The Magistrate at Dodowa District Court, Bridget Akpe Akattah, on Tuesday, the 19th day of September 2023, ordered police officers at the court to arrest and detain a young man, Jude Abaidoo (Jude), who was in court with his wife in a child custody case before the court.
On Monday, 18 September 2023, Jude filed a motion at the Registry of the Dodowa District Court in the pending case. After making payment and the copies of the court process having been taken from him, the Cashier informed him that the Registrar of the Court, Regina Lawson, was not available and so he (Jude) should come the next day for his copy, which would indicate the date for the motion. Apparently, the next day, Tuesday 19 September 2023, was the adjourned date for the pending case.
Thus, today, when Jude returned to the Registry for his copy of the motion, the Registrar told him he (Jude) should go to the Cashier for the process. The Cashier also told him to return to the Registrar. On return, the Registrar told Jude that the process was with the bailiff.
When Jude got to the bailiff’s office, he (the bailiff) told Jude that the Registrar had not fixed a date on the motion, so he could not give the process to him. Jude then left for today’s hearing of the case (custody), which was held in the Magistrate’s Chamber.
In court (the magistrate’s Chamber) when the case was called, the Magistrate asked the wife, who is the Respondent to the motion, whether the motion filed by Jude the previous day, of which Jude himself had yet to receive a copy, had been served on her. The wife answered in the negative, whereupon the judge adjourned the suit to 31st October 2023.
After the court session, Jude went back to the Registrar to take his copy of the motion but was directed again to the bailiff, who then got angry with Jude for frequenting his office after telling him that he could give him his copy.
Jude reported back to the registrar and complained about the ballif’s behavior towards him.
Upon realizing that the Registrar, together with the other officers of the court, who according to sources have been in constant contact with Jude’s wife, did not want to give him his copy of the motion he filed on 18th September 2023, he stated that if they failed to give him his copy, he would report them and the matter to the Chief Justice.
It was this threat to report the matter to the Chief Justice that provoked the Registrar, who went to the Magistrate’s office to complain about Jude’s conduct.
The obviously angry Magistrate sounded an alarm from her Chambers continuously for the attention of the police officers and subsequently ordered that Jude be arrested and detained in the court cells. This time, Jude was on his way back to his office at the Shai Osudoku District Assembly.
Upon the arrest, the Magistrate later intimated that she did not even want to see the gentleman (Jude) and that the policemen should take him to the Dodowa Police station to be detained.
At the police station, the station officers inquired about the basis for the requested detention. They asked the police officer escort to go back to the Magistrate and ask for the offense or her complaint.
Jude is currently at the Dodowa Police Station and has been informed that he will be detained, ostensibly on the instructions of the Magistrate, until tomorrow, Wednesday, the 20th day of September 2023.
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