Rivers: I wasn’t trained to take orders from a military administrator, says ex-magistrate on resignation

A former Chief Magistrate in Rivers State, Ejike George, has explained that his recent resignation from the judiciary was due to his refusal to operate under what he described as a military-style administration.

He made this known during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today; on Thursday, George stated that he

Recall that in a letter dated April 11, 2025, and addressed to the Honourable Chief Judge of Rivers State through the Secretary of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission, George announced his resignation, citing that the appointment of a sole administrator is tantamount to a ‘quasi-military administration’.

Speaking during the show, George said, “I am simply saying that I cannot take instructions from a military administrator. I cannot.

“My reason for resignation is simply because I cannot adapt to the military style of adjudication that would be introduced by the reason of the sole administrator being our governor.

“As a magistrate, our courts are courts of summary jurisdiction. Our proceedings are not guided by the constitution of this country. That being the case, it means that I would take directives from my employer, who is the Chief Judge of Rivers State.

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“We, in turn, take some level of directive from the governor; that would have been the elected governor who had acted as the chief security officer of the state. There’s this security meeting the governor holds with the Chief Judge and the commissioner of police and others every month.

“When those meetings are concluded, most of the proceedings from the meeting is forwarded to us at the judicial level to implement in a manner to quell criminal issues in the state.

“I am simply saying that I cannot take instructions from a military administrator. I cannot. In the entire 16 years that I served with the Rivers State Judiciary, I have taken instructions from civilian administrators. I do not know how I am going to adapt and now begin to take instructions from a military administrator. I find it very strange.

“The judiciary did not take us to any previous training on how to work with military administrators. Until that is done, I don’t know how even my colleagues would cope. So, for me, unfortunately, I am not the type that would keep my mouth shut. So, I decided to throw in the towel and go home and look for something else to do.”

The former magistrate also denied that there was a crisis in the state, stating that the imposition of a sole administrator was “unnecessary”.

He also refuted claims by the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission that he was due for voluntary retirement rather than resignation. “I never faced any panel for any misconduct,” he insisted, daring the commission to publish any report suggesting otherwise.