Dominic Ayine, Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East, has announced plans to collaborate with his colleagues from Bolgatanga Central and Bongo to petition Chief Justice Gertrude Tokornoo to revisit the recent decision to close courts in the Upper East Region due to the ongoing Bawku conflict.
The indefinite closure of the courts was ordered on October 29, following security concerns raised by court staff and judges. In a directive issued by Judicial Service Secretary Justice Cyra Pamela Koranteng, court registrars were instructed to protect court assets and prioritise the safety of personnel.
During an interview on Accra-based Citi FM on Thursday, October 31, Ayine voiced his disagreement with the blanket closure. He argued that it would have been more reasonable to shut down only the courts located within the immediate Bawku conflict zone, rather than including those in Bolgatanga, which is over 50 kilometers away and not directly affected by the violence.
Ayine emphasized the need for a measured response to the situation, suggesting that the courts in unaffected areas should remain operational to ensure access to justice for residents in the Upper East Region.
“The wisest thing to have done is to close the courts that are within the Bawku area but when it comes to the High Court in Bolgatanga, there is no conflict taking place in Bolga.
“If it is a question of the delivery of services by court staff from Bolgatanga to Pusiga and Zebilla, then the best thing to have done would have been to stop the delivery of only those services so that litigants affected by those services within the conflict zone will only be affected but here is the case you are saying that because the court staff travel from Bolga to that place, you are also closing all the courts in its environs.”
Ayine plans to consult with MPs from Bolgatanga Central and Bongo to send a joint petition to the Judiciary Secretary, requesting a reversal of the court closures in unaffected areas.
“I want to have a discussion with the MPs for Bolgatanga Central and Bongo to do a joint letter to the Judiciary Secretary to reverse the closure of the courts because we are not within the conflict zone. In fact, Bolgatanga is over 50 kilometers from Bawku.”