A Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has ordered the arrest of the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Seun Osamaye, over an alleged assault on a Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Temitope Alphonso.
According to the charge before the court, the alleged incident occurred at the Ministry of Women Affairs while Chief Magistrate Alphonso was on an official engagement with the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, in the presence of staff members.
In an affidavit attached to the charge, Magistrate Alphonso stated that the incident stemmed from a judgment she had earlier delivered which was unfavourable to the commissioner. She alleged that the commissioner reacted by verbally abusing and physically assaulting her.
Parts of the affidavit alleged that the commissioner dismissed her status as a magistrate, issued threats against her safety, and claimed she wielded influence powerful enough to silence even senior judicial officers in the state.
At the hearing, the commissioner was absent from court. Her counsel, Barrister Adewusi, told the court that she was receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Ilara-Mokin and requested a stand-down to enable the defence to present evidence of her hospitalization.
Magistrate Damilola Sekoni granted a stand-down of one and a half hours, warning that the commissioner must appear in court or face legal consequences.
When proceedings resumed, the defence presented a medical report, which was immediately challenged by the prosecution over its authenticity.
In his ruling, Magistrate Sekoni rejected the medical report, describing it as inadequate and unsatisfactory, as it failed to indicate that the commissioner was admitted or medically unfit to attend court. The document also lacked key details such as the date and time of admission.
Describing the commissioner’s conduct as a display of disregard for the authority of the court, Magistrate Sekoni ordered her arrest and remand in prison custody. The case was adjourned to January 12.
As of the time of filing this report, the Ondo State Government had not issued any official statement on the matter.
