Rivers Chief magistrate retires over State of Emergency
By Idun Maximus
A chief magistrate of Rivers State Judiciary, Ejike King George, has announced his voluntary retirement from service because of the existing emergency rule in the state.
The chief magistrate, in a letterhead paper – From The Desk OF K. E. GEORGE, ESQ, LLB, BL.
High Court Complex, Nnamdi Azikiwe Road, Port Harcourt, to the Honourable Chief Judge through the Secretary, Rivers State Judicial Service Commission dated April 11, 2025, titled: ‘Voluntary Retirement From Service’, the Chief Magistrate said he took a difficult and regrettable decision.
George said he was not comfortable with the recent appointment of a quasi-military administration in Rivers State.
He stated: “This is intended to convey my decision to voluntarily retire my appointment as Magistrate of the Judiciary of Rivers State.
“This difficult and regrettable decision is informed largely by my discomfort with the recent appointment of a quasi-military administration to run the affairs of a modern state like ours.”
The chief magistrate further wrote: “Milord will agree with me that this type of governance system is not only alien, but also runs antithetical to our hallowed profession as legal practitioners and adjudicators.
“Having put in a whopping 16 out of my 22 years of legal practice into this Judiciary as Magistrate under successive democratic administrations, I find it difficult to work with the current setting, as doing so would amount to a tacit and naive acquiescence. Thanks Milord, for the opportunity to serve.”
