Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, Ogun State Chief Judge, has vowed that no rapist in Ogun State will go unpunished saying that the state will deal ruthlessly with culprits that perpetrate such criminal and sinful act.
Justice Dipeolu stated this at the official commissioning of the Magistrate Court, Ido-Oke, Igbesa Land, Ado-Odo/Ota, Local Government Area of the state.
She said the increase in rape cases in the country had become worrisome, which made some groups in the country to call on the governments to declare state of emergency on rape.
“Raping has become a global phenomenon. The appalling side of rape in our clime has to do with recklessness of the perpetrators, lacklustre response of justice administrators and absence of institutional supportive system to help the victims,” Justice Dipeolu said.
She said that the newly built Magistrate Court in the area would bring justice closer to the people and avert jungle justice, noting that the court was built in the spirit of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and a way of giving back to the society.
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She added that due to the enormous workload of the existing magistrate courts, sometimes, there were delay in adjudication, as parties had to wait for a long time before the conclusion of their cases.
Justice Dipeolu further said proper administration of justice could not be achieved without building new courts or getting new magistrates appointed.
She said the state government had been able to appoint more magistrates to help reduce the workload on the existing ones, noting that it was on the verge of appointing more Chief Magistrates due to the shortage in that cadre.
She, therefore, requested the cooperation of all stakeholders in the administration of justice to ensure proper implementation of the Seven-Point Agenda of its administration.
She said all hands must be on deck to sustain the court, especially the police who need to give the court orderlies, prosecutors and security for the magistrates’ quarters.