor elect of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, to appeal to him to control hundreds of his supporters who besieged the court which was billed to hear the petition against his election victory.

An angry Fayose is said to have engaged the judge in a hot argument after which he was attacked by the political supporters of the governor elect.

The court room of the Chief Judge was also not spared as members of staff attached to his office were beaten up and his court record book torn into pieces by the thugs who also invaded and disrupted proceedings at the election petition tribunal located within the premises of the High Court.

On Monday, political thugs had invaded court room No. 6 where Justice O.I.O Ogunyemi was presiding. The court sitting was disrupted and he had to be smuggled out of the room by a detachment of police officers after he had been harassed and chased around his office by political thugs.

The statement said that a date for the reopening of the courts be announced as soon as adequate and effective security measures are put in place to safeguard lives and properties.