Chaos As Appeal Court Locks Out Staff For Resuming Late

There was chaos at the entrance of the Court of Appeal, Abuja as staff are barred from accessing the court premises with their vehicles, The Nation reports.

Security personnel at the entrance said they were directed by the court’s President, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, to lock the entrance gate to prevent staff, who report to work late, from accessing the court premises with their vehicles.

As a result, the affected staff, including some directors, are forced to park their vehicles on the court’s main entrance gate, up to the main road leading to the Federal Secretariat and the Force headquarters, thereby affecting normal traffic flow.

Policemen have been drafted to the scene to help control traffic and secure the vehicles.

The Nation learnt that Justice Dongban-Mensem’s directive was informed by her discovery earlier today that the majority of the staff were not in their offices, while some were just strolling in after the official resumption period.

“My lord (the President) went round some of the offices this morning and found out that they were all empty.

“Most staff are in the habit of coming late, while some have even said they will resume by next year.

“So, she directed the security personnel to lock the gate so that those coming late would not be allowed to enter with their vehicles.

“Even staff buses are affected. You can see they are all packed outside.

“We are, however, not sure what penalties would be visited on the erring staff at the end of the day,” an official of the court, who pleaded not to be named, told The Nation.