By Ayodele Popoola

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The Ondo State Judiciary has expressed strong disapproval regarding the use of Justice P.O. Ikujuni’s photograph in an online article that reported the sentencing of an individual to ten years in prison by a magistrate court in the state.

In a statement released in Akure, Chief Registrar Ayodeji Akinsanya emphasized that the publication was misleading and unjustified, posing a risk of causing  harm to the reputation of the judge.

Akinsanya stated: “The Ondo State Judiciary has been alerted to a trending online article detailing the sentencing of a man to ten years in prison by a Magistrate Court in Ondo State for open grazing and the destruction of crops valued at N10 million. The report correctly identified Magistrate D.S. Sekoni as the presiding magistrate in this case.

“However, we are deeply concerned that the accompanying image is of Justice P.O. Ikujuni, a High Court judge with no connection to this case or its proceedings. This misrepresentation is not only misleading but also unjustified, and it poses a significant risk of damaging Justice Ikujuni’s reputation while creating public confusion regarding the responsible judicial officer.

“We therefore demand that the publisher of this article take immediate action to: remove Justice P.O. Ikujuni’s image from the publication and all related platforms; to issue a correction that clearly dissociates Justice Ikujuni from the case and to exercise greater diligence in future publications to prevent similar erroneous or defamatory representations.

“The Ondo State Judiciary remains committed to transparency, truth, and upholding the integrity and dignity of all judicial officers. We urge the public to disregard any erroneous associations linking Honourable Justice P.O. Ikujuni to the aforementioned case, as they are entirely incorrect and misleading.”

Akinsanya said the publication is misleading and   representation that does no emanate from any court in Ondo State Judiciary.

He added that failure to retract the publication would attract consequences.