Two sad incidents of car theft inside court premises in Owerri, the Imo State capital within 21 days, has raised serious concern in several quarters about the escalating insecurity of lives and property in the state.
The most recent incident occurred on Tuesday, December, 17, 2024, when a lawyer, C.I. Amadi, parked his Toyota Camry 1999 model at the premises of the Magistrate Court ( Old High Court) along Orlu Road and went into the court to obtain a Judgment Order in his determined suit.
When he came back a few minutes later to pick up an item, it dawned on him that his grey coloured car with registration number, RLU 931 AA had disappeared from where he parked it a few minutes earlier.
Commenting on the sad development, the lawyer who was visibly disturbed, expressed disappointment and grief over the incident, pointing out that his laptop which contains details of most of his works was also in the car.
This recent incident which occurred barely 21 days after a similar incident which occurred on November, 27, 2024, when another lawyer’s Toyota Camry car was also stolen inside the High Court premises, along Port Harcourt Road, Owerri.
The two incidents according to a cross section of Imo people have raised serious concern about the porous security of lives and property in Court premises in the state.
Some lawyers who commented on the development said, the two scenarios highlight the need for the state government to find urgent solutions to the undesirable judicial sede vacante, which Imo Judiciary has been plunged into since the NJC-induced retirement of the immediate past Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Theresa Chukwuemeka-Chikeka, last month.
