By Umar Bayo Abdulwahab
Ilorin
The federal government has said it had put in place a national policy framework that will put an end to ‘the blame game’ trend amongst various institutions in the justice sector.
This is just as the Kwara state government announced the elongation of service of Magistrates and state counsel in the state’s judiciary from 35 to 65 years.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and the Kwara state Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Kamaldeen Ajibade, announced these yesterday during a national sensitisation workshop on the National Policy on Justice for the North-central zone held in Ilorin, Kwara state.
Represented by a director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Ifunanya Nwajagwu, Malami urged stakeholders to make imputes in the policy and come up with suggestions on how to ensure it implementation with synergy at the state and federal level.
He said: “Over the years, while other sectors such as education, health, agriculture, etc, have put in place national policies and structures to provide broad legal framework for the sectors operations, there is no such policy in justice and justice institutions. Thus, each institution operates in isolation and plays the blame game instead of coming together to address the challenges confronting the justice system in the country.
“The state government has approved a special prison decongestion exercise to aid the prosecution of cases pending at various courts against over 443 awaiting trial inmates in prison spreads across the state within a period of three months. The courts sit on daily basis and went beyond official hours to dispense criminal cases pending in courts so as to meet the target. As a matter of fact the honourable chief judge of Kwara sate recently released 16 inmates awaiting trial with a view to decongest the prisons.
“The state government has also approved the elongation of service of magistrates and state counsel to 65 years against the initial 35 years in service. This was done to ensure that the officers deep wealth of experience does not go down the drain at the time the services of the officers are at the peak and productive. It would also enhance the quality of justice to be dispensed in the state.”
Governor Abdulfath Ahmed of Kwara state who declared the workshop open, said his government would continue to welcome criticism and suggestions that would enhance good governance and strengthen democracy.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, Ahmed said government must run in accordance with the “wishes and aspiration of the people” which, he said, had been “‘the hallmark” of his administration.
