Chief Judge absolves judiciary of lapses in justice delivery

Chief Judge of High Court of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Justice Ishaq Bello, has described the public condemnation of the judiciary for the alleged lapses in justice delivery in the country, as a misplaced perception.

Speaking recently when he received an advocacy group- Partners West Africa-Nigeria, Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiatives in his office, Justice Bello urged critics to find out where the lapses in the justice delivery were coming from before singling out  the judiciary for condemnation.

Justice Bello stated that the Judiciary, Legislature and Executives have their distinct roles to ensure a speedy and efficient justice delivery.

He, however, noted that those agencies in charge of prosecution were merely from the executive arm and as such, if they failed in their initial responsibility to carry out proper investigation, such lapses should not be blamed on the judiciary.

He said: “An efficient justice delivery is not a thing only an arm of the government can achieve. The performances of the executive and the legislature must enhance its achievement.”

Justice Bello stated that agencies empowered to investigate and prosecute cases must also get it right to ensure an efficient justice delivery system because where a fault occurred along the line, justice delivery is bound to fail.

The Chief Judge stated that the judiciary was set up to interpret the law made by legislature, stressing that the appropriate persons suited to advise on amendment should be the Judges .

Commending the FCT Police Command for setting up an enforcement unit, he observed that such development will solve the problem of none enforcement of courts’ orders that intend to erode public confidence in the judiciary.

Earlier, the Executive Director of the advocacy group, Kemi Okenyodo, said the non-governmental organisation was concerned about the declining public confidence in the judiciary.

Okenyodo stated that there was a strong perception by Nigerians that the judiciary was fraught with challenges.

“We did not agree less with the the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, that our ability to be impartial and indeed honest in our judgments, is now regarded with scepticism.”

Okenyodo added that judiciary must address the ills created by negative perception about courts in the mind of the public.