Deputy governor ‘zooms past’ Calabar protesters as unpaid judge collapses
A Calabar magistrate reportedly collapsed in front of the governor’s office on the second day of an ongoing protest over unpaid salaries.
Cross River deputy governor Ivara Esu drove past the protesting magistrates without stopping to attend to them at the moment the magistrate collapsed, reports say.
Some magistrates started a protest at the Government House on Monday over nonpayment of salary arrears for two years.
On Tuesday, Richard Bassey, who joined his colleagues for the protest, collapsed amid the demonstration.
He was, however, immediately revived by his colleagues who later took him to hospital.
The magistrates were in their full regalia and carried placards calling for the payment of their salary arrears.
Speaking on behalf of the magistrates, Solomon Abuo said no government official had addressed them since they began the protest.
He said they had been tossed about for the past two years with nothing concrete coming from the government.
“As I speak, we are still working. We will continue to protest until we are paid. This is our last resort,” he said.
