The last has not been heard about the sudden resignation of a Chief Magistrate in Rivers State reportedly due to his unease over the appointment of a Sole Administrator to oversee the affairs of the state.

Mr. Ejike George, a Chief Magistrate in the Rivers State Judiciary, had tendered his resignation from service, saying: “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.”

George’s resignation was contained in a letter dated April 11, 2025, and addressed to the Chief Judge of Rivers State through the Secretary of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission.

The letter was titled ‘Voluntary Retirement From Service’. George has put in sixteen years in the judiciary.

A leading stakeholder in the Rivers State justice sector however told CITY LAWYER that erstwhile Chief Magistrate “may be trying to avoid disciplinary action,” adding that “It is not in any way related to the state of emergency.”

The source added that George may be liable to disciplinary action “due to his long absence from work.” CITY LAWYER gathered that the judicial officer may have been absent from duty for about two years.

It was unclear at press time whether his prolonged absence was related to health or family issues.

CITY LAWYER recalls that George had in the resignation letter expressed dismay over the direction of the governance of the state, which he said is “alien” and “antithetical” to the values of the legal profession.

The letter obtained by CITY LAWYER reads: “This present is intended to convey my decision to voluntarily retire my appointment as Magistrate of the Judiciary of Rivers State.

George expressed dismay over the direction of the governance of the state, which he said is “alien” and “antithetical” to the values of the legal profession.

The statement reads, “This present 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.

“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 (sixteen) out of my 22 (twenty-two) 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.”